Lupe Vélez

AKA:
The Mexican Spitfire
Birth Name:
María Guadalupe Villalobos Vélez
Birth Date:
July 18, 1908
Birth Place:
San Luis Potosí City, Mexico
Death Date:
December 14, 1944
Place of Death:
732 North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California
Age:
36
Cause of Death:
Suicide - overdose of the barbiturate drug Seconal
Cemetery Name:
Panteón Civil de Dolores
Claim to Fame:
Show Business
Lupe Vélez was a Mexican actress, singer, and dancer during the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. The Mexican actress made 45 films in her short 36 years, acting with nearly all the top performers of the silent era by the time she was 21. Vélez began her career as a performer in Mexican vaudeville in the early 1920s. After moving to the United States, she made her first film appearance in a short in 1927. By the end of the decade, she was acting in full-length silent films and had progressed to leading roles in The Gaucho (1927), Lady of the Pavements (1928) and Wolf Song (1929), among others. Vélez made the transition to sound films without difficulty and she was one of the first successful Mexican actresses in Hollywood. During the 1930s, her explosive screen persona was exploited in successful comedic films like Hot Pepper (1933), Strictly Dynamite (1934) and Hollywood Party (1934). In the 1940s, Vélez's popularity peaked while appearing as Carmelita Fuentes in eight Mexican Spitfire films, a series created to capitalize on her fiery personality. Vélez struggled with typecasting and the limitations placed on Latina actresses in Hollywood, which affected her career as the industry evolved. In 1944, while pregnant and facing emotional distress, she died by suicide at the age of 36.

And Here’s The List …

Lupe Vélez had a tumultuous personal life with many highly publicized romances, including a stormy marriage to actor/swimmer Johnny Weissmuller. So here’s the list of famous lovers and relationships of Lupe Vélez:

  • Gary Cooper: Considered her most passionate and volatile long-term relationship, lasting from around 1929 to 1932, marked by extreme jealousy.
  • Johnny Weissmuller: Tarzan actor whom she married in 1933; their marriage was known for constant public fighting and they divorced in 1939.
  • Charlie Chaplin: Had a publicized romance with Vélez.
  • Clark Gable: Linked to the actor during her peak stardom.
  • John Gilbert: Had a high-profile, brief romance with her.
  • Errol Flynn: Had an affair with her.
  • Tom Mix: Romance with the actor, who was significantly older than her.
  • Arturo de Córdova: Mexican actor she fell in love with in 1943.
  • Harald Ramond: Her last boyfriend, who she was engaged to and pregnant by before her suicide in 1944.
  • Victor Fleming: Linked to the director.

She was also known for her aggressive, violent, high-strung personality which led to high-profile feuds with other Hollywood figures and a deeply tumultuous personal life.

When she died she was discovered by her secretary Beulah Kinder who found the actress fully dressed and lying on the floor next to her bed. Do not believe the urban legend started by failed writer, director, miserable human being and author of “Hollywood Babylon” Kenneth Anger that stated Lupe died after eating Mexican food and drowned with her head in the toilet.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Panteón Civil de Dolores

Av. Constituyentes S/N, Bosque de Chapultepec III Secc

Miguel Hidalgo, 11100 Ciudad de México, CDMX,

Mexico

North America

Map:

Map of Panteón Civil de Dolores in Mexico City, Mexico
Panteón Civil de Dolores in Mexico City, Mexico

Grave Location:

Section A.1A.2, Lote de los Actores de la ANDA

Grave Location Description

As you enter the main gates walk straight ahead to the center of Rotonda de las Personas Ilustres. Now turn 90 degrees to your right and walk through the crowded tombs to find the entrance to Lote de los Actores. Now look for the wall of half-empty, above ground cremation crypts. The final resting place of Lupe Velez can be found 3 rows from the cremation wall crypts.

Grave Location GPS

19.40702684826909, -99.20399919768182

Photos:

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FAQ's

Lupe Vélez was born on July 18, 1908.

Lupe Vélez was born in San Luis Potosí City, Mexico.

Lupe Vélez died on December 14, 1944.

Lupe Vélez died in 732 North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California.

Lupe Vélez was 36.

The cause of death was Suicide - overdose of the barbiturate drug Seconal.

Lupe Vélez's grave is in Panteón Civil de Dolores

Read More About Lupe Vélez:

Videos Featuring Lupe Vélez:

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