Libertad Lamarque was born in
Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina to Gaudencio Lamarque (1874-1947), She was named Libertad (which means "Liberty") because at the time of her birth, her father, an
anarchist, was imprisoned and pleading for release. and participated with a group of street singers that made tours of nearby cities. In 1923, she appeared in her first professional role, the stage show
Madre Tierra. following this tour she entered a competition held at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, won first prize for her performances of the tangos "La cumparsita" and "Tocaneando", and earned the title "Queen of Tango".
Legendary rift with Eva Perón and Libertad Lamarque in film
La cabalgata del circo (1945) Legend has it that Lamarque left Argentina because she had been blacklisted by its First Lady
Eva Perón. Lamarque denied during her lifetime certain aspects of the legend, especially the reports that she had slapped Eva on the set of
La cabalgata del circo. In her 1986 autobiography, she flatly denied the allegations and explained that she was simply mortified by Eva's lack of discipline during production of the film. According to Lamarque, Eva refused to take her work seriously and always arrived late or stalled the filming for trivial or personal reasons. Complaints to either the producer or the director produced no result as they were giving Eva preferential treatment as the girlfriend of
Juan Perón. By 1946, Eva and Juan Perón were ensconced in the Presidential Palace, rumors circulated that Evita had forbidden radio stations and film studios to play Lamarque's music or hire her, It was on this trip that the Cuban press first dubbed her "America's Sweetheart." When Mexico, on the other hand, offered her a picture deal to appear with legendary Spanish filmmaker
Luis Buñuel, she agreed, and moved to Mexico in 1946. Some of her best work during this period was in
Otra primavera, filmed in 1949,
La loca (1951) and
Cuando me vaya (1953); for each of these she was nominated for an
Ariel Award for Best Actress in 1951, 1953, and 1955, respectively. and her last two Argentine films,
La sonrisa de mamá (1972) and
La mamá de la novia (1978). But as she wound down her movie career, she began touring with music again. In the late 1950s, she did a concert tour with Puerto Rican singer
Jesús Quiñones Ledesma and worked in Chile, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and returned to Cuba to do theater and record several albums. which she also later performed in Mexico in 1968 staged by
Manolo Fabregás. In 1982, she starred in the musical revue,
Libertad Lamarque, ¿es una mujer de suerte? at the
Teatro Lola Membrives in Buenos Aires. She wrote the script, which was adapted by
Nicolás Carreras under the musical direction of
Oscar Cardozo Ocampo. In 1988, Lamarque participated in the season at
Mar del Plata's Teatro Opera with the musical
A todo tango II under the direction of
José Colángelo.
Last years and death In 1996 Libertad moved to the United States and settled in her
Coral Gables home in
Miami, Florida. She often flew to Mexico City and Buenos Aires to attend her professional appointments as well. Her daughter, grandsons and great-grandsons lived in Argentina. In 1998 Lamarque was featured in the soap opera
La usurpadora, which was a huge success in Mexico and in many countries in Latin America. Her last role on TV was on the telenovela
Carita de Ángel, where she played Mother Superior. In early December 2000, Libertad Lamarque was rushed to Santa Elena Hospital in
Mexico City, after feeling sick and experiencing breathing difficulties. She died aged 92 on 12 December 2000 in Mexico City, Mexico from pneumonia. Lamarque's second husband was
Alfredo Malerba, with whom she was married for nearly 50 years, until his death. ==Awards==