Sara Montiel (born March 10, 1928) is a Spanish actress. March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Sara Montiel is still a much-loved and international known name of the Spanish speaking movie and music industries. After her unprecedented international hit in Juan de Orduña's "El Ultimo Cuplé" in 1957, Miss Montiel achieved the status of mega-star in Europe and Latin America. She was the first woman to distill "sex" openly in Spanish cinema at a time when even a low cut dress was not acceptable with the status quo. With the passage of time the title of "legend" has been bestowed upon her. In legend she seems to thrive; growing stronger and still very much admired internationally. Miss Montiel is today 78 years young. She was recently portrayed in the Pedro Almodóvar film Bad Education by Gael García Bernal as the character Zahara and a film clip from one of her movies was used as well. Sara Montiel is the most commercially successful Spanish actress of her generation in Spain and much of the world including Russia. Her films "El Ultimo Cuple" and "La Violetera" netted the highest gross revenues ever recorded for films made in the Spanish speaking world during the 50s and 60s. No other Spanish speaking actress has achieved the mythological stature of this star so very popular around the world. "A Visit with Sara Montiel"[[1]] shows just how culturally important this figure was and remains even today in the world of classic cinema. Sara has had a career in films of monumental proportions. She started in the movies at 16 in her native Spain and later conquered Hollywood filming with Gary Cooper the classic "Vera Cruz" in 1954. "Sarita" has she became known in the United States went on to film with Rod Steiger, Joan Fontaine, Mario Lanza and Burt Lancaster. In 1957 she returned to Spain to film a movie as a favor to famed new wave director: Juan de Orduna. This film made her unexpectedly the number one actress of that year in Europe and Latin America. Declining after that to return to Hollywood to perhaps be typed cast in ethnic roles, Miss Montiel remained in Europe enjoying her superstar status and forging a career of record breaking box office relevance. Fifteen monumentally successful films followed her "Cuple" success (including "La Violetera"[2], "La Bella Lola"[3]and"Pecado de Amor"[4]made exclusively to serve her international image in Europe). In 1973 already enjoying a famed unparalleled by almost any other Spanish speaking star (saved maybe Dolores del Rio and or Cantinflas in the world wide arena of international films and Maria Felix in the Latin world);Sara Montiel retired from the movies to exploit her image as screen goddess gone into exile with live performances. Concerts made Miss Montiel in the seventies and eighties one of the top performers on the world stage leaving no doubt that her fame was well deserved. Movie stars like this are extinct and they simply will not come again. Sara Montiel has proven, with a career that expands five decades that she was indeed what "Life" magazine called her in 1961:"One of the world's greatest entertainers". With endurance like few ever possess. 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pedro Almodóvar (born on September 25, 1951 in Calzada de Calatrava, Spain) is a Spanish filmmaker. ... Bad Education (La mala educación) is a 2004 film by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar about two reunited childhood friends (and lovers) in the vein of an Alfred Hitchcock murder mystery. ... Rodrigo De la Serna (as Alberto Granado) and Gael García Bernal (as Ernesto Guevara) in a film screenshot from The Motorcycle Diaries (film). ...

Filmography of Sara Montiel:

Early Years in Spain:1944 "Te Quiero para Mi"( Sara appears on film for the first time with the name "Maria Alegandra") "Empezo en Boda" (first time she uses "Sara Montiel" baptized so by the journalist Enrique Herreros) 1945 "Bambu" (with the then reigning queen of Spanish cinema Imperio Argentina),"Se Le Fue El novio","El Misterioso Viajero del Clipper" 1946 "Por El Gran premio" 1947 "Vidas Confusas","Confidencia","Mariona Rebull","Alhucemas" 1948 "Don Quijote de la Mancha" ("Don Quixote" in US) 1949 "Locura de Amor" ("The Mad Queen" in US),"La Mies es Mucha" 1950:"Pequeneces","That Man from Tangier" ("Aquel Hombre de Tanger" in Spain)

In Mexico:"Furia Roja" ("Stronghold" US) Sara Montiel appears in the Spanish version of this film and Veronica Lake appears in the English one."Necesito Dinero" 1951 "Carcel de Mujeres" ("Le Bain de les Filles Perdues" in France),"Ahi Viene Martin Corona","El Enamorado" 1952 "Ella Lucifer y Yo","Yo Soy Gallo Dondequiera" 1953 "Piel Canela","Porque Ya No Me Quieres","Se Solicitan Modelos" 1954 "Frente Al Pecado De Ayer","Yo No Creo en Los Hombres"

In Hollywood:"Vera Cruz" 1955 "Donde El Circulo Termina"( "Circle of Death" in US "Belle de Mexico" in France) 1956 "Serenade" ("Serenata" in Italy and latin America" "Dos pasiones y Un Amor" in Spain) 1957 "Run of the Arrow"("El Vuelo de la Flecha" in Latin America. "Les Judgement Des Fleches" in France. "Yuma" in Spain)

In Spain:" El Ultimo Cuple"("Valencia" in France and Italy) 1958 " La Violetera"("La Fioraia di Madrid" in Italy. "Es Began In Der Syvesternatch" in Germany) 1959 "Carmen la de Ronda"("The Devil Made a Woman" in US and UK. "Carmen de Grenade" in France and Belgium. "Duello Implacabile" Italy. "Das Madchen aus granada" in Germany) 1960 "Mi Ultimo Tango"(Mon Dernier Tango" in France.) 1961 "Pecado de Amor"("Peche D' Amour" in France. "Il Mio Amore E Scritto Sul Vento"in Italy) 1962 "La Bella Lola"("Une Dame Aux Camelias" in France. "Quel Nostro Impossibile Amore" in Italy),"La Reina del Chantecler" ("L'Esppione de Madrid" in France. "La Dea del Pecatto" in Italy) 1963 "Noches De Casablanca"("Casablanca Nid D' Epions" in France. "Spionaggio a Casablanca" in Italy) 1964 "Samba"("Samba a Rio" in france. "Mitra e Diamanti" in Italy) This was the most expensive production ever filmed in Spain up to the early seventies. 1965 "La Dama de Beirut"("Aventure A Beyruth" in France. "La Dama di Beirut" in Italy) 1967 " La Mujer Perdida"("La Femme Perdue" in France. "Quel Nostro Grande Amore" in Italy) 1968 "Tuset Street"("La Amante" in Latin America) 1969 "Esa Mujer" ("Soledad"in Italy) 1972 "Varietes" 1973 "Cinco Almohadas para una Noche"

In 2001 after winning the "Gold Medal" from Spain's Academy of Films and the Arts; Miss Montiel accepted to appear in a documentary about her life. "Sara,Una Etrella" ("Sara, A Star") was the last film to date that Sara Montiel has filmed but one can never be sure it will stay that way. Sara Montiel is a star indeed. Sara Montiel is celluloid magic. Pure magic!

Personal Data: Miss Montiel was born Maria Antonia Abad Fernandez. She has been married four times. First to director Anthony Mann. Second marriage was to industrialist Vicente Ramirez Olalla. The third and the most rewarding union for sara Montiel took place in 1978 with newspaper man, Jose Tous. This marriage produced two adopted children. The pride and real joy of the movie star diva. She became a widow in 1993 after Mr Tous died of cancer. The fourth adventure into wedded bliss was a fiasco that caused a most vociferous press scandal when in 2002 she married a much younger man and then divorced him quickly after that. Sara Montiel wrote her memoirs in the year 2000 and this book became an instant bestseller with ten editions published to date.