Zully Moreno

Zulema Esther Gonzalez Borbon was born in Buenos Aires on October 17, 1920. She began working as a model when she was in her teens and, at the same time, she became an extra in cheap movies. She was given more important roles in a modest studio called EFA-Establecimientos Filmadores Argentinos, but then, all of a sudden and thanks to her role in Stella (1945), she reached stardom. A beautiful, tall blonde, her talent was very limited but people did not want to see her acting. They paid their tickets to see that image. She began a relationship with director Luis César Amadori in 1941 and became one of the stars of Argentina Sono Film. After the huge success of God Bless You (1948) (aka God Reward You), star and director got married and both became co-owners of Sono Film. Mr. and Mrs. Amadori enjoyed a happy time under the first two Peron governments. They made movies in Mexico in the 1950s, but after the 1955 coup, they left Argentina and flew to Spain. Both went on working there. Moreno excelled in a movie called La noche y el alba (1958) (aka The Night and the Dawn) and showed she had learned her craft. Unfortunately, she decided to quit cinema when she was 40 years old. In 1965, she was offered a part in an Italian-Argentine co-production starring Vittorio Gassman, but she did not bother to answer. In the 1970s, the couple returned to Argentina -- both were owners of the Maipo theater. In 1977, Mr. Amadori died, and she became sort of a recluse. Director 'Maria Luisa Bemberg' and producer Lita Stantic offered her a role in Camila (1984), but she turned it down. She died in Buenos Aires in 1999 and is still remembered as the symbol of an era.