Beloved Mexican actress Carmen Salinas, best known for performances in films like Danzón, Bellas de Noche, including Hollywood superstar Denzel Washington's Man on Fire, died on Thursday night. She was 82. Salinas, whose career spanned 80 years in Spanish language television and film, had been in a coma after she suffered a stroke in November. The news of her demise was announced by her family on social media. The tweet read: "With great sorrow, we inform you that leading actress Carmen Salinas passed away today," which also included a black and white photograph, with her family thanking fans for their prayers and condolences.
Born in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico on October 5, 1939, Salinas began her career as a child artiste in the 1950’s and sang and performed impersonations on the radio. She also appeared in beauty and talent contests, while also performing in nightclubs. She eventually garnered a fan following in telenovelas in the 1960s and appeared on shows like Casa de Barrio, Frontera and Sublime Redención before making her film debut in Roberto Gavaldón’s La Vida Inútil de Pito Pérez. Some other major roles include films like El Crimen del Cácaro Gumaro, La Misma Luna, Todo el Poder, Danzón, Cartas a Elena, Esta Noche Cena Pancho, Que Viva Tepito! and Bellas de Noche. Salinas made heads turn in Hollywood in Denzel Washington’s Man on Fire, a 2004 thriller directed by Tony Scott, which was shot in Mexico.
Carmen Salinas later joined Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Party and got elected in 2015 as the plurinominal federal deputy and held the position till 2018. She married pianist Pedro Plascencia in 1956 before the two separated in the 1960s. The couple had two children María Eugenia and Pedro. A musician, Pedro passed away in 1994 due to cancer. She is now survived by her daughter María Eugenia and several grandchildren.