Editing María Félix

{{short description|Mexican actress and singer (1914–2002)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{family name hatnote|Félix|Güereña|lang=Spanish}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = María Félix
| honorific_suffix   = <small>[[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]</small>
| image              = María Félix 1947.jpg
| caption            = Félix in ''[[The Kneeling Goddess]]'' (1947)
| birth_name         = María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1914|04|8|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Álamos]], [[Sonora]], Mexico
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2002|04|8|1914|04|8|df=y}}<ref name="britannica">{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maria-Felix|title=María Félix: Mexican actress|work=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=8 May 2018}}</ref><!-- born 8 April; see talk page -->
| death_place        = [[Mexico City]], Mexico<ref name="human">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQNvAAAAQBAJ&q=Maria+Felix+birth&pg=PA191|title=The Human Tradition in Mexico|last=Pilcher|first=Jeffrey M.|date=1 December 2002|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=9781461638421|language=en}}</ref>
| resting_place      = Panteón Francés de San Joaquín
| signature          = María Félix Signature.svg
| other_names        = ''La Doña''<br>''María Bonita''
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Actress
* singer}}
| years_active       = 1942–1978
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by María Félix|Full list]]
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Enrique Álvarez|1931|1938|reason=divorce}}
* {{marriage|[[Agustín Lara]]|1945|1947|reason=divorce}}
* {{marriage|[[Jorge Negrete]]|1952|1953|reason=died}}
* {{marriage|Alex Berger|1956|1974|reason=died}}
}}
| partner            = Antoine Tzapoff (1980s)
| children           = [[Enrique Álvarez Félix]]
| website            = {{URL|http://www.mariafelix.com.mx/vida.html|mariafelix.com}}
}}

'''María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña''' ({{IPA|es|maˈɾi.a ˈfeliɣs|lang}}; 8 April 1914 – 8 April 2002) was a Mexican actress and singer. Along with [[Pedro Armendáriz]] and [[Dolores del Río]], she was one of the most successful figures of Latin American cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. Considered one of the most beautiful actresses of the [[Golden Age of Mexican cinema]], her strong personality and taste for finesse garnered her the title of [[diva]] early in her career.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vanguardia.com.mx/articulo/la-bella-actriz-que-desprecio-hollywood-y-sus-indias-cheyennes|title=María Felix: La bella actriz que despreció a Hollywood y a sus indias cheyennes|website=Vanguardia|date=7 April 2017 }}</ref> She was known as ''La Doña'', a name derived from her character in ''[[Doña Bárbara (1943 film)|Doña Bárbara]]'' (1943), and ''María Bonita'', thanks to the anthem composed exclusively for her as a wedding gift by her second husband, [[Agustín Lara]]. Her acting career consists of 47 films made in Mexico, Spain, France, Italy and Argentina.<ref name="nytimes">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/09/movies/maria-felix-87-feisty-heroine-who-reigned-supreme-in-mexican-cinema-dies.html|title=María Félix, 87, Feisty Heroine Who Reigned Supreme in Mexican Cinema, Dies|last=Dillon|first=Sam|date=2002-04-09|work=The New York Times|access-date=8 May 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Early life==
{{more citations needed|date=April 2018}}
María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña was born in [[Álamos]], [[Sonora]], Mexico, on 8 April 1914. Her birth was registered on May 4, which was later misreported as her date of birth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/interactive/60406/004886025_00458?pid=675605&backurl=http://search.ancestrylibrary.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=zCB20&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&gss=angs-g&new=1&rank=1&gsfn=%2520Maria%2520de%2520Los%2520Angeles&gsfn_x=0&gsln=%2520Felix%2520Guere%25C3%25B1a&gsln_x=0&msbdy=1914&msbpn__ftp=Mexico&catbucket=rstp&MSAV=1&uidh=57k&pcat=ROOT_CATEGORY&h=675605&dbid=60406&indiv=1&ml_rpos=3&usePUB=true&_phsrc=zCB20&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true|title=Ancestry Library Edition|website=www.ancestrylibrary.com}}</ref>

She was the daughter of Bernardo Félix Flores, a military officer and politician who was of distant [[Yaqui]] descent, and Josefina Güereña Rosas, who grew up in the U.S. state of California; both were of Mexican ancestry. She had fifteen siblings: Josefina, María de la Paz, Pablo, Bernardo, Miguel, María de las Mercedes, Fernando, Victoria Eugenia, Ricardo, Benjamín and Ana María del Sacramento.<ref name="de10">{{cite web|url=https://de10.com.mx/top-10/maria-felix-10-datos-intimos-de-la-diva-del-cine-mexicano|title=Maria Felix: 10 datos intimos de la diva del cine mexicano|last=Mejia|first=Carolina|date=8 April 2019 |publisher=El Universal de10.mx|language=es|trans-title=Maria Felix: 10 intimate facts about the diva of Mexican Cinema}}</ref>

She spent her childhood in Álamos. During her childhood, she had a close relationship with her brother Pablo. Her mother separated the two siblings, thinking they might be involved in an incestuous relationship.<ref>Documental María Félix – Director [[Arturo Pérez Velasco]] – Editorial Clio [[Enrique Krauze]]</ref> For that reason, Pablo was sent to the Colegio Militar, in Mexico City.<ref name="de10"/>

