Actress Marisa Paredes dies at 78

Mourning in Spanish cinema. Marisa Paredes, one of the most prominent actresses on the national scene, has died at the age of 78. The Film Academy, an entity that she presided over from 2000 to 2003, reported the news this Tuesday. “Spanish cinema is left without one of its most iconic actresses, Marisa Paredes, who leaves behind a long career in which the public has been able to see it more than 75 times on the big screen,” the Academy has published through social networks.

Paredes’ career, which began in the 60s, has been one of the most prolific in Spanish cinema. The actress never lacked work. In addition to those 75 films, he acted in as many television series and appeared on stage on numerous occasions. She was an Almodóvar girl and perhaps viewers will remember her with her tight green suit and long red gloves singing think of me in Far Heelsbut Paredes was also one of the actresses most in demand by Mexican and, above all, French directors.

He began working in the theater, the Studio 1 television programs and with supporting roles in films under the direction of directors such as Fernando Fernán Gómez. But he became very popular among the Spanish public in 1980 after participating in First film by Fernando Trueba. The film starred, among other actors, Óscar Ladoire and Kiti Mánver, who would also later join Pedro Almodóvar’s troupe.

Paredes joined the universe of the director from La Mancha in 1983 to become Sister Manure, one of the nuns who swarmed around between darknessa film that also featured Julieta Serrano, Carmen Maura and Chus Lampreave. The actress was already an Almodóvar girl, but that did not stop other directors from calling her. He again placed himself under the orders of Fernán Gómez in Bicycles are for summer (1984), one of the hits of the year. He then participated in two other notable films, my dad (José Luis Borau, 1986) and chard face (José Sacristán, 1986).

Leonor Mayor Ortega

Agustí Villaronga gave him the leading role in behind the glass (1987), a horror film that told the story of a Nazi doctor. At the end of the 80s, Paredes acted in other titles that went more unnoticed, but with the new decade all her splendor as an actress exploded thanks to the role of Becky del Páramo in Far Heels (Pedro Almodóvar, 1991). Victoria Abril and Miguel Bosé accompanied Paredes in that cinematographic adventure that left, in the voice of Luz Casal, two unforgettable songs, think of me y a year of love.

In tandem Almodóvar Paredes worked like a charm and the couple repeated with The flower of my secret (1995), perhaps one of the director’s least remembered films today, but it is a delicious romantic comedy with an Almodóvar touch in which Paredes is paired with Juan Echanove. Imanol Arias, Rossy de Palma, Chus Lampreave and Carme Elías were also around the film.

Leonor Mayor Ortega

Thanks to these two titles, the actress became one of the most prominent names on the Spanish acting scene, which opened the doors to other cinematography. The Mexican Arturo Ripstein signed her to work in deep crimson (1996) and Roberto Benigni gave him a role in the wonderful and award-winning life is beautiful (1997), which tells the story of a man locked up in a Nazi extermination camp who invents a game to spare his son the pain of the place.

With these works, Paredes’s international career began, as he worked under Guillermo del Toro in The devil’s backbone (2001), Manoel de Oliveira in The magic mirror (2005) o Edgardo Cozarinsky en red twilight (2003). But he never left Almodóvar. He had roles in All about my mother (1999), the Oscar-winning talk to her (2002) y The skin I live in (2011), where he worked alongside Antonio Banderas.

Paredes, who was married to Chema Prado and the filmmaker Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi, had a daughter, María Isasi, born in 1975. The performer received the Goya of Honor in 2018, a special recognition for her extensive career, in which added nominations for his performances in chard face (1988) y The flower of my secret (1996).

Ima Sanchis

Juan Luis Alvarez