# Pedro Armendáriz

Pedro Gregorio Armendáriz Hastings (May 9, 1912 – June 18, 1963) was a Mexican-American film actor who made films in both Mexico and the United States. With Dolores del Río and María Félix, he was one of the best-known Latin American movie stars of the 1940s and 1950s.

## Early life

Armendáriz was born in Mexico City, to Pedro Armendáriz García Conde, a Mexican father and Adela Hastings, an American mother. He was also the cousin of actress Gloria Marín. Armendáriz and his younger brother Francisco lived with their uncle Henry Hastings Senior in Laredo, Texas, after their mother died. He later studied in California, attending the California Polytechnic State University from September 1928 to May 1932. At Cal Poly, he studied mechanics and in May 1931 graduated from the academic course of the school. He remained an additional year as a freshman in the Junior College division, but in 1932 returned to Mexico after the end of the school year. While at Cal Poly, Armendáriz was active in student activities, including editing the student newspaper and the student yearbook and acting in several student dramatic productions.

## Career

When Armendáriz finished his studies, he moved to Mexico, where he worked for the railroad, as a tour guide, and as a journalist for the bilingual magazine México Real. He was discovered by film director Miguel Zacarías when Armendáriz recited a soliloquy from Hamlet to an American tourist. His meeting with the director Emilio Fernández was providential, whereupon the actor and director began working in numerous films: Soy puro mexicano (1942), Flor silvestre (1942) and specially María Candelaria (1943) were the first films of intense common path. Under the guidance of Emilio Fernández, Pedro Armendáriz developed the film personality traits of strong nationalist; often, he played tough and manly men, indigenous, peasants and revolutionaries. Amendáriz repeatedly portrayed Pancho Villa and played opposite actresses such as Dolores del Río and María Félix.
With Dolores del Río, Amendáriz formed one of the most legendary couples of the Mexican cinema. María Candelaria provided Armendáriz with international visibility. The film was awarded the Palme d'Or at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival. Other prominent titles where Armendáriz appeared with Dolores del Río were Las Abandonadas (1944), Bugambilia (1944) and La Malquerida (1949). Maria Felix was his other partner in such films as Enamorada (1946) or Maclovia (1948).
In the late 40s, he made the jump to Hollywood by the hand of John Ford. Armendáriz was a favorite of Ford, appearing in three of his films: The Fugitive (1947), Fort Apache and 3 Godfathers (both 1948).
Besides his career in the Mexican cinema, Armendáriz made a remarkable career in Hollywood and Europe. His other prominent films in Hollywood were: We Were Strangers (1949, directed by John Huston), The Torch (1950), Border River (1954), The Conqueror (1956) and Diane (1956), among others. In Europe, highlighted his participation in the film Lucrèce Borgia (1953), filmed in France. In Mexico, his participation highlighted such notable films such as El Bruto (1953, directed by Luis Buñuel), La Cucaracha (1959) and La Bandida (1962).
Armendáriz's last appearance was in the second James Bond film, From Russia with Love (1963), as Bond's ally, Kerim Bey. Armendáriz was terminally ill with cancer during the filming of From Russia with Love, and towards the end of shooting he was too ill to perform his part; his final scenes were performed by his double, director Terence Young. Armendáriz died four months before the release of the film.

## Personal life

Armendáriz was married to actress Carmelita Bohr (née Pardo) by whom he had one son and one daughter. His son Pedro Armendariz Bohr (April 6, 1940 – December 26, 2011), also became an actor and appeared in the James Bond film Licence to Kill (1989). His daughter, TV producer Carmen Armendáriz Bohr (b. 1946, Mexico City), was married and then divorced Michel Pierson Cuadra, a Nicaraguan national.

## Illness and death

In 1956, Armendáriz had a role in The Conqueror, produced by Howard Hughes. It was filmed in the state of Utah at the time when the US government was conducting atmospheric nuclear testing in neighboring Nevada. Within 25 years, 91 of the 220 people involved in the production (41%) developed cancer, 46 of whom died of cancer or complications related to it.
Armendáriz began to suffer pain in his hips; years later it was discovered that he had neck cancer. He learned his condition was terminal while at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, and reportedly endured great pain to film From Russia with Love in order to assure his family financial resources.
On June 18, 1963, Armendáriz died by suicide by shooting himself in the chest with a gun he had smuggled into the hospital. He was 51 years old. He is buried in the Panteón Jardín cemetery in Mexico City, Mexico.