Later, the Félix family moved to [[Guadalajara]]. When María was 17, her beauty soon began to attract attention. She was crowned Beauty Queen at the University of Guadalajara. It was at this time that she met Enrique Álvarez Alatorre, a salesman for the cosmetics firm [[Max Factor]]. After a brief romance, the couple married in 1931. In 1935, Félix gave birth to her only child, Enrique, nicknamed ''Quique''. Her marriage with Álvarez was unsuccessful and the couple divorced in 1937. After her divorce, Félix returned to Guadalajara with her family, where she was the subject of gossip and rumors due to her status as a divorcée. Because of this situation, Félix decided to move to Mexico City with her son.<ref name="debayle" >{{cite web|url=https://www.marthadebayle.com/v3/radiov3/joijoroi/los-amores-de-maria-felix/|title=Los amores de Maria Felix|publisher=Martha Debayle.com|language=es|trans-title=The loves of Maria Felix|date=December 31, 2018|access-date=June 1, 2019}}</ref>

In Mexico City, she worked as a receptionist in a plastic surgeon's office, and lived in a guest house. One day, the father of her son visited the child, and deliberately refused to give the boy back to his mother. Álvarez took the child to Guadalajara. Félix's son was recovered with the help of [[Agustín Lara]], her second husband. They planned an elaborate recovery that tricked the grandmother and took the child.{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 1, pp. 74-5}}

== Career ==

=== First years ===
[[File:María Félix 1951.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Félix in ''[[The Black Crown (film)|The Black Crown]]'' (1951)]]

One afternoon after work when walking down the street in Mexico City, director and filmmaker Fernando Palacios approached her asking if she wanted to make films. Her response was:{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}

{{blockquote|''"When I want to, it will be through the big door."''}}

Palacios finally persuaded her to break into films. Becoming her "[[Pygmalion (mythology)|Pygmalion]]", he began to train her and present her in film circles. She made her first appearance in the "White and Black Ballroom" of the Mexico City Country Club where some of the great Mexican film stars of the era ([[Esther Fernández]], [[Lupe Vélez]], [[Andrea Palma (actress)|Andrea Palma]]) gathered. Eventually she was taken to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], to the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] Studios, where she met [[Cecil B. DeMille]], who offered to launch her film career in Hollywood, but Félix was not interested. She preferred to begin her career in her own country. Finally, thanks to Palacios, she was offered the female lead role in a film by Grovas Productions: ''[[El Peñón de las Ánimas]]'', directed by [[Miguel Zacarías]].{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 1, pp. 80-2}}

In the film ''El Peñón de las Ánimas'', Félix starred opposite the popular Mexican actor and singer [[Jorge Negrete]]. María Félix and Jorge Negrete got off to a bad relationship during the filming because he had asked that his girlfriend, the actress [[Gloria Marín]], be given the lead role. For this reason, the shooting of the film was difficult and led to a direct confrontation between Félix and Negrete. That confrontation helped to cement the reputation of Félix as a tough and arrogant woman.

In her second film, ''María Eugenia'', Félix would be projected in a role out of her temperamental film personality. However, the film is remembered as the only film where Félix appeared in swimwear. The same happened with the film ''La china poblana'' (1943), where Félix claimed to have paid a debt of gratitude to her discoverer Fernando Palacios, who directed the film.{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 2, pp. 21-2}} Nobody has heard from this film (the second color film of the Mexican cinema), so it is considered lost. She called both films "her beginner sins".

[[File:MariaFelix-sexy.png|thumb|left|200px|Felix]]

Félix was known as ''La Doña'' for her role in the film ''[[Doña Bárbara (1943 film)|Doña Bárbara]]'' (1943), based on [[Doña Bárbara|the novel]] by the Venezuelan writer [[Rómulo Gallegos]]. For the film, another actress ([[Isabela Corona]]) was already hired, but when Gallegos first saw Félix, he was charmed by her and said: "Here is my Doña Bárbara!" The film was filmed in Venezuela with Mexican and Venezuelan actors. ''Doña Bárbara'' was to be the start of her major collaborations with the Mexican film director [[Fernando de Fuentes]]. Félix and de Fuentes filmed together another two films: ''[[La Mujer sin Alma]]'' (1944) and ''La Devoradora'' (1946). As María Félix herself said, ''"With these films, I became the number one enemy of the Mexican family morals."''

{{blockquote|''Somehow, I seduced the public, even those who criticize the conduct of my characters in the films. My legend began to take shape without moving a finger. The public imagination did everything for me.''{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 2, p. 27}}}}

Without her stereotyped role of a "femme fatale", María Félix filmed two sophisticated films: ''El monje blanco'' (1945), directed by [[Julio Bracho]], and ''Vertigo'' (1946), directed by Antonio Momplet. Both characters required a great dramatic intensity.

Under the direction of [[Emilio Fernández]], María Félix made three successful films: ''[[Enamorada (film)|Enamorada]]'' (1946), ''[[Río Escondido (1948 film)|Río Escondido]]'' (1947), and ''[[Maclovia (1948 film)|Maclovia]]'' (1948). The relationship between Félix and Fernández was cordial and smooth, despite the strong and famous temperament of the film director. In ''Enamorada'', María Félix found her perfect film partner, the actor [[Pedro Armendáriz]]. The films of María Félix with Fernández and his team (writer Mauricio Magdaleno, photographer [[Gabriel Figueroa]], and Armendáriz) had strong presence in several international film festivals. In turn, they gave María Félix her first [[Ariel Award for Best Actress|Ariel Award]] for ''Enamorada'' and ''Río Escondido''.

