With her large, dark eyes and expressive face, Katy Jurado was the first Mexican actress to make it big in Hollywood. Famous for playing complex women, Jurado defied stereotypes and stunned audiences until the last days of her very eventful life. From glitzy award shows to forbidden romances with the most famous actors of her time, Jurado made her 78 years on this earth count.
1 She Had a Spicy Love Life
Jurado was a gorgeous woman who spoke her mind. Obviously, men were drawn to her like moths to a flame. According to rumors, Jurado had a very active love life. She romanced the film director Budd Boetticher and the famous actor Tyrone Power. Heck, even Frank Sinatra tried to go out with Jurado! But, like a good femme fatale, Jurado kept Sinatra wanting more. She turned him down, saying she saw him as a friend.
High Noon was the mega-hit that propelled Katy Jurado into cinema history. She became the first Latin American actress to win a Golden Globe, taking home the precious statuette for her performance as Helen Ramirez. With this achievement locked in, Jurado officially made it onto the A-List—and also caught the eye of her most famous admirer…
Marlon Brando saw Jurado’s performance in High Noon and was immediately smitten. When Brando came to film a movie in Mexico, he decided to shoot his shot and ask Jurado out on a date. Our girl Katy accepted because, when all was said and done, we are talking about Marlon Brando, legendary ladies’ man. Plus, he didn’t make his attraction a secret…
1 She Wasn’t Your Usual Hollywood Star
Around this time, Jurado’s quirky second career as a bullfight critic became her ticket into Hollywood. She was on assignment at a bullfight when actor John Wayne and filmmaker Budd Boetticher spotted her. Even though neither knew that Jurado was an actor, Boetticher immediately cast her in his film, The Bullfighter and the Lady (1951). She played the role of the matador’s wife, but there was just one teeny little problem with her casting.
Here’s the thing: Katy Jurado had just booked a role in a major Hollywood movie…without actually knowing any English. Now, that might have been an issue for some other actor, but not for Katy. She simply decided that she’d memorize her lines phonetically. Luckily, her unconventional approach paid off. Jurado’s performance was so impactful that she caught the eye of producer Stanley Kramer. With him, she’d land her biggest break yet.
4 She Went into a Deep Depression
Losing a child is one of the worst things a person can go through in life. When Katy Jurado lost her son, she was overcome with grief. However, there was another reason for her all-encompassing depression: Remorse. You see, soon after her son’s funeral, Jurado had to return to Mexico to finish the film she had been shooting.
Looking back at this difficult time, Jurado said she hated every minute of filming because, “I couldn’t mourn him as I wanted…I dedicated to the films a wonderful time I should have given to my children, but it was too late.”
After she completed the film she was working on when her son passed, Jurado took a break from acting. Perhaps she was ready to quit at that point, but three years later John Huston convinced her to return to Hollywood. She agreed to act in his latest film, Under the Volcano. After that, she caught the acting bug once again. Jurado performed until the end of her days.
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