# Marimar (Mexican TV series)

Marimar is a Mexican telenovela created by Inés Rodena and produced by Valentín Pimstein and Verónica Pimstein for Televisa in 1994. It is a remake of the 1977 telenovela La venganza, which is in turn based on the radionovela La indomable.
Thalía and Eduardo Capetillo star as the show's romantic leads, while Chantal Andere plays the main antagonist.

## Plot

Marimar is a poor and innocent girl living with her grandparents in a beach hut in San Martin de la Costa. She falls in love with Sergio, the son of a wealthy ranch owner, who is drawn to her sweet nature. To defy his father and stepmother, Angélica, who despises Marimar for her naivety and lack of education, Sergio decides to marry her. Angélica begins a campaign to humiliate Marimar, prompting Sergio to plan a short business trip to earn money and protect Marimar from his stepmother's mistreatment.
Sergio's departure leaves Marimar vulnerable to Angélica's malicious schemes. Angélica manipulates the household against Marimar, stages a theft involving a bracelet linked to Sergio's biological mother, and falsely accuses Marimar of stealing it, leading to her imprisonment. While Marimar is incarcerated, Angélica sends one of her servants, Nicandro, to set fire to her grandparents' home, resulting in their deaths. Additionally, Angélica forges a letter from Sergio, claiming he never loved Marimar and intends to divorce her.
Traumatized by these events, Marimar transforms from a good-natured person into someone seeking revenge. Upon her release from prison, she relocates to Mexico City with the help of Padre Porres, adopts a new identity as "Bella," and begins to rebuild her life.
Marimar's life changes when she gets a job with a stranger, Gustavo Aldama, who has been searching for his daughter, María del Mar. Gustavo and his sister, Esperanza, help "Bella" learn to read, write, speak well, and dress nicely. Her family circle expands further when she finds out she is pregnant with Sergio's child and later gives birth to a daughter named Crucita.
Marimar undergoes a transformation into Bella Aldama, a sophisticated socialite, and attends the opera with Gustavo, where she unexpectedly encounters her estranged husband, Sergio. Believing Sergio betrayed her, she embarks on a revenge plan against him and the Santibañez family, engaging in a seductive and tumultuous game with Sergio. After revealing her identity to Gustavo during a confrontation with Bernardo Duarte, he suffers a heart attack and dies. Marimar inherits a share of a country club in Valle Encantado, where she moves to manage it. Meanwhile, her relationship with Sergio becomes more complicated as the local governor, Fernando Montenegro, falls for her, and his daughter, Natalia, schemes to win Sergio's affection.
Marimar's campaign against the Santibáñez family culminates as she drives Renato into deep gambling debt, taking the deed to their ranch as collateral. She reveals her true identity to everyone, claiming ownership of the ranch and renaming it "Hacienda los Abuelos," elevating her social status above Angélica's. Marimar publicly humiliates Angélica, mirroring the mistreatment she once faced. Despite Sergio's lingering love for Marimar, he ends their marriage in disgust over her actions and plans to marry his childhood friend, Inocencia del Castillo. In response, Marimar aims to disrupt their lives and ruin their wedding, using her newfound power to influence Sergio.
Angélica is involved in a severe traffic accident on her way to Valle Encantado, resulting in fatal burns. On her deathbed, consumed by hatred, she requests that someone set fire to Marimar's house to cause her suffering. Meanwhile, Inocencia is troubled by Sergio's frequent visits to Marimar. Pregnant with Sergio’s child, she collapses and is hospitalized, where her baby is safely delivered. However, a scan reveals she has a brain tumor. During her hospital stay, Inocencia negotiates with Marimar: if she survives surgery, Marimar must leave Sergio alone; if not, Marimar must marry him. Marimar promises to forget about Sergio regardless of Inocencia’s fate.
Marimar begins a relationship with an engineer named Adrián Rosales. Inocencia successfully undergoes surgery to remove her tumor and, feeling grateful for her new lease on life, apologizes to Marimar for her past behavior. She promises not to interfere in Marimar's relationship with Sergio, as long as he supports their child. Additionally, Renato expresses remorse for his treatment of Marimar and seeks forgiveness on behalf of himself and Angélica.
Padre Porres helps Sergio comprehend Marimar's desire for revenge. Through this understanding, the two address the unresolved feelings surrounding a betrayal that never happened. Ultimately, Marimar and Sergio reconcile and remarry in a small church in San Martin de la Costa, bringing their journey to a heartfelt conclusion.