Between the films with Fernández, María Félix also worked with [[Roberto Gavaldón]], another director who showcased some of her best performances. Their first collaboration was in ''La diosa arrodillada'' (1947) with [[Arturo de Córdova]]. Thanks to these films, María Félix's fame crossed the Atlantic.

In 1948 she was contracted by the Spanish film producer Cesáreo González. In this manner María Félix began her film adventure in Europe. She made only one more film in Mexico (''[[Doña Diabla]]'', 1949) until her return in 1952.

=== Europe ===
[[File:María Félix in La mujer de todos city theater 1948.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Marquee listing Félix's film, ''La mujer de todos'', at Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen in [[Amsterdam]] at the City Theater in March 1948]]
Félix debuted in the European cinema in Spain, with the film ''[[Mare Nostrum (1948 film)|Mare Nostrum]]'' (1948), directed by [[Rafael Gil]]. With Gil as director, she made another two films in 1950: ''Una mujer cualquiera'' and ''La noche del sábado''. In 1951, she filmed the French-Spanish production ''La Couronne Noire'' directed by [[Luis Saslavsky]] based on a story by [[Jean Cocteau]]. She debuted in Italy with the film ''Incantesimo Tragico'' (1951). In the same year, she filmed ''[[Messalina (1951 film)|Messalina]]'' (1951), directed by [[Carmine Gallone]]. During the shooting of the film, Félix suffered an emotional shock: her father died of a heart attack in [[Navojoa]].

In 1952, Félix traveled to Argentina, where she filmed ''[[La pasión desnuda]]'' of the Argentine filmmaker [[Luis César Amadori]]. In the same year, Félix returned to Mexico. She concluded her working relationship with Cesáreo González with the film ''[[Camelia (1954 film)|Camelia]]'' filmed in her native country. Her stay in Mexico was mainly based on her marriage to the actor and singer Jorge Negrete,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Una Mujer Llamada Maria Felix: Historia No Autorizada|last=Sandoval|first=Carmen Barajas|year=1998|isbn=9684096739|pages=[https://archive.org/details/unamujerllamadam00bara/page/174 174]|publisher=EDAMEX |url=https://archive.org/details/unamujerllamadam00bara/page/174}}</ref> her former film rival, with whom she filmed ''El rapto'', directed by Emilio Fernández, Negrete's last film.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Los Grandes: Maria Felix (Los Grandes Mexicanos)|last=Rutiaga|first=Luis|year=2005|isbn=9706669817|pages=174|publisher=Grupo Tomo }}</ref>

After Negrete's death on 5 December 1953, Félix returned to Europe. In France she made the films ''La Belle Otero'' (1954), and ''Les Héros sont Fatigués'' (1955), alongside [[Yves Montand]]. However, the most important film of Félix in this period was ''[[French Cancan]]'' (1954) directed by [[Jean Renoir]] with French actor [[Jean Gabin]]. Her last film shot entirely in Europe was the Spanish film ''[[Faustina (1957 film)|Faustina]]''.<ref>{{cite book|editor-first1=Cynthia|editor-last1=Tompkins|editor-first2=David William|editor-last2=Foster|date=2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a7TY2ElIcrUC&pg=PA97 |title=Notable Twentieth-Century Latin American Women: A Biographical Dictionary|page=97|isbn=0313311129|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|access-date=2019-08-08}}</ref>

===Last films===
Félix returned to Mexico in 1955. This period of her career was characterized by performing in period pieces inspired by the [[Mexican Revolution]]. This cycle begins with ''La Escondida'' (1955). In this film, as well as in stories like ''Canasta de cuentos mexicanos'' (1955) and ''Café Colón'' (1958), she worked again with Pedro Armendáriz. In 1956 she starred in ''[[Tizoc (film)|Tizoc]]'' with the actor and singer [[Pedro Infante]]. However, the film was not liked by the actress, despite her international success. Eventually she filmed ''[[Beyond All Limits]]'' (1957) with [[Jack Palance]], and the melodramas ''[[Ash Wednesday (1958 film)|Ash Wednesday]]'' and ''[[The Empty Star]]'' (both 1958). In 1959 she played the title role in ''[[The Soldiers of Pancho Villa]]'' with top billing lead [[Dolores del Río]]. <!--, where alternating with [[Dolores del Río]], another celebrated Mexican film star with a career in Hollywood ←This bit doesn't make sense. What is meant?--> In 1959 she performed in the Spanish-Mexican co-production ''[[Sonatas (film)|Sonatas]]'' directed by [[Juan Antonio Bardem]] and the French-Mexican co-production ''[[La Fièvre Monte à El Pao]]'',  directed by [[Luis Buñuel]].

