Emilio Fernández

Emilio Fernández Romo (; 26 March 1904 – 6 August 1986), nicknamed "El Indio" (lit. "The Indian"), was a Mexican film director, screenwriter, and actor. He was one of the most prolific and acclaimed film directors of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and '50s. His film María Candelaria won the Palme d'Or at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, the first Mexican film to receive the honor. As an actor, he worked in numerous film productions in both Mexico and in Hollywood.

Early life Born in Sabinas, Coahuila, on 26 March 1904, Emilio Fernández Romo was the son of a revolutionary general, while his mother was a descendant of Kickapoo natives. From his parents, he inherited Mexican customs and indigenous beliefs. When he was a teenager, a fatal event forced him to flee his home and enlist in the ranks of the Mexican Revolution. Later, he entered the Mexican Military Academy (where in 1954, he gained the rank of colonel). In 1923, he took part in the uprising of Adolfo de la Huerta against the government of Álvaro Obregón, but this insurrection failed and he was sent to prison. He escaped and left Mexico to go into exile, first in Texas, then in Chicago, and later in Los Angeles. There he earned his living as a laundry employee, bartender, longshoreman, press assistant and finally as a stonemason for Hollywood studio construction, a circumstance that favored his foray into film as an extra and as a double for stars like Douglas Fairbanks.

Career Tribute poster at the Cineteca Nacional de México to Emilio "Indio" (Indian) Fernández for his 80 years, 1984. His initial career was encouraged by De la Huerta, who told him: Mexico does not want nor need more revolutions Emilio. You are in the Mecca of film, and film is the most effective tool we humans have invented to express ourselves. Learn to make movies and you return to our homeland with that knowledge. Make our films so you can express your ideas, so they reach thousands of people. He also acted in three films directed by Sam Peckinpah: The Wild Bunch (1969), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974).

Later life During the last years of his life, he did not direct, although he continued to act. In the late 1970s he was imprisoned in Torreón after he was found guilty of the death of a farmer. He was released after 6 months probation. Missing weekly sign-ins, due to an accident, caused him to be imprisoned again. After finishing his prison sentence, he returned to his house in Coyoacan.

Personal life Gladys Fernández, a 16-year-old Cuban girl, became his first wife in 1941. Their relationship was affected by Emilio's passion for Hollywood diva Dolores del Río and Gladys ended up leaving him. Emilio and Gladys had a daughter, the writer Adela Fernández y Fernández.

His most stable relationship was with the actress Columba Domínguez. They were together for seven years, but the relationship collapsed because Columba became pregnant, and he did not want more children. She decided to have the baby without his consent, they broke up. Their daughter, Jacaranda, died in 1978 after falling from the top of a building.

His marriage to Gloria De Valois Cabiedes produced another daughter, Xochitl Fernández De Valois.

Actor Jaime Fernández was his cousin.

Fernández was infatuated with the British-American actress Olivia de Havilland, whom he never met. Fernández asked the then-president of Mexico, Miguel Alemán, to extend a street in Coyoacán to his mansion, and to name it . Thus, he would always have her symbolically near, transformed into a street, and always at his feet.

Death In early 1986, Emilio Fernández suffered a fall at his home in Acapulco, which caused a fracture of the femur. According to his daughter Adela, in the hospital he received a blood transfusion that was infected with malaria. Emilio Fernández died on 6 August 1986.

After the death of Fernández, a lawsuit broke out between his daughter Adela and Columba Domínguez. Adela had been named sole heir of her father and took possession of his house, a fortress in the neighborhood of Coyoacán in Mexico City, which Columba claimed as her own. According to Columba, Adela was not a biological daughter of Fernández, but was adopted by him when she was abandoned by her mother. Adela's death in 2013 left the legal situation unclear.

He was portrayed by Joaquín Cosio in the Mexican biographical film Cantinflas.

Fernández is rumored to be the model for the Oscar statuette, but this is not confirmed. The legend suggested that MGM art director Cedric Gibbons, one of the original Motion Picture Academy members tasked with creating the Academy Award trophy, was introduced to Fernández by actress Dolores del Río and persuaded him to pose nude.

The House-Fortress of Fernández, managed by his daughter Adela until her death in 2013, became a space dedicated to various cultural activities in Mexico City, and has served as a backdrop for filming over one hundred Mexican and foreign films.

