Born in Veracruz, Mexico, Rosenda Monteros found fame on both the big screen and the little screen. Starting her career as Marta in the film Llévame en tus brazos (1954), or Take me in your arms, the sexy starlet made numerous movies in her native country before launching onto Hollywood’s silver screen in the iconic The Magnificent Seven (1960). Playing Petra, she is found in the forest by the character Chico, and their ensuing relationship is the only bit of romance in the macho-heavy film. Two short years later, she played opposite James Mason as Belle Annie in Tiara Tahiti (1962), a comedic drama from the UK that features Rosenda in a leopard-skin bikini, and bathing naked under a waterfall, breasts full and pointed. The raven-haired dish appeared as Ustane in She (1965), a dark contrast to co-star Ursula Andress’ blonde glamour, and followed it up as the starring role of Ninette in Ninette y un senor de Murcia (1966). With movies interspersed here and there, Rosenda was mostly know as a staple on the telenovela scene, one of her most famous parts being Matilde Guerrero in Lucia Sombra in over 200 episodes in 1971. She also appeared in La sonrisa del diablo, Los miserables, Santa, Vamos juntos, Cuando los hijos se van, and El amor no es como lo pintan. In 1990, the talented thespian received recognition from the Mexican Association of Theater Critics for a record 263 theater performances. In 2003, she won the Best Actress award in Classic Theater of the Golden Age. Fun fact: she also studied mime in Europe, and performed with Marcel Marceau. Rosenda passed away in 2018 at the age of 83.