In the 1960s Félix's presence in the cinema was limited to only a few films. The most prominent were ''Juana Gallo'' (1960), ''[[La bandida]]'' (1963), ''[[Amor y sexo]]'' (''Sapho '63'', 1963)), and ''[[La Valentina (1966 film)|La Valentina]]'' (1966). In 1970 she filmed ''La Generala'', which would be her last film. The Mexican historical [[telenovela]] ''La Constitución'' (1971) would be her last professional acting job. Félix attempted to return to the cinema twice. First, in 1982, with the film ''Toña Machetes'', and again in 1986 with the film ''Insólito resplandor''. Neither project crystallized, and Félix never reappeared in film.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

===Roles declined in Hollywood===
Almost from the beginning of her career, Félix received job offers in Hollywood, but Félix herself said: ''They only give me huehuenche (Indian) roles''. While she was in France, Hollywood offered her the female role of ''[[Duel in the Sun (film)|Duel in the Sun]]'', but she passed and the part went to [[Jennifer Jones]].{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 3, p. 48}} Another proposal was ''[[The Barefoot Contessa]]'' with [[Humphrey Bogart]], but she refused it, instead making ''La Belle Otero'' in France. [[Ava Gardner]] ended up with the part. Later, the director [[Robert Aldrich]] sent her the script of ''[[The Legend of Lylah Clare]]'', but she did not reach an agreement with the director and [[Kim Novak]] got the role.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

==Personal life==
Félix was married four times. Her first marriage (1931–1938) was with the cosmetics sales agent Enrique Álvarez Alatorre.{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 1, pp. 65-6}} 

He fathered her only child, actor [[Enrique Álvarez Félix]] (1934–1996). According to journalist Sergio Almázon, once she found her son wearing a white dress and necklace. Infuriated, she beat him unconscious.<ref name="SDPnoticias.com 2018">{{cite web |last=Navarro |first=Yazmín |title=El horrible castigo de María Félix a su hijo tras descubrirlo vestido de mujer |website=SDPnoticias.com |date=2018-05-31 |url=https://www.sdpnoticias.com/gay/2018/05/31/el-horrible-castigo-de-maria-felix-a-su-hijo-tras-descubrirlo-vestido-de-mujer |language=es |access-date=2018-12-31}}</ref> Álvarez retaliated by taking their son to Guadalajara. Years later Félix was able to get her son back with the help of her second husband, Agustín Lara.<ref name="debayle"/> Félix's relationship with her son was distant in his early years because she sent him to schools abroad "to discipline" him. Years later, Enrique returned to Mexico and started a career as an actor in film and television. Regarding her son, Félix said: "Enrique is a very gifted man, with admirable common sense. He's my best friend. I have so much fun with him. He's not a 'mama's boy' as many believe. Self-employed, fight like being independent. He has his own career, his audience, his poster and assumes his responsibilities without relying on me."{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 4, p. 18}} The unexpected death of Enrique from a heart attack in 1996 affected Félix greatly.

There are conflicting rumors that, in between her marriages to Enrique Álvarez and Agustín Lara, Félix had a brief marriage to Raúl Prado, member of the [[Trío Calaveras]], but no concrete evidence has emerged that the marriage ever took place. Most of the rumors agree in claiming that Prado and Félix allegedly got married in 1943 after meeting on the set of ''[[The Rock of Souls]]'' and separated two months after the wedding. Mexican writer [[Enrique Serna]] interviewed the last survivor of the trio, Miguel Bermego, who told him he was a witness to the wedding.<ref name="Serna"/> Prado's niece María Escalera also corroborated the marriage, saying that the marriage ended when Agustín Lara sent Félix a white piano as a gift, and "Raúl threw her out — with the piano. They later divorced. So, it appears, María Félix was my ''tía política'' [aunt-in-law]."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Delgado |first1=Manuel Ruben |title=The Last Chicano: A Mexican American Experience |date=2009 |publisher=AuthorHouse |isbn=978-1-4490-1415-5 |page=292 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5SxQEE17m80C&pg=PA292}}</ref> In his book about Félix ''María Félix: 47 pasos por el cine'', [[Paco Ignacio Taibo I]] wrote about the marriage as factual, saying, "While shooting this film, María would meet Raúl Prado, a member of the Los Calaveras trio. After a quick courtship they got married and shortly after they divorced. This is one of the most carefully protected chapters of the star's life. María's friends keep claiming that it was crazy."<ref>{{cite web |title=Amores Secretos / María Félix |trans-title=Secret Loves / María Félix |url=https://reforma.vlex.com.mx/vid/amores-secretos-maria-felix-686494841 |website=Reforma |publisher=vLex |date=16 July 2017 |access-date=28 September 2020 |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Taibo |first1=Paco Ignacio |author-link1=Paco Ignacio Taibo I |title=María Félix: 47 pasos por el cine |date=2008 |publisher=Bruguera |isbn=978-970-710-345-0 |page=41 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y1srAQAAIAAJ&q=ra%C3%BAl+prado |language=es |quote=Filmando esta película, María conocerá a Raúl Prado, integrante del trío Los Calaveras. Después de un noviazgo rápido se casan y poco después se divorcian. Éste es uno de los capítulos de la vida de la estrella más cuidadosamente protegidos. Los amigos de María siguen afirmando que aquello fue una locura. |trans-quote=While shooting this film, María would meet Raúl Prado, a member of the Los Calaveras trio. After a quick courtship they got married and shortly after they divorced. This is one of the most carefully protected chapters of the star's life. María's friends keep claiming that it was crazy."}}</ref> Prado's obituary in the Spanish newspaper ''[[El País]]'' in April 1989 reported the marriage as factual,<ref>{{cite news |title=Raul Prado, fundador del Trío Calaveras |trans-title=Raul Prado, founder of the Trío Calaveras |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1989/04/11/agenda/608248804_850215.html |access-date=28 September 2020 |newspaper=[[El País]] |date=10 April 1989 |language=es}}</ref> as did some obituaries of Félix's, such as the one in Argentine newspaper ''[[La Nación]]'', the latter which only cited "a biography" as a source.<ref>{{cite news |title=A los 88 años falleció la actriz mexicana María Félix |trans-title=At the age of 88, Mexican actress María Félix passed away |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/espectaculos/a-los-88-anos-fallecio-la-actriz-mexicana-maria-felix-nid387157/ |access-date=28 September 2020 |newspaper=[[La Nación]] |date=8 April 2002 |language=es}}</ref> It was cited by ''[[TVyNovelas]]'' as one of the "myths" surrounding Félix.<ref>{{cite web |title=47 mitos de la leyenda llamada María Félix |trans-title=47 myths of the legend called María Félix |url=https://www.tvynovelas.com/mx/tv-y-novelas/fotos-47-mitos-de-la-leyenda-llamada-maria-felix/ |website=[[TVyNovelas]] |language=es}}</ref> It is known that Félix vehemently denied ever having married Prado. Serna, who also interviewed Félix, said "On our first meeting I asked her about her marriage to Raúl Prado (which she denied until the end), the member of the Calaveras trio who sang in Jorge Negrete's films, and she told me that if I was going to go on with those lies, we were not going to be able to work on the book." Serna added, "At one point she told me: 'Write what you want about me, because they believe anything about me. Say that I slept with an octopus.'"<ref name="Serna">{{cite web |last1=Martínez |first1=Myrna L. |title=Creyó ser María Félix |trans-title= She thought she was María Félix|url=https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/after-office/creyo-ser-maria-felix |website=El Financiero |date=8 April 2014 |access-date=28 September 2020 |language=es}}</ref>