Filmography As director

YearOriginal titleEnglish titleProduction countryLanguageCastAward nominations(Wins in bold) 1941 La isla de la pasión The Island of the Passion México Spanish Pedro Armendáriz, Isabela Corona 1942 Soy puro mexicano I'm a Real Mexican Mexico Spanish Pedro Armendáriz, Andres Soler 1942 Flor Silvestre Wild Flower México Spanish Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz 1943 María Candelaria (aka Xochimilco) Portrait of Maria Mexico Spanish Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz Cannes Film Festival – Palm d'Or 1944 Las Abandonadas The Abandoned Mexico Spanish Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz Ariel Award – Best Actress 1944 Bugambilia Bugambilia Mexico Spanish Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz 1945 La Perla The Pearl Mexico Spanish Pedro Armendáriz, María Elena Marqués Venice Film Festival – Golden LionAriel Awards – Golden Ariel, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, CinematographyGolden Globe – Best Cinematography 1946 Pepita Jiménez Mexico Spanish Ricardo Montalbán, Rosita Dáz Gimeno 1946 Enamorada In Love Mexico Spanish María Félix, Pedro Armendáriz Ariel Award – Best Actress 1947 The Fugitive (producer) The Fugitive United States English Henry Fonda, Dolores del Río 1947 Río Escondido Hidden River Mexico Spanish María Félix, Carlos López Moctezuma Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – Best Photography 1948 Maclovia Maclovia (aka Damn Beauty) Mexico Spanish María Félix, Pedro Armendáriz 1948 Pueblerina Small Town Girl Mexico Spanish Columba Dominguez, Roberto Cañedo Cannes Film Festival – Official SelectionKarlovy Vary International Film Festival – Best Photography 1949 La Malquerida A Woman without Love Mexico Spanish Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz 1950 Salón México Mexico Lounge Mexico Spanish Marga López, Miguel Inclan Brussels Film Festival – Best Photography 1950 Duelo en las montañas Duel in the Mountains Mexico Spanish Rita Macedo, Roberto Cañedo 1950 The Torch United States English Paulette Goddard, Pedro Armendáriz 1950 Un día de vida One Day of Life Mexico Spanish Columba Domínguez, Roberto Cañedo 1951 Vìctimas del Pecado Victims of the Sin Mexico Spanish Ninón Sevilla, Rodolfo Acosta 1951 Maria Islands Mexico Spanish Pedro Infante, Jaime Fernández 1951 La bienamada The Beloved Mexico Spanish Columba Domínguez, Roberto Cañedo 1952 Siempre tuya Forever Yours Mexico Spanish Jorge Negrete, Gloria Marín 1952 Acapulco Mexico Spanish Elsa Aguirre, Miguel Torruco 1952 Cuando levanta la niebla When the Fog Lifts Mexico Spanish Columba Domínguez, Arturo de Córdova 1953 La Red (aka Rossana) The Red Mexico Spanish Rossana Podestà, Armando Silvestre Cannes Film Festival- Best Narration 1953 Reportaje Report News Mexico Spanish 1953 El Rapto The Rapture Mexico Spanish María Félix, Jorge Negrete 1954 La rosa blanca The White Rose Cuba/Mexico Spanish Jorge Mistral, Rebeca Iturbide 1955 La Tierra del Fuego se apaga Tierra del Fuego is off Argentina Spanish Jorge Mistral, Bertha Moss 1958 Una cita de amor An appointment with love Mexico Spanish Silvia Pinal, Jaime Fernández 8th Berlin International Film Festival – Official Selection 1962 Pueblito Little Town Mexico Spanish Columba Domínguez, Lilia Prado San Sebastián International Film Festival – Las perlas del Cantábrico 1963 Paloma herída Wounded Dove Mexico/Guatemala Spanish Patricia Conde, Columba Domínguez 1967 Un Dorado de Pancho Villa A Faithful Soldier of Pancho Villa Mexico Spanish Emilio Fernández, Maricruz Olivier 5th Moscow International Film Festival – Official Selection 1969 Un Crepúsculo de un dios A Twilight of a God Mexico Spanish Emilio Fernández, Guillermo Murray 1974 La Choca la Choca Mexico Spanish Pilar Pellicer, Gregorio Casals Ariel Award – Best Direction, Best Supporting Actress, Best Photography, Best EditionKarlovy Vary Film Festival – Best Direction 1976 Zona Roja Red Zone Mexico Spanish Fanny Cano, Armando Silvestre 1979 México Norte Mexico North Mexico Spanish Patricia Reyes Spíndola, Roberto Cañedo 1979 Erótica Erotic Mexico Spanish Jorge Rivero, Rebecca Silva

