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- The legendary "granny of Mexican cinema" began her movie career when she was a 22-year-old teacher in a nun's school for girls. One day, young Sara's attention was attracted to a small building in downtown Mexico City. Inside it was Azteca Films, one of the very first Mexican film production companies, about to produce its first feature: Alma de sacrificio (1917). The leading lady was stage actress turned film producer (and writer, actress, editor and, maybe director) Mimí Derba. After some screening tests, young Sara was offered a contract. She accepted although she didn't say a word in her college until many months after. Her early experiences in movies lead her to a career in stage. She only made one film between 1918 and 1933. She returned to the screen in Death Flight (1934) and began a very long career of 148 films. Almost from the beginning, Sara García specialized in portraying mothers and grandmas, hence her nickname. This specialization began when she dared to remove her entire teeth to get the role of a granny in Allá en el Trópico (1940). After that tremendous tour-de-force her entire career, with very few exceptions, was devoted to this kind of roles. She co-starred with almost the entire cast of Mexican movie stars from the '30s to the '70s. Her films are still popular because they're on TV very often.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
The tall, expressively-browed, rather stern-looking character actor Walter Rilla was educated at the University of Koenigsberg and first worked as a newspaper journalist, drama critic and story editor for the Berliner Theater. He acted on stage from 1921, making his screen debut the following year. He quickly established himself as a leading player in German and French films, often playing aristocratic roles, which demanded a certain amount of gravitas. Involved with leftist organisations and married to a Jewish wife, Rilla was inevitably forced to flee Nazi Germany for England in 1933.
His breakthrough role in British films came courtesy of Alexander Korda, who was intent on casting him as Merle Oberon's brother Armand in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934). This was followed by roles as Prince Ernest in Herbert Wilcox's period drama Victoria the Great (1937), and as the womanizing banker Roudine in False Rapture (1939). Thereafter came a succession of villainous roles. Though a British citizen from 1940, Rilla was unable to escape typecasting -- much like his compatriots Conrad Veidt and Peter van Eyck -- and his career was henceforth delineated by playing racketeers (Golden Salamander (1950)), Nazi propagandists (The Lisbon Story (1946)) and evil Eastern European potentates (The Great Manhunt (1950)).
In addition to acting, Rilla sidelined as author of several BBC radio shows. Following his return to Germany in 1957, he began a new career behind the camera as writer/director of television plays. He also continued to act in just about anything, from prestige films (like Confessions of Felix Krull (1957) and Scampolo (1958)) to spaghetti westerns (Day of Anger (1967)); from Edgar Wallace potboilers (The Forger of London (1961)) to returning to his villainous ways as the evil genius Dr. Mabuse in several instalments of the popular franchise. In 1966, Rilla was awarded the prestigious Filmband in Gold for his service to the German film industry.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Danny Lewis was born on 11 April 1902 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for A Swingin' Affair (1963), The Colgate Comedy Hour (1950) and The Jerry Lewis Show (1967). He was married to Rachel (Rae) Brodsky. He died on 21 November 1980 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.- Jayalakshmi was born on 1 November 1958 in Andhra Pradesh, India. She was an actress, known for Pattikatu Raja (1975), Kaali (1980) and Ram Robert Rahim (1980). She died on 21 November 1980 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
- Lucas Wensing was born on 13 July 1898 in Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands. He was an actor, known for Pride and Prejudice (1961), De dood van een handelsreiziger (1961) and De man zonder hart (1937). He was married to Eva Beck. He died on 21 November 1980 in Laren, Netherlands.