Her second marriage (1945–1947) was to the composer [[Agustín Lara]]. Félix was a fan of Lara since her adolescence. They were formally introduced by a mutual friend, the actor Tito Novaro. The couple began a highly publicized relationship, which culminated in marriage in 1945. Lara immortalized Félix in a number of songs, such as ''"Humo en los ojos''" ("Smoke in the eyes"), "''Cuando vuelvas''" ("When you come back"),  "''Dos puñales''" ("Two daggers"), "''Madrid''" and especially the famous theme "''[[María Bonita (song)|María Bonita]]''", composed in [[Acapulco]] during their honeymoon. "''María Bonita''" would become one of Lara's most popular songs. However, the relationship ended in 1947 due to Lara's jealousy. Félix said that Lara even tried to kill her in a fit of violent jealousy.{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 2, p. 59}}
[[File:Felix-Messalina.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Félix in ''[[Messalina (1951 film)|Messalina]]'' (1951)]]
After her second divorce, Félix had romances with some well-known men, such as Mexican aviation entrepreneur Jorge Pasquel, Spanish bullfighter [[Luis Miguel Dominguín]], and Argentine actor [[Carlos Thompson]]. Félix met Thompson in Argentina in 1952 during the filming of [[Luis César Amadori]]'s ''[[La pasión desnuda]]'', and the relationship was reportedly serious to the point that they became engaged to be married, and Félix even called for her son Enrique Álvarez Félix to meet his potential stepfather. However, during filming, Félix received a call from director [[Emilio Fernández]] to offer her the leading role in ''[[The Rapture (1954 film)|The Rapture]]'', which Félix accepted, telling Thompson that after filming of ''La pasión desnuda'' ended she would return to Mexico to promote the film and announce their future marriage. However, once in Mexico, Félix canceled the wedding days before it would take place, stating that she concluded that the only thing that united her to Thompson was a mere physical attraction and not true love.<ref>{{cite web |title=María Félix y la historia de cómo le rompió el corazón al argentino Carlos Thompson |trans-title=María Félix and the story of how she broke the heart of Argentine Carlos Thompson |url=https://www.infobae.com/america/mexico/2019/04/07/el-dia-que-maria-felix-le-rompio-el-corazon-a-carlos-thompson-el-argentino-que-sufrio-en-carne-propia-los-caprichos-de-la-dona/ |website=[[Infobae]] |access-date=9 September 2020 |language=es |date=7 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pasión, orgullo y un corazón roto: la fallida boda entre María Félix y Carlos Thompson |trans-title=Passion, pride and a broken heart: the failed wedding between María Félix and Carlos Thompson |url=https://www.infobae.com/america/entretenimiento/2020/04/08/pasion-orgullo-y-un-corazon-roto-la-fallida-boda-entre-maria-felix-y-carlos-thompson/ |website=[[Infobae]] |access-date=9 September 2020 |language=es |date=8 April 2020}}</ref>

