Emilio Fernández

Born in Sabinas, Coahuila, on 26 March 1904, Emilio Fernández Romo was the son of a revolutionary general, while his mother was a descendant of Kickapoo natives. From his parents, he inherited Mexican customs and indigenous beliefs. When he was a teenager, a fatal event forced him to flee his home and enlist in the ranks of the Mexican Revolution. Later, he entered the Mexican Military Academy (where in 1954, he gained the rank of colonel). In 1923, he took part in the uprising of Adolfo de la Huerta against the government of Álvaro Obregón, but this insurrection failed and he was sent to prison. He escaped and left Mexico to go into exile, first in Texas, then in Chicago, and later in Los Angeles. There he earned his living as a laundry employee, bartender, longshoreman, press assistant and finally as a stonemason for Hollywood studio construction, a circumstance that favored his foray into film as an extra and as a double for stars like Douglas Fairbanks. == Career ==

) Fernández for his 80 years, 1984. His initial career was encouraged by De la Huerta, who told him: Mexico does not want nor need more revolutions Emilio. You are in the Mecca of film, and film is the most effective tool we humans have invented to express ourselves. Learn to make movies and you return to our homeland with that knowledge. Make our films so you can express your ideas, so they reach thousands of people. He also acted in three films directed by Sam Peckinpah: The Wild Bunch (1969), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974). == Later life ==

During the last years of his life, he did not direct, although he continued to act. In the late 1970s he was imprisoned in Torreón after he was found guilty of the death of a farmer. He was released after 6 months probation. Missing weekly sign-ins, due to an accident, caused him to be imprisoned again. After finishing his prison sentence, he returned to his house in Coyoacan. ==Personal life==

Gladys Fernández, a 16-year-old Cuban girl, became his first wife in 1941. Their relationship was affected by Emilio's passion for Hollywood diva Dolores del Río and Gladys ended up leaving him. Emilio and Gladys had a daughter, the writer Adela Fernández y Fernández. His most stable relationship was with the actress Columba Domínguez. They were together for seven years, but the relationship collapsed because Columba became pregnant, and he did not want more children. She decided to have the baby without his consent, they broke up. Their daughter, Jacaranda, died in 1978 after falling from the top of a building. His marriage to Gloria De Valois Cabiedes produced another daughter, Xochitl Fernández De Valois. Actor Jaime Fernández was his cousin. Fernández was infatuated with the British-American actress Olivia de Havilland, whom he never met. Fernández asked the then-president of Mexico, Miguel Alemán, to extend a street in Coyoacán to his mansion, and to name it . Thus, he would always have her symbolically near, transformed into a street, and always at his feet. Death In early 1986, Emilio Fernández suffered a fall at his home in Acapulco, which caused a fracture of the femur. According to his daughter Adela, in the hospital he received a blood transfusion that was infected with malaria. Emilio Fernández died on 6 August 1986. After the death of Fernández, a lawsuit broke out between his daughter Adela and Columba Domínguez. Adela had been named sole heir of her father and took possession of his house, a fortress in the neighborhood of Coyoacán in Mexico City, which Columba claimed as her own. According to Columba, Adela was not a biological daughter of Fernández, but was adopted by him when she was abandoned by her mother. Adela's death in 2013 left the legal situation unclear. == Legacy ==

His film legacy has been awarded with the Ariel Award, the Colón de Oro in Huelva, Spain, and with a chair in his name at the Moscow Film School. With photographer Gabriel Figueroa, writer Mauricio Magdaleno, and actors Pedro Armendáriz, Dolores del Río, María Félix and Columba Dominguez, Romo conducted various productions that promoted both national customs and the values associated with the Mexican Revolution. Fernández directed 43 films between 1942 and 1979. Starting with Cielito Lindo (1936), he was recognized as a screenwriter on 40 films. He also worked as a second unit director on American films made in Mexico, including The Magnificent Seven (1960), when he was sent to the American crew by the Mexican film industry to guarantee that images of Mexicans were neither racist nor insulting. In 2002, La Perla (a.k.a. The Pearl) was added to the National Film Registry of the United States Library of Congress by the National Film Preservation Board as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". On the 100th anniversary of El Indio's birth, Emilio Fernández and his colleague Gabriel Figueroa were recognized during the inaugural Puerto Vallarta Film Festival of the Americas, held in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in November 2004. He was portrayed by Joaquín Cosio in the Mexican biographical film Cantinflas. Fernández is rumored to be the model for the Oscar statuette, but this is not confirmed. The legend suggested that MGM art director Cedric Gibbons, one of the original Motion Picture Academy members tasked with creating the Academy Award trophy, was introduced to Fernández by actress Dolores del Río and persuaded him to pose nude. The House-Fortress of Fernández, managed by his daughter Adela until her death in 2013, became a space dedicated to various cultural activities in Mexico City, and has served as a backdrop for filming over one hundred Mexican and foreign films. ==Filmography==

