El cuatro de mayo/May 4th
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| Photo from caras.cl. Click HERE. |
Commonly called by her nickname, La Desideria, González was a Chilean theater, television, and radio actress who won Chile's National Prize of Art (Premio Nacional de Arte de Chile) in 1969 for her work. She has been called "the most famous Chilean actress of all time." She was born in Peñalolén, Chile to a seamstress mother, Ana Olea, who gave her a strict, religious education at home. Her father, Manuel González Ossa, who was rich, did not marry her mother, but he recognized Ana (not always done in those times) and gave her his last name. He used to call her "Mona" or "Monita" (note: while mona can mean cute, monkey, and doll in Spanish, the article where this story appears says he called her that "por lo poco agraciada que la encontraba," which indicates that he was saying she was not graceful or good-looking!). González started acting at age 19 and was already an established actress when she met and married her husband, publicist José Pepe Estefanía, in 1946. They remained married until his death in 1962. She often spoke of him, even in later years, telling a reporter in 1995: "Aunque en ese tiempo estaba llena de trabajo, tuvimos un buen matrimonio. Paseamos mucho, nos divertimos. Era un hombre bueno e inteligente, incapaz de decir alguna mala palabra o de andar con chismes o groserías" (Even though back then I was kept so busy with work, we had a good marriage. We went out a lot, we had fun. He was a good and intelligent man, incapable of saying a bad word or gossiping about others). González strongly supported the government of Salvador Allende from 1970 to 1973. She was in Argentina when the coup d'etat happened and Pinochet took power, though she returned to Chile. During the dictatorship she was active, along with her lifetime partner after Estefanía's death, architect Luz María Sotomayor, in helping those who were resisting (read more HERE). González continued to act and remained a beloved figure to many Chileans. She was performing one evening in 1995 when she forgot her lines in the middle of a scene. it was the beginning of the Alzheimer's that she would battle for the next thirteen years, until her death in 2008. She donated her entire legacy back to Chile with the Fundación Ana González. Read one of the farewell tributes to her HERE, or watch one HERE.
For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.Other May 4th birthdays of note:
Lucas San Martín (2001- ): A social media "influencer" from Santiago, Chile, his accounts have millions of views. His recently released music video, Te Demoras (You take too long), has almost a million views (watch HERE). See his video "25 Cosas Sobre Mí" (silly, but students will laugh, and they can then make their own videos!), HERE.
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