During her stay in France, Félix was introduced by the painter [[Leonor Fini]] to French writer [[Jean Cau (writer)|Jean Cau]], assistant of the writer [[Jean Paul Sartre]]. Félix had a brief romance with Cau.{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 3, pp. 43-4}} From the end of 1950 to the spring of 1954, Félix also had a passionate same-sex affair with Suzanne Baulé, better-known as [[Frede (cabaret manager)|Frede]], who at the time ran the cabaret ''Le Carroll's'' on Rue de Ponthieu in Paris, and the two women lived together at the Hotel George-V. The relationship was captured in a painting made by Fini of a plant with two flowers; one had the face of Félix and the other Frede's.<ref name="Manzi" /> Frede followed Félix on her filming trips to Buenos Aires and São Paulo upon learning of Félix's relationship with Carlos Thompson.<ref name="Beccacece"/> Félix and Frede's relationship was interrupted by Félix's marriage to Jorge Negrete, but upon Negrete's death in 1953, Félix returned to Paris to briefly rekindle her relationship with Frede. However, they would violently break-up for good in 1954, leading to a trial in which Félix wanted to take back jewellery she had given to Frede and accused her of theft. Félix lost her lawsuit, and Frede was acquitted and kept the jewellery.<ref name="Manzi">{{cite web |last1=Manzi |first1=Italo |title=María Félix, el último mito |trans-title=María Félix, the last myth |url=http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/descargaPdf/maria-felix-el-ultimo-mito/ |publisher=[[Miguel de Cervantes Virtual Library]] |format=PDF |access-date=10 September 2020 |language=es}}</ref><ref name="Beccacece">{{cite news |last1=Beccacece |first1=Hugo |title=Un mito secreto del siglo XX |trans-title=A secret myth of the 20th century |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/opinion/un-mito-secreto-del-siglo-xx-nid2152652 |access-date=10 September 2020 |newspaper=[[La Nación]] |date=15 July 2018 |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Cosnard|first1=Denis|title=Frede : belle de nuit|year=2017|isbn=978-2-84990-499-2|location=Paris|oclc=989824609}}</ref><ref name="Parrado">{{cite web |last1=Parrado |first1=Diego |title=Frede, la amante de Marlene Dietrich y reina de las lesbianas de París |trans-title=Frede, Marlene Dietrich's lover and queen of the lesbians of Paris |url=https://www.revistavanityfair.es/sociedad/celebrities/articulos/frede-marlene-dietrich-lesbianas-paris/25781 |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |access-date=10 September 2020 |language=es |date=27 August 2017}}</ref> Félix retained ownership of the painting Fini made of the two women, and after the break-up persuaded Fini to modify it to erase Frede's face, changing it to hers, resulting in the painting's two flowers both having Felix's face.<ref name="Manzi"/><ref name="Parrado"/>

In 1953, when Félix returned to Mexico after her stay in Europe and Argentina, she was reunited with an "old enemy": the actor and singer [[Jorge Negrete]]. Unlike their difficult first meeting ten years ago on the set of ''El peñón de las ánimas'', Félix found Negrete, in her own words: ''"surrendered to my feet"''. After a brief romance, the couple married in 1953, transmitted by radio to all Latin America, held at the House of Catipoato in [[Tlalpan]]. Negrete was already ill when the marriage took place, and died eleven months later at a hospital in Los Angeles, United States, while Félix was in Europe shooting ''La Belle Otero''. Félix's appearance at his funeral, dressed in trousers, caused a huge scandal, which led her to take refuge in Europe.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Her fourth marriage (1956–1974), was with the Romanian-born French banker Alexander Berger. Félix met Berger in the 1940s, when they were both married. Years later they met again. Félix was married to Berger for 18 years. She tried becoming a mother again, but an accident during a filming in 1957 caused Félix to lose the child.{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 3, p. 81}} It was at this time that she built her famous home, ''La Casa de las Tortugas'' (The House of Turtles), designed by [[Pepe Mendoza (architect)|Pepe Mendoza]] and resembling an Italian villa, in [[Cuernavaca]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lacasadelastortugas.com/about-the-house.html|title=La Case de las Tortugas|language=en|access-date=June 1, 2019}}</ref> Berger died in 1974 of lung cancer months after the death of Félix's mother, which plunged her into a deep depression. To overcome this depression, she developed a new passion: horses. Some of her horses won major international equestrian awards.<ref name="Biondo 2017">{{cite web |last=Biondo |first=Noelia |title=Conociendo a... María Félix. La reina de los hipódromos |website=Ecuestre.es |date=2017-09-11 |url=https://www.ecuestre.es/elles-a-cheval/estilo-de-vida/articulo/conociendo-a-maria-felix-noelia-biondo-ellesacheval |language=es |access-date=2018-12-31}}</ref> Félix kept horses for 11 years.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Her last romantic relationship was the Russian-French painter Antoine Tzapoff, who was 31 years her junior. About him, Félix said: ''I don't know if he's the man who has most loved me, but he's who has loved me better.''{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 4, p. 52}}

The press speculated about a strong rivalry between Félix and [[Dolores del Río]], the other leading female figure of Mexican cinema and a successful Hollywood star. Regarding this "rivalry", Félix said: "With Dolores I had no rivalry. On the contrary, we were friends and always treated each other with great respect, each with our own personality. We were completely different. She was refined, interesting, gentle on the deal, and I'm energetic, arrogant and bossy."{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 3, p. 84}}

