BELTRÁN, LOLA

(1929-1996)

singer/actress who was one of the major performers of "folkloric" (ranchera) music, and was the first "popular" singer to appear in the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Born in the state of Sinaloa, she got her big break via Mexico City's famous radio station XEW, on the show "Así es mi tierra" in 1953. Film roles followed, and Beltrán was on screen frequently through the late '50s and the 1960s, often in rancheras, but occasionally played straight (non-singing) roles. She was married for a time to bullfighter/actor Alfredo Leal. Beltrán had continued to perform publicly and make recordings until her death of a pulmonary embolism, several weeks after suffering a heart attack.