Sara Montiel

Sara Montiel, born María Antonia Abad in 1928, was a Spanish singer and actress whose career spanned continents and decades. After her breakthrough role in Juan de Orduña's "El Último Cuplé" in 1957, Montiel became a fixture in European, Latin American, and American cinema. Her films "Variétés" and "La Violetera" set records for Spanish-language box office receipts in the 1950s and 1960s, cementing her status as a cultural icon. In Pedro Almodóvar's "Bad Education," Gael García Bernal portrayed her in a memorable cross-dressing performance, further entrenching Montiel's legacy as a flamboyant and influential figure in Spanish entertainment.