== Influence==
{{see also|List of awards and nominations received by María Félix}}
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=== Art ===
During her life, Félix was a model for many renowned painters. In her adolescence she was painted in Guadalajara by [[José Clemente Orozco]], but Félix said, "He painted me like a skull with make-up."{{sfn|Félix|1993|loc=Vol. 3, p. 55}} Félix met the artist [[Diego Rivera]] during the filming of ''Río Escondido'' (1947). Félix developed a friendship with him and his wife, [[Frida Kahlo]]. In 1949, Rivera painted a portrait of her, which Félix classified as "very bad". In later years, Rivera asked to borrow the painting to be displayed as part of a retrospective on Rivera's work, but Félix refused. Félix did not like the painting and she sold it to [[Juan Gabriel]] for 15 million [[Mexican peso|pesos]]. Félix would say, “I've never liked Rivera's painting, I told him. I wanted him to paint me as a Tehuana, but he said it was very vulgar, so he painted me as he wanted ... naked, because he was very much in love with me. Later, Diego wanted that portrait for an exhibition in the [[Palacio de Bellas Artes]], but since I did not lend it to him, he stopped talking to me for more than a year. One day there was a bricklayer fixing my house, and I sent him to paint [my nude portrait] with white to cover a bit of everything and that's how it ended up. I sold it, very badly sold by the way."

Other renowned artists who recorded Félix in their canvases were the Surrealists [[Leonor Fini]], [[Leonora Carrington]], [[Remedios Varo]] and [[Bridget Bate Tichenor|Bridget Tichenor]]<ref name="María Félix la Doña totals 7.3 million">{{cite web| url = http://www.artquid.com/home/4-art-market-news/175/maria-felix-la-dona-totals-7-3-million.html| title = Estate of María Félix: La Doña totals $7.3 million}}</ref> among others. In the 1980s, the Russian-French artist [[Antoine Tzapoff]] (Félix's last partner) captured her in numerous portraits.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

=== Literature, Music, and Theater ===
Félix also had dealings with numerous Mexican and foreign writers and playwrights some of whom have dedicated several novels. Among them they are [[Renato Leduc]], [[Xavier Villaurrutia]], [[Salvador Novo]], [[Pita Amor]], [[Jean Cocteau]] and [[Octavio Paz]]. [[Luis Spota]] was inspired by her life for his novel ''The Empty Star'', and Félix even starred in the film version in 1958. [[Carlos Fuentes]] did the same in the novel ''Zona sagrada''. Her relationship with Fuentes was terminated when the author made the play ''Orchids in the Moonlight'', in which he parodies the figures of Félix and Dolores del Río. Félix, angry, called him "''mujerujo''" ("womanish").

Songs were composed for Félix, including ''María de Todas las Marías'' by [[Juan Gabriel]] and ''[[Je l'aime à mourir]]'' by [[Francis Cabrel]].

=== Fashion ===
In fashion, Félix was dressed by designers like [[Christian Dior]], [[Givenchy]], [[Yves Saint Laurent (brand)|Yves Saint Laurent]], [[Chanel]], and [[Balenciaga]]. The House of [[Hermès]] (Couture Department) designed extravagant creations just for her. She was a noted collector of fine antiques, favoring pieces like her famous collection of [[Second French Empire]] furniture. She was also a jewelry connoisseur and had an extensive jewelry collection, including the 41.37 carat (8.274 g), D-flawless ''Ashoka'' diamond. In 1968, she commissioned a serpent diamond necklace from [[Cartier (jeweler)|Cartier]]. The result was a completely articulated serpent made out of [[platinum]] and [[white gold]] and encrusted with 178.21 carats (35.642 g) of diamonds. In 1975, she again asked Cartier to create a necklace for her, this time in the shape of two crocodiles. The two crocodile bodies were made of 524.9 grams of gold, one covered with 1,023 yellow diamonds, while the other was adorned with 1,060 circular cut emeralds.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thejewelleryeditor.com/images/cartier-maria-felix-crocodile-necklace-1975/|title=Maria Felix's Cartier crocodile necklace 1975|access-date=January 28, 2018|work=The Jewellery Editor}}</ref> Later she sold most of her jewelry back to Cartier. She also left a [[Rolls-Royce]] in Paris.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lacasadelastortugas.com/maria-felix.html |title=Maria Felix, The Unforgettable|publisher=La Casa de las Tortugas|access-date=June 1, 2019}}</ref>

Since Félix's death, these jewelry pieces have been displayed as part of ''The Art of Cartier Collection'' in several museums around the world. To pay tribute to the actress, in 2006 Cartier debuted its ''La Doña de Cartier collection''. ''The La Doña de Cartier watch'' with reptilian links was created to impress by its wild look. The case of the ''La Doña de Cartier'' features a trapezoid shape with an asymmetrical profile reminiscent of a crocodile's head. The wristband of the watch resembles the contours of a crocodile in large, bold and gold scales. The ''La Doña de Cartier Collection'' also includes jewelry, accessories, and handbags.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://watches.infoniac.com/index.php?page=articles&catid=1&id=14|title=La Dona de Cartier Watch - Fiery Reptile Created to Seduce Watches Channel|website=watches.infoniac.com}}</ref>

Mexican milliner to the stars [[Gladys Tamez]] dedicated a hat collection "El Fénix" inspired by and intended to honor Félix.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quién |first=Redacción |date=2017-04-03 |title=Gladyz Tamez y Jeanette Longoria participaron en una venta en Los Ángeles |url=https://www.quien.com/circulos/2017/04/03/gladyz-tamez-y-jeanette-longoria-participaron-en-una-venta-en-los-angeles |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=Quién |language=es}}</ref>