As director As actor • 1928: El destino • 1930: Oklahoma Cyclone – Pancho Gomez (uncredited) • 1930: The Land of Missing Men – Lopez – aka Black Coyote • 1930: ''Headin' North'' – Mexican Gambler (uncredited) • 1931: Sunrise Trail – Pancho (uncredited) • 1932: The Western Code – Indian Joe • 1933: Laughing at Life – Revolutionary (uncredited) • 1933: Flying Down to Rio – Dancer (uncredited) • 1934: La buenaventura – Boris • 1934: Corazón bandolero – Chacal • 1934: Cruz Diablo – Toparca, bandolero • 1935: Martín Garatuza • 1935: Tribu – Itzul • 1935: Janitzio – Zirahuén • 1936: Celos – Sebastián • 1936: María Elena – Bailarín de La Bamba • 1936: Marihuana (El monstruo verde) – El Indio • 1936: Allá en el Rancho Grande – Dancer • 1937: El superloco – Idúa • 1937: El impostor • 1937: Las cuatro milpas • 1937: Las mujeres mandan – Bailarín • 1937: Almas rebeldes • 1937: Adiós Nicanor – Nicanor • 1939: Juan sin miedo – Valentin • 1939: ''With Villa's Veterans'' – Mayor El Indio Fernández • 1940: El fanfarrón: ¡Aquí llegó el valentón! – Aguilucho (Juan José) • 1940: Los de Abajo – Pancracio • 1940: El charro Negro – Emilio Gómez • 1941: El Zorro de Jalisco – Ernesto • 1941: Rancho Alegre • 1942: La isla de la pasión • 1943: Wild Flower – Rogelio Torres • 1959: The Soldiers of Pancho Villa – Coronel Antonio Zeta • 1962: Pueblito – Coronel (uncredited) • 1962: La bandida – Epigmenio Gómez • 1963: Paloma herida – Danilo Zata • 1964: El revólver sangriento – Félix Gómez • 1964: The Night of the Iguana – Barkeeper (uncredited) • 1964: Yo, el valiente • 1964: Los hermanos Muerte – Marcos Zermeño • 1965: The Reward – Sgt. Lopez • 1965: La conquista de El Dorado • 1965: Un callejón sin salida – Moran • 1966: La recta final – Don Lucio • 1966: Duelo de pistoleros – Pancho Romero • 1966: The Appaloosa – Lazaro • 1966: Los malvados – El coyote • 1966: Return of the Seven – Francisco Lorca • 1967: A Covenant with Death – Ignacio • 1967: Un tipo dificil de matar • 1967: The War Wagon – Calita • 1967: A Faithful Soldier of Pancho Villa – Aurelio Pérez • 1967: El silencioso – Emilio Segura • 1968: Guns for San Sebastian • 1968: El caudillo – Coronel • 1968: Un toro me llama • 1969: The Wild Bunch – General Mapache • 1969: Duelo en El Dorado – Indio Romo • 1969: El crepúsculo de un Dios – Himself • 1970: The Phantom Gunslinger – Sheriff • 1971: La chamuscada (Tierra y libertad) – Coronel Margarito Herrero • 1971: La sangre enemiga – Juan • 1972: Indio – Victorio • 1972: El rincón de las vírgenes – Anacleto Morones • 1973: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid – Paco • 1974: Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia – El Jefe • 1974: Breakout – J.V. • 1975: Lucky Lady – Ybarra • 1975: Detras de esa puerta – Police Director • 1976: Zona roja • 1979: Erótica – Hernández • 1980: Las cabareteras • 1982: Una gallina muy ponedora • 1983: Mercenarios de la Muerte – Maestro tata • 1984: Under the Volcano – Diosdado • 1985: Treasure of the Amazon – Tacho / Paco • 1985: Lola la trailera – Leoncio's Bodyguard • 1986: Los Amantes del Señor de la Noche – Don Venustiano • 1986: The Kidnapping of Lola – Commander Prieto • 1986: Ahora mis pistolas hablan • 1987: Arriba Michoacán (final film role) ==References==