Hidalgo Laura

About

Laura Hidalgo, whose real name was Pesea Faerman, was born on May 1, 1927, in Chișinău, Bessarabia (present-day Republic of Moldova), into a family of Romanian Jews, and emigrated to Argentina at the age of two. She grew up in Buenos Aires, where her ambition to become an actress led her to study theater at the School of Scenic Arts of the Argentine Hebrew Society, under the guidance of Hedy Crilla. Her film debut took place in 1949 with small roles in films such as "Su última pelea," and her breakthrough came in 1951 with "La orquídea," produced by Argentina Sono Film, where her exotic beauty, compared to that of Hedy Lamarr, captivated the audience. She played femme fatale roles in productions such as "El túnel" (1952), "La bestia debe morir" (1952), "Más allá del olvido" (1956), and "Las campanas de Teresa" (1957), collaborating with iconic actors like Carlos Thompson, Hugo del Carril, and Narciso Ibáñez Menta, and directors such as Hugo del Carril or Carlos Schlieper. Her career, concentrated in the golden age of Argentine cinema, included 16 films, most of them produced by Argentina Sono Film, but also ventures into Mexico ("Las tres perfectas casadas", 1953, nominated for an Ariel Award for Best Actress), Spain ("El tren expreso", 1955) and two additional productions in Mexico. She was nicknamed "the femme fatale of Argentine cinema" for her voluptuous and dramatic characters, who explored themes of passion, betrayal, and redemption, contributing to the box office success of films in the 1950s. In 1952, she co-produced "La bestia debe morir" with her partner Narciso Ibáñez Menta, with whom she also worked in theater in plays such as "El fabricante de piolín" or "La muerte de un viajante". Critics appreciated her evolution, from pure beauty to nuanced performances, especially in Hugo del Carril's melodramas. Initially married to actor Narciso Ibáñez Menta (1950-1954), their tumultuous relationship inspired joint roles but ended in divorce. In 1957, she married Mexican architect Manuel Rosen (or Rossen), renowned for projects such as the Olympic Pool for the 1968 Olympic Games and CECUT in Tijuana, with whom she had three children and settled in Mexico, retiring from acting. The family later moved to La Jolla, California, where she published the poetry collection "La casa a cuestas" and received the 1987 Cámara Pathé Award from the Film Museum of Buenos Aires. She passed away on November 18, 2005, at the age of 78, following a stroke, leaving behind the legacy of an ephemeral but memorable star of the Argentine screen.