Zully Moreno

Zulema Esther González Borbón, better known as Zully Moreno (October 17, 1920 in Villa Ballester, Buenos Aires – December 25, 1999 in Buenos Aires), was an Argentine film actress during the Golden Age of Argentine cinema of the 1940s and 1950s. She appeared in more than 70 movies, earning best actress awards from the Argentine Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Spanish Cinema Writers Circle.

Biography Zulema Esther González Borbón was born on 17 October 1920 in the town of Villa Ballester, part of the General San Martín Partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. She dreamed of becoming an actress, but went to work as a seamstress at a young age due to financial hardship, after her father's death when she was ten years old, followed by her elder brother's death when she was fourteen years old.

She made many visits to the theaters in search of parts, and in 1938, answering a notice for extras, under the direction of Luis Bayon Herrera and starring Niní Marshall. She then had a string of films, including Bartolo tenía una flauta (1939), Azahares rojos (1940), De México llegó el amor (1940) and Orquesta de señoritas (1941), in which she played minor roles.

Her first starring role was in the film En el último piso (1942), which led to a role opposite Mirtha Legrand in Su hermana menor. She was launched to stardom with Stella (1943), directed by Benito Perojo. The Hollywood-style, big budget production, with haute couture costumes gave her a glamor like few other actresses had at the time

Moreno's marriage marked a change in the type roles that she played and her movement into diva status. Prior to that time, from 1939 to 1945, her roles were primarily melodramatic comedies and portrayed modern, urban women. These films reflect the changing role of women after the Second World War, where women are not confined solely to home and children, but part of the world, making decisions. Innocent, but not naïve, worldly, but not too worldly and introducing the first inklings that romance could be an emotional and sexual attraction for women rather than love simply being a spiritual passive feminine duty. In the contrary, after her marriage, Moreno became the embodiment of elegance, luxury, and glamor. Most of her films were pure melodrama and almost always there was a scene of an evening-dress clad woman entering a casino, or theater in which a long-camera watched as her coat was removed and unveiled the beautiful woman beneath. Her husband directed her in Nacha Regules (1950) and María Montecristo (1951) but also met Horace Lannes, who going-forward would be her preferred designer. and the inaugural Best Foreign Film award at the 1955 Golden Globes from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Her last film in Argentina was Amor prohibido, made under the direction of her husband, filmed in 1955, but it was not released until 1958.

In 1955, when Juan Perón's government was overthrown by the Revolución Libertadora, a coup d'état, Amadori was arrested and tortured. Upon his release from prison, he and Moreno fled to Spain. for which she won the Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos (CEC) (Cinema Writers Circle) award for Best Actress. That same year, at the Film Festival San Sebastian, Moreno received the award which typified her screen persona, with a certificate honoring her as most elegant actress. Her next film was La noche y el alba (1959) directed by José María Forqué, followed by Una gran señora (1959) and Un trono para Cristy (1960), both directed by her husband, Amadori. 1953 Premios Sur Award for Best Actress for La mujer de las camelias

Filmography

Cándida (1939) Bartolo tenía una flauta (1939) Azahares rojos (1940) De México llegó el amor (1940) By the Light of a Star (1941) Girls Orchestra (1941) Los martes, orquídeas (1941) Papá tiene novia (1941) El Profesor Cero (1942) En el último piso (1942) El Pijama de Adán (1942) Fantasmas en Buenos Aires (1942) Bajó un ángel del Cielo (1942) Historia de Crímenes (1942) Su hermana menor (1943) Stella (1943) Apasionadamente (1944) Two Angels and a Sinner (1945) Cristina (1946) Celos (1946) Nunca te diré adiós (1947) La Gata (1947) Dios se lo pague (1948) La Trampa (1949) Nacha Regules (1950) Pecado (1950) María Montecristo (1951) Tierra baja (1951) The Unwanted (1951) Cosas de Mujer (1951) Me casé con una estrella (1951) The Lady of the Camellias (1953)) La Dama del Mar (1954) La Calle del Pecado (1954) El barro humano (1955) El amor nunca muere (1955) Amor prohibido (1955) Madrugada (1957) Night and Dawn (1958) La Noche y el Alba (1959) Una Gran Señora (1959) Un Trono para Cristy (1960)