## Cast

* Thalía as Marimar Pérez de Santibáñez / María del Mar Aldama Pérez / Bella Aldama
* Eduardo Capetillo as Sergio Santibáñez
* Miguel Palmer as Gustavo Aldama
* Guillermo García Cantú as Bernardo Duarte
* Alfonso Iturralde as Renato Santibañez
* René Muñoz as Father Porres
* Marta Zamora as Perfecta
* Chantal Andere as Angélica López de Santibáñez
* Ada Carrasco as Mamá Cruz
* Tito Guízar as Papá Pancho
* Carlos Becerril as Pulgoso (voice)
* Pituka de Foronda as Aunt Esperanza
* Luis Gatica as Chuy
* Kenia Gascón as Antonieta López
* Daniel Gauvry as Arturo
* Toño Infante as Nicandro Mejía
* Julia Marichal as Negra Corazón
* Frances Ondiviela as Brenda
* Marisol Santacruz as Mónica
* Ana Luisa Peluffo as Selva
* Martha Ofelia Galindo as Josefina
* Rafael del Villar as Esteban
* Nicky Mondellini as Gema
* Fernando M. Gutierrez as Chico
* Rosángela Balbó as Eugenia
* Ricardo Blume as Fernando Montenegro
* Juan Carlos Serrán as Ulises
* Amairani as Natalia Montenegro
* Marcelo Buquet as Rodolfo San Genís
* Serrana as Alina
* Indra Zuno as Inocencia del Castillo y Corcuera
* Hortensia Clavijo as La Cucaracha
* Patricia Navidad as Isabel
* Fernando Colunga as Engr. Adrián Rosales
* Agustín Manzo as Himself
* Manuel Negrete as Himself
* Julio Canessa as Himself

## Film

Marimar: The Movie, a feature-length recap of the telenovela, was theatrically released by Solar Entertainment in the Philippines on October 2, 1996.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 1995 | 13th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Actress | Thalía | Nominated |
| 1995 | 13th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Actor | Eduardo Capetillo | Nominated |
| 1995 | 13th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Antagonist Actress | Chantal Andere | Nominated |
| 1995 | 13th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Antagonist Actor | Toño Infante | Nominated |
| 1995 | 13th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Leading Actor | Tito Guízar | Nominated |
| 1995 | 13th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Co-lead Actress | Frances Ondiviela | Nominated |
| 1995 | 13th TVyNovelas Awards | Best Co-lead Actor | Miguel Palmer | Nominated |
| 1995 | 13th TVyNovelas Awards | Highest-rated Telenovela in the USA | Valentín Pimstein | Won |
| 1995 | Latin ACE Awards | Best Scenic Program | Marimar | Won |
| 1995 | Latin ACE Awards | Female Figure of the Year | Thalía | Won |
| 1995 | Latin ACE Awards | Male Figure of the Year | Eduardo Capetillo | Won |
| 1995 | Latin ACE Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Tito Guízar | Won |
| 1995 | Latin ACE Awards | Best Direction | Beatriz Sheridan | Won |

## Remake

The first ever remake, as granted by Televisa, was the 2007 Philippine version of the same title Marimar starring Marian Rivera under GMA Network. It was a huge hit around Asia at the time. In Mexico, Nathalie Lartrilleaux remade Marimar in 2013 under the title Corazón indomable and Ana Brenda Contreras and Daniel Arenas starred as the protagonists. In 2015, Philippines' GMA Network remade the Mexican telenovela for a second time, with Tom Rodriguez and Miss World 2013 winner Megan Young playing the title role.