Margarita Cordova (born February 26, 1939, in Saginaw, Michigan) is a retired American dancer and actress.
Margarita Cordova | |
|---|---|
 Cordova in 1961. | |
| Born | February 26, 1939 |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, actress |
| Years active | 1958–2006 |
| Spouse | Clark Allen |
Early life
editCordova was born in Saginaw, Michigan, but grew up in Mexico City. When she was 14, she moved to Los Angeles.[1]
Career
editStage and dancing
editIn 1958, Cordova and her husband Clark Allen opened for a show starring Jean Arnold at the Cabaret Concert Theatre in Los Angeles. Variety described the couple as "Spanish dance exponents who take the trouble to explain what they're doing during their 30-minute stint. Education has not always been at home in a nitery, but it's a pleasure here [...] the team divides its work with the male member flicking the Spanish guitar and singing..."[2]
In 1960, Cordova and Allen had a 30-minute show in New York. Variety wrote: "Although likeable (sic) in their current New York debut at Julius Monk's Downstairs at the Upstairs, they're not particularly outstanding. It could be that Allen's folksong selection lacks a powerhouse item".[3]
In 1962, Cordova and Allen opened and operated El Cid, a flamenco nightclub on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.[4][5]
Cordova and Allen performed traditional Spanish and Mexican song and dance at other venues in the Los Angeles area, including Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City[6] and at the Ebell of Los Angeles Theater.[7]
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Television
editCordova has made numerous guest appearances on several television series from the 1960s, including The Twilight Zone episode "A Thing About Machines"[8] and a 1960 episode of Peter Gunn entitled "Cry Love, Cry Murder".[9] Her other television credits include Playhouse 90, The Chevy Mystery Show, Cheyenne, The Lloyd Bridges Show, The Farmer's Daughter, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Flying Nun, The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, The Virginian (TV series), Mission: Impossible, The Mod Squad, Marcus Welby, M.D., Lou Grant, Police Story, T.J. Hooker and Dallas.
Cordova had a contract role on NBC's short-living soap opera Sunset Beach as Carmen Torres from 1997 to 1999, receiving ALMA Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Soap Opera in 1999.[10] She also played Rosa Andrade on Santa Barbara from 1984 to 1987, and from 1991 to 1993.[11] In 2000s, she made guest appearances on Strong Medicine and Criminal Minds.
Film
editCordova appeared in One-Eyed Jacks (1961) as a flamenco dancer.[12] She also had bit parts in Pay or Die! (1960), The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1962) and Guns of Diablo (1965).
Personal life
editCordova was married to musician, actor, and artist Clark Allen. They met in Paris.[13] They studied in Granada, Spain for more than a year where they learned the culture of the Spanish Romani and flamenco music. The couple had two children: a daughter named Angela, who became a fine artist, and a son named David, who became a professional musician and photographer. Angela and David were members of the 1970s band Carmen.[14] Cordova and Allen later divorced.[15]
References
edit- ^ "SLHC Interview with Margarita Cordova and Juan Talavera". August 24, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Reviews: Cabaret Concertheatre, L.A.". Variety. Vol. 211, no. 12. August 20, 1958. p. 71 – via Proquest.
- ^ "Reviews: New Acts – Margarita & Clark Allen". Variety. Vol. 220, no. 10. November 2, 1960. p. 53 – via Proquest.
- ^ "Our Story – EL CID". Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- ^ Ogden, Tom (August 1, 2015). Haunted Hollywood: Tinseltown Terrors, Filmdom Phantoms, and Movieland Mayhem. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-1578-8.
- ^ "Valley Philharmonic Group Plans Musicales". Los Angeles Times. September 22, 1963. p. J1 – via Proquest.
- ^ "Flamenco Show Booked at Ebell". Los Angeles Times. September 27, 1963. p. D11 – via Proquest.
- ^ "Margarita Cordova Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
- ^ "Monday". The Los Angeles Times. October 8, 1960. p. 162. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "ALMA Awards (1999)". IMDb.
- ^ Reichardt, Nancy M. (January 1, 1999). "Actress Margarita Cordova Sees the Future on NBC's 'Sunset Beach'". The Times and Democrat. p. 8. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ McHarry, Charles (October 24, 1960). "On the Town". Daily News. p. 226. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Sandburg's Songs to Be Key Facet of Production". The Town Talk. January 19, 1960. p. 12. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "Discography". davidclarkallen. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ "Vida Flamenca Newsletter – January 28th". MyNewsletterBuilder. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
External links
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