## Filmography
### Hollywood

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1947 | The Fugitive | A lieutenant of police | a.k.a. El Fugitivo (Mexico) |
| 1948 | Fort Apache | Sgt. Beaufort | as Pedro Armendáriz |
| 1948 | 3 Godfathers | Pedro "Pete" Roca Fuerte | as Pedro Armendáriz |
| 1949 | Tulsa | Jim Redbird | |
| 1949 | We Were Strangers | Armando Ariete | |
| 1950 | The Torch | José Juan Reyes | a.k.a. Del odio nace el amor (Mexico) |
| 1954 | Border River | General Eduardo Calleja | |
| 1955 | The Littlest Outlaw | Gen. Torres | |
| 1956 | Diane | King Francis I | |
| 1956 | The Conqueror | Jamuga | as Pedro Armendáriz |
| 1957 | The Big Boodle | Col. Mastegui | as Pedro Armendáriz |
| 1959 | Little Savage | El Tiburón | |
| 1959 | The Wonderful Country | Cipriano Castro | |
| 1961 | Francis of Assisi | The Sultan | |
| 1963 | Captain Sindbad | El Kerim | as Pedro Armendáriz |

### British cinema

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1957 | Manuela | Mario Constanza | |
| 1963 | From Russia with Love | Ali Kerim Bey | |

### Italian cinema

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1955 | Tom Toms of Mayumba | Martinez | |
| 1957 | Uomini e lupi | Giovanni | a.k.a. The Wolves |
| 1962 | Arrivano i titani | Cadmo | a.k.a. My Son, the Hero (USA) |

### French cinema

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1953 | Lucrèce Borgia | César Borgia | a.k.a. Lucretia Borgia |
| 1955 | Fortune carrée [fr] | Igricheff | |