In 2023, [[Museo Jumex]] in Mexico City displayed iconic jewelry pieces worn by Maria Félix in the exhibition “Cartier Design: A Living Legacy” that featured more than 160 pieces and was designed by renowned Mexican architect [[Frida Escobedo]] and curated by the Mexican art critic [[Ana Elena Mallet]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=M. N. D. |date=2023-03-08 |title=Museo Jumex to display María Félix's jewels in Cartier exhibit |url=https://mexiconewsdaily.com/culture/museo-jumex-to-display-maria-felixs-jewels-in-cartier-exhibit/ |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=Mexico News Daily |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Death and legacy==
[[File:El ídolo mexicano.jpg|thumb|right|A public [[ofrenda]] for Félix on the [[Day of the Dead]] commemoration at [[San Ángel]], Mexico City]]
María Félix died in her sleep on 8 April 2002, her 88th birthday in [[Mexico City]].<ref name="nytimes"/> She was buried in her family's mausoleum alongside her son Enrique and parents at the [[Panteón Francés]] located in Mexico City. In 2018, Google celebrated Felix's 104th birthday with a [[Google Doodle]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://doodles.google/doodle/maria-felixs-104th-birthday/|title=María Félix's 104th Birthday|website=Google|date=8 April 2018}}</ref>  A skeletal version of Felix appears briefly in the 2017 [[Pixar]] film [[Coco (2017 film)|''Coco'']], as a guest at a party in the Land of the Dead, with [[Lucha libre|luchador]] [[El Santo]] as her date.

On 21 July 2022, the [[TelevisaUnivision]] produced biopic ''[[María Félix: La Doña]]'', starring [[Sandra Echeverría]], was released on streaming service [[Vix (streaming service)|Vix]].

==Filmography==
{{Main|María Félix filmography}}

==Discography==
;''La voz de María y la inspiración de Agustín'' ([[RCA Records|RCA Víctor]], 1964)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Album Releases|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y0UEAAAAMBAJ&q=la+voz+de+maria+y+la+inspiracion+de+agustin&pg=PA37|access-date=16 September 2016|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=13 June 1964|page=37}}</ref>
Side one:
# "Por qué negar"
# "Gotas de amor"
# "Escarcha"
# "Limosna"
# "Noche de ronda"
# "Te quiero"
Side two:
# "Volverás"
# "Una cualquiera"
# "Arráncame la vida"
# "Cada noche un amor"
# "Rival"
# "Solamente una vez"

;''Enamorada'' ([[Fonovisa Records|Fonovisa]], 1998)<ref>{{cite news|title=MUSICA/CANTO RODADO: María Félix, "Enamorada"|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/241130/musicacanto-rodado-maria-felix-enamorada|access-date=16 September 2016|work=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=11 April 2002}}</ref>
# "Ella"
# "La cigarra"
# "El corrido del norte"
# "Pobre corazón"
# "La noche de mi mal"
# "Cada noche un amor"
# "Mano a mano"
# "De mi barrio"
# "Escándalo"
# "Silencio"
# "Et maintenant"
# "Je l'aime à mourir"
# "Prends garde"

==See also==
*[[List of people from Morelos]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book|last=Agrasánchez Jr.|first=Rogelio|title= Bellezas del cine mexicano/Beauties of Mexican Cinema|year=2001|publisher=Archivo Fílmico Agrasánchez|isbn=968-5077-11-8}}
* Alatorre Betancourt, Fausto (2014) ''Diabla frente al espejo'', México, ed.  Organización Editorial Mexicana S.A. de C.V., {{ISBN|9781301034772}}
* {{cite book |last=Félix |first=María |date=1993 |title=María Félix, todas mis guerras |trans-title=María Félix, all my battles |location=Santa Barbara, California |publisher=ABC-Clio |isbn=9789686932058 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mYzfnQAACAAJ
}}
* {{cite book|last= Taibo I.|first=Paco Ignacio|title=María Félix: 47 pasos por el cine|year=1986|publisher=Editorial Planeta|isbn=968-406-283-4}}

== External links ==
{{commons}}
* ''[http://mariafelixladona.tripod.com/ Maria Félix: "La Doña"]''
* {{IMDb name|id=0299661|name=María Félix}}
* [https://estateofmariafelix.com/en/ Life and work]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180610200637/http://maria-felix.com/ Registered website]
* [http://www.mariafelix.com.mx/vida.html María Félix official website]
* {{Find a Grave|6333847}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Felix, Maria}}
[[Category:María Félix]]
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Mexican actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century Mexican businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century Mexican businesswomen]]
[[Category:Actresses from Sonora]]
[[Category:Ariel Award winners]]
[[Category:Bolero singers]]
[[Category:Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]
[[Category:Golden Age of Mexican cinema]]
[[Category:Golden Ariel Award winners]]
[[Category:Jewellery collectors]]
[[Category:Lara family|Maria]]
[[Category:Mexican artists' models]]
[[Category:Mexican feminists]]
[[Category:Mexican film actresses]]
[[Category:Mexican people of Basque descent]]
[[Category:Mexican people of Spanish descent]]
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[[Category:Mexican television actresses]]
[[Category:Mexican women singers]]
[[Category:People from Álamos]]
[[Category:Ranchera singers]]
[[Category:Singers from Sonora]]
[[Category:Tango singers]]