As actor

1928: El destino 1930: Oklahoma Cyclone – Pancho Gomez (uncredited) 1930: The Land of Missing Men – Lopez – aka Black Coyote 1930: Headin' North – Mexican Gambler (uncredited) 1931: Sunrise Trail – Pancho (uncredited) 1932: The Western Code – Indian Joe 1933: Laughing at Life – Revolutionary (uncredited) 1933: Flying Down to Rio – Dancer (uncredited) 1934: La buenaventura – Boris 1934: Corazón bandolero – Chacal 1934: Cruz Diablo – Toparca, bandolero 1935: Martín Garatuza 1935: Tribu – Itzul 1935: Janitzio – Zirahuén 1936: Celos – Sebastián 1936: María Elena – Bailarín de La Bamba 1936: Marihuana (El monstruo verde) – El Indio 1936: Allá en el Rancho Grande – Dancer 1937: El superloco – Idúa 1937: El impostor 1937: Las cuatro milpas 1937: Las mujeres mandan – Bailarín 1937: Almas rebeldes 1937: Adiós Nicanor – Nicanor 1939: Juan sin miedo – Valentin 1939: With Villa's Veterans – Mayor El Indio Fernández 1940: El fanfarrón: ¡Aquí llegó el valentón! – Aguilucho (Juan José) 1940: Los de Abajo – Pancracio 1940: El charro Negro – Emilio Gómez 1941: El Zorro de Jalisco – Ernesto 1941: Rancho Alegre 1942: La isla de la pasión 1943: Wild Flower – Rogelio Torres 1959: The Soldiers of Pancho Villa – Coronel Antonio Zeta 1962: Pueblito – Coronel (uncredited) 1962: La bandida – Epigmenio Gómez 1963: Paloma herida – Danilo Zata 1964: El revólver sangriento – Félix Gómez 1964: The Night of the Iguana – Barkeeper (uncredited) 1964: Yo, el valiente 1964: Los hermanos Muerte – Marcos Zermeño 1965: The Reward – Sgt. Lopez 1965: La conquista de El Dorado 1965: Un callejón sin salida – Moran 1966: La recta final – Don Lucio 1966: Duelo de pistoleros – Pancho Romero 1966: The Appaloosa – Lazaro 1966: Los malvados – El coyote 1966: Return of the Seven – Francisco Lorca 1967: A Covenant with Death – Ignacio 1967: Un tipo dificil de matar 1967: The War Wagon – Calita 1967: A Faithful Soldier of Pancho Villa – Aurelio Pérez 1967: El silencioso – Emilio Segura 1968: Guns for San Sebastian 1968: El caudillo – Coronel 1968: Un toro me llama 1969: The Wild Bunch – General Mapache 1969: Duelo en El Dorado – Indio Romo 1969: El crepúsculo de un Dios – Himself 1970: The Phantom Gunslinger – Sheriff 1971: La chamuscada (Tierra y libertad) – Coronel Margarito Herrero 1971: La sangre enemiga – Juan 1972: Indio – Victorio 1972: El rincón de las vírgenes – Anacleto Morones 1973: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid – Paco 1974: Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia – El Jefe 1974: Breakout – J.V. 1975: Lucky Lady – Ybarra 1975: Detras de esa puerta – Police Director 1976: Zona roja 1979: Erótica – Hernández 1980: Las cabareteras 1982: Una gallina muy ponedora 1983: Mercenarios de la Muerte – Maestro tata 1984: Under the Volcano – Diosdado 1985: – Tacho / Paco 1985: Lola la trailera – Leoncio's Bodyguard 1986: Los Amantes del Señor de la Noche – Don Venustiano 1986: The Kidnapping of Lola – Commander Prieto 1986: Ahora mis pistolas hablan 1987: Arriba Michoacán (final film role)