Laura Hidalgo

Laura Hidalgo, whose real name was Pesea Faerman, was born in Romania in 1927. She arrived in Argentina when she was two years old. From 1945 she showed a remarkable ambition to become a movie star. She was rejected by some studios because of her weight and she lost more than a few pounds. Meanwhile she had began studying theater with Hedy Crilla and in 1949 she shot her first movie - even when she had bits as an extra. That flick was a cheap quickie called His Last Boxing Match - Su Ultima Pelea. She was learning her craft and after some B movies she got lots of publicity because she was a real beauty. Dark haired and with emerald eyes, a big studio like Argentina Sono Film manufactured her as a sort of Argentinian Hedy Lamarr. The film that made her was The Orchid in 1951. She worked only for that studio and her career was brief because it lasted only until 1957. Not a very keen worker she did not like the business but it meant fame and money for her. Despite some successful weepies she did not reach a solid status until Beyond Oblivion - a beautiful melodrama directed by Hugo del Carril. She had filmed two movies outside Argentine - in Mexico and Spain. In 1957 she went to Mexico to shoot a second movie there, a cheap thriller and decided to stay in that country. According to some sources she had begun a relationship with a powerful professional whose surname was Rossen. They married and they had three children. At the beginning of the 80s they moved to La Jolla in California. Hidalgo returned to Argetina for some opportunities during the 60s, but thanks to concert pianist Bruno Gelberg, in 1987 she came back with a vengeance. She was promoting a poetry book - a good one - and she played the game very carefully. She had not been forgotten and she had recovered her old self, the one from the movies. It was the last time she visited Argentina. She was invited to the Nantes Festival in 1995 where they were showing Beyond Oblivion but did not show interest in going there. However, Uruguayan literature critic Jorge Rufinelli - resident in California - persuaded her to visit some universities in the States where that movie directed by Hugo del Carill was shown to students. Her death came as a surprise to all her admirers - the young ones now in their 50s and the old ones now in their 70s. She was a true star but never believed in stardom. Her goals were to raise a family and to live comfortably. One of the verses of her poems says it all: "I'm a little Jew immigrant belonging to the world".