Have you visited Google.com today? The doodle that pops up over the search bar is in honor of the first Hispanic actress to crack Hollywood, Dolores del Rio.
The search engine site, which often uses its homepage to honor prominent figures, is highlighting the Mexican actress’ legacy on what would have been her 113th birthday.
Born in 1904 in Mexico, del Rio began her career as a dancer and socialite. When American filmmaker Edwin Carewe visited her country for a wedding, he was so impressed by her work that he encouraged her to move to California for a chance at stardom.
Her first big break came in the 1920s with a silent comedy called "What Price Glory?" As the era of the silent films came ot a close, she adopted English as her second language and snagged roles in several flicks during the 1930s, including "Bird of Paradise" and "Flying Down to Rio." Her flourishing career soon established her as a pioneer of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.
By the 1940s, she returned to Mexico, where she continued to act in movies and later in theater, sharing the camera with other famous actors like Elvis Presley and Joseph Cotten. She eventually earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Del Rio dedicated the latter part of her life to activism, founding Rosa Mexican, a union group that provided a nursery for Mexican Actor’s Guild members with children. She also helped create El Cervanito, an annual culture festival in Guanajuato, Mexico.
In the late 1970s, her health began to decline, and she died from liver disease at the age of 78 in 1983 in California. Since her death, she's been honored with three statues in Mexico City, and in 2015, she was selected as the image of the American Film Institute Festival.
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