NEGRETE, JORGE

(Jorge Alberto Negrete Moreno)

(1911-1953)

Jorge Negrete was born in Guanajuato; his father was an officer in the federal army, who later retired from military service and became a teacher. Jorge attended the Colegio Militar and was commissioned as an officer; he planned to study medicine and become an army doctor, but financial considerations prevented this. In 1931, Negrete made his debut as a radio singer; after resigning from the army, he spent the next few years as a struggling performer - including an extended period in New York City - before making his film debut in 1937 (La madrina del diablo). However, it was not until the success ofAy Jalisco, no te rajes!that Jorge Negrete became a star (prior to this film, he had specialized in operatic and popular music, notrancheras). Handsome, aristocratic, and blessed with a fine baritone, Negrete was one of the most popular Mexican performers for the next decade, touring internationally and making films in Hollywood (Fiesta, a color Hal Roach featurette in 1941) and Spain in addition to his many Mexican pictures. Negrete was one of the founding members of the STPC union, when it split off from STIC in 1945; he also served as Secretary General of ANDA, the actors' union. Elisa Christy, a dancer and actress (the daughter of actor Julio Villareal), was Negrete's first wife, but his longest romantic liaison (a decade) was with actress Gloria Marín (although they were never legally married). When Marín and Negrete finally split up, Negrete married María Félix. However, the marriage was cut short by Negrete's death of liver trouble in November 1953.