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Pedro ArmendarizMexican actor
Date of Birth: 09.05.1912
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Pedro Armendaris
Pedro Gregorio Armendáriz Hastings was born on May 9, 1912, in Mexico City, during the years of the Mexican Revolution. His parents were Mexican Pedro Armendáriz García-Conde and American Adela Hastings. Actress Gloria Marín, a star of Mexican cinema, was his younger cousin. Armendáriz grew up in the suburbs of Mexico City and then lived with his uncle Francisco after his parents died when he was 9 years old. In 1931, he graduated with an engineering degree from the California Polytechnic State University. After completing his studies, Armendáriz moved to Mexico, where he worked as a tour guide on the railway and as a journalist for the bilingual magazine "México Real".
Rise to Fame
One day, director Miguel Zacarías overheard a young tour guide reciting a monologue from Hamlet to an American tourist and was impressed. Armendáriz received his first film role at the age of 22 in Zacarías' drama "Rosario", which was released in 1936. From then on, he appeared in 126 films in Mexico, the United States, France, Italy, and England. Under the guidance of actor and director Emilio Fernández, Pedro Armendáriz and actress Dolores del Río became the faces of Mexican cinema, renowned worldwide. Armendáriz, a green-eyed brunette, was considered the epitome of masculinity and male beauty. He spoke English fluently and without an accent, and was a refined and well-read individual.
Awards and Family
In 1948, Armendáriz won the Mexican Silver Ariel Award for Best Actor for his role in the drama "La Perla", and another in 1952 for the western "El Rebozo de Soledad". In 1947, he was awarded the Special Ariel Award for his contribution to cinema. In 1938, Pedro married actress Carmelita Bohr, and they remained married for 25 years until his death. Their son, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., born in 1940, also became an actor and appeared in the James Bond film "Licence to Kill" in 1989. Armendáriz's last film role was in the second James Bond film, "From Russia with Love", released in 1963. He portrayed Kerim Bey, James Bond's ally. However, during the filming, Armendáriz was already terminally ill with cancer and felt so unwell towards the end of production that some scenes featuring his character were played by his stunt double, director Terence Young.
Tragic End
In 1954, Armendáriz participated in the filming of the epic film "The Conqueror", produced by Howard Hughes. While the movie was being shot in Utah, the US government conducted nuclear tests in the neighboring state of Nevada. As a result, 91 out of the 220 people involved in the production of the film developed cancer over the next 25 years. Forty-six of them, including the lead actors John Wayne, Susan Hayward, and Agnes Moorehead, died from the disease. Armendáriz started experiencing pain in his hips, and after a few years, it was discovered that he had cancer in those areas. He learned that his condition was incurable at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center. Despite his deteriorating health, Armendáriz agreed to appear in "From Russia with Love", even though he was in significant pain and visibly limping in most scenes. On June 18, 1963, at the age of 51, Pedro Armendáriz shot himself in the heart with a pistol he had smuggled into the hospital to avoid a slow and agonizing death from cancer.
