FORQUÉ, VERÓNICA

(1955- )

With her wistful smile, cartoonish voice, feisty demeanor, and clear watery eyes, Verónica Forqué was one of the most engaging comic presences in Spanish cinema during the 1980s and early 1990s. She was the daughter of director José María Forqué, and first appeared on film as a teenager in an unbilled part in Jaime de Armiñán'sMi querida señorita(My Dear Miss, 1972). Her real debut was in her father'sEl segundo poder(The Second Power, 1976), and her talent was evident as the maid in Antonio Mercero's hugely popularLa guerra de papá(Daddy's War, 1977).

For a few years, she went largely unnoticed in her film work.She worked in television in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In a remarkable casting mistake, her unmistakable voice was overly recognizable when she dubbed Shelley Duvall in the Spanish version ofThe Shining(Stanley Kubrick, 1980). Then Pedro Almodovar called her to play Crystal, the hooker next door, in ¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto!! (What Have I Done to Deserve This?1984), where she managed a superb performance, combining sexiness and naiveté. She continued to work in a TV series for two seasons in 1985 and 1986,Platos rotos(Broken Dishes), but essentially devoted herself to film. Her strength was comedy, and she was particularly good as the overemotional sexy secretary inSé infiel y no mires con quién(Be Unfaithful Without Asking Who With, 1985), touching as the fascist woman in love with a teenager inEl año de las luces(The Year of Enlightenment,Fernando Trueba, 1986), and very watchable inSalsa rosa(Pink Sauce, Manuel Gómez Pereira, 1992).

In the late 1980s, Forqué toured the country with the stage version of¡Ay Carmela!a role she created, played on film byCarmen Maura. Almodóvar again exploited her feistiness inKika(1993), and she shone in what was an otherwise chaotic film, particularly in her ability to balance comedy with the overall nastiness of the plot (particularly in the notorious comic rape sequence).

More recently, she starred inClara y Elena(Clara and Elena, Manuel Iborra, 2001), a sister melodrama co-starring Maura, in which she gave a strong performance as a woman dying of cancer. Although she has not broken new ground, she has been especially effective inSin vergüenza(Shameless,Joaquín Oristrell, 2001),Tiempos de azúcar(Juan Luis Iborra,Times of Sugar, 2001),Reinas(Queens,Manuel Gómez Pereira, 2005), andLa dama boba(Dumb Lady, Manuel Iborra, 2006).