### Mexican cinema

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1935 | Rosario | Enrique | |
| 1936 | Irma la mala | | |
| 1936 | María Elena | Eduardo | |
| 1937 | Las cuatro milpas | | |
| 1937 | Jalisco nunca pierde | Pedro González | |
| 1937 | Poppy of the Road | Juan Padilla | |
| 1938 | Mi candidato | Pancho García | |
| 1938 | La Adelita | Sabino Estrada | |
| 1938 | Los millones de Chaflán | Antonio | |
| 1938 | Canto a mi tierra | Antonio | |
| 1939 | El indio | Felipe | |
| 1939 | The Queen of the River | Pescador joven | |
| 1939 | La china Hilaria | Apolonio | |
| 1939 | Una luz en mi camino | Daniel | |
| 1939 | With Villa's Veterans | Mayor Pedro Mondragón | |
| 1940 | Los olvidados de Dios | Zenón Rojas | |
| 1940 | Poor Devil | Raúl Solares | |
| 1940 | El charro negro | Ramón | |
| 1940 | Mala yerba | Chuy Rodríguez | |
| 1940 | El jefe máximo | | |
| 1941 | El secreto del sacerdote | | |
| 1941 | El zorro de Jalisco | Leonardo | |
| 1941 | Neither Blood nor Sand | Frank | |
| 1942 | Allá en el bajío | Juan Hernández | |
| 1942 | La epopeya del camino | Raúl | |
| 1942 | Del rancho a la capital | Pedro Rodríguez | |
| 1942 | Simón Bolívar | General Briceño Méndez | |
| 1942 | La isla de la pasión (Clipperton) | El Toro | |
| 1942 | I'm a Real Mexican | Guadalupe Padilla | |
| 1943 | Wild Flower | Jose Luis Castro | |
| 1943 | Land of Passions | Porfirio | |
| 1943 | Guadalajara | Pedro | |
| 1943 | Red Konga | Federico Robles | |
| 1943 | Another Dawn | Octavio | |
| 1944 | María Candelaria | Lorenzo Rafael | |
| 1944 | The War of the Pastries | Antonio del Valle | |
| 1944 | El corsario negro | El corsario negro | |
| 1944 | Las calaveras del terror | Rolando | |
| 1944 | Alma de bronce | | |
| 1945 | Entre hermanos | | |
| 1945 | Las Abandonadas | Juan Gomez | nominated — Ariel Award for Best Actor |
| 1945 | El Capitán Malacara | Capitán Leonardo Buenrostro | |
| 1945 | Bugambilia | Ricardo Rojas | |
| 1946 | Rayando el sol | Pedro, adulto | |
| 1946 | Enamorada | Gen. José Juan Reyes | nominated — Ariel Award for Best Actor |
| 1947 | La casa colorada | Gaspar | |
| 1947 | Albur de amor | | |
| 1947 | The Pearl | Quino | Ariel Award for Best Actor |
| 1948 | Juan Charrasqueado | Juan Robledo / Juan Charrasqueado | |
| 1948 | En la hacienda de la flor | Juan Robledo - el hijo de Juan Charrasqueado | |
| 1948 | Maclovia | José María | |
| 1949 | Al caer la tarde | Sebastian del Llano | |
| 1949 | El abandonado | Dámian López | |
| 1949 | The Unloved Woman | Esteban | |
| 1949 | El charro y la dama | Pedro Meneses | |
| 1950 | Vuelve Pancho Villa | Pancho Villa | |
| 1950 | La loca de la casa | José María Cruz | |
| 1950 | Por la puerta falsa | Bernardo Celis | |
| 1950 | Rosauro Castro | Rosauro Castro | nominated — Ariel Award for Best Actor |
| 1951 | Tierra baja | Manelic | |
| 1951 | Bodas de fuego | Rodolfo Carrera | |
| 1951 | Camino del infierno | Pedro Uribe | |
| 1951 | Por querer a una mujer | José Renteria | |
| 1951 | She and I | Pedro Múñoz | |
| 1952 | The Three Happy Compadres | Baldomero Mireles | |
| 1952 | La noche avanza | Marcos Arizmendi | |
| 1952 | Carne de presidio | Pablo González | |
| 1952 | El Rebozo de Soledad | Roque Suazo | Ariel Award for Best Actor |
| 1953 | Lovers of Toledo | Don Alvaro Blas Basto y Mosquera | |
| 1953 | El Bruto | Pedro | |
| 1954 | Reto a la vida | Diego Maldonado | |
| 1954 | Mulata | Captain Martín | |
| 1954 | La rebelión de los colgados | Cándido Costa | nominated — Ariel Award for Best Actor |
| 1954 | Dos mundos y un amor | Ricardo Anaya | |
| 1956 | La Escondida | Felipe Rojano | |
| 1956 | Canasta de cuentos mexicanos | Carlos Cosio | segment "Tigresa, La" |
| 1956 | Viva revolución | | |
| 1957 | La mujer que no tuvo infancia | Lic. Alberto Garza Cifuentes | |
| 1957 | Los salvajes | Pedro Matías | |
| 1957 | Así era Pancho Villa | Pancho Villa | |
| 1958 | Quiero ser artista | Himself | |
| 1959 | Ando volando bajo | Pedro | |
| 1959 | Café Colón | General Sebastián Robles | |
| 1959 | Las Señoritas Vivanco | Gen. Inocencio Torrentera | |
| 1959 | El zarco | El Zarco | |
| 1959 | Flor de mayo | Pepe Gamboa | |
| 1959 | Sed de amor | Pedro Ortiz | |
| 1959 | La Cucaracha | Coronel Valentín Razo | |
| 1959 | Yo pecador | Francisco Bracamontes | |
| 1959 | Hambre nuestra de cada día | Macario Férnandez | |
| 1960 | Los desarraigados | Joe Pacheco | |
| 1960 | Verano violento | Francisco Peña | |
| 1960 | Dos hijos desobedientes | Pedro | |
| 1960 | Calibre 44 | Don Pedro | |
| 1960 | Pancho Villa y la Valentina | Pancho Villa | |
| 1960 | Aquí está Pancho Villa | Pancho Villa | |
| 1960 | El impostor | Professor César Rubio | |
| 1960 | Los hermanos del hierro | General | |
| 1960 | La cárcel de Cananea | Pedro | |
| 1961 | El indulto | Lucas Sánchez Parrondo | |
| 1962 | El tejedor de milagros | Señor cura | |
| 1962 | Los valientes no mueren | Pedro | |
| 1963 | La Bandida | Roberto Herrera | |