Isela Vega obit

Mexican Actress Isela Vega Dies at 81

 She was not on the list.

Mexican actress Isela Vega died today at age 81 of cancer. She had a provocative, prolific, and multi-faceted professional career acting in around one hundred films—from popular sex comedies to art house dramas—and working with numerous directors including Arturo Ripstein, Sam Peckinpah, Paul Leduc, Roberto Gavaldón, Luis Estrada, and Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, among others. She was awarded Mexico’s Ariel Award five times, and acted opposite countless Mexican and international prestigious actors including Glenn Ford, Mario Moreno ‘Cantinflas,’ Boris Karloff, Julio Alemán, Kris Kristofferson, Raúl Julia, and Pedro Armendáriz.

Born on November 5, 1939 in Hermosillo Sonora, she was named princess of the local carnival in 1957, and started her professional career in modeling. Her film debut was in the 1960 film Verano violento by Alfonso Corona Blake, starring Pedro Armendáriz. In 1966, she participated in the American film Rage directed by Gilberto Gazcón and starring Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens, and in 1968 she starred opposite Mexican popular comedian ‘Cantinflas’ in Por mis pistolas.

By the late sixties, Vega’s career gained popularity and she became as a renowned sex symbol. She also acted opposite Mexican comedian Mauricio Garcés in the sex comedies Don Juan 67 (Carlos Velo, 1967), The Bed / La cama (Emilio Gómez Muriel, 1968), and El matrimonio es como el demonio (René Cardona Jr., 1969). She also stirred controversy appearing nude in some films, and subsequently photographed nude for the July 1974 issue of Playboy.

In 1971 she received her first Ariel Award nomination for Best Actress for her role as Verónica in the 1971 drama Las reglas del juego by Mauricio Walerstein. One of her most widely known role is that of Elita in Sam Peckinpah's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), for which she nabbed her second Ariel Award nomination for Best Actress. She also wrote the song, "Bennie's Song", which appears in the film.

In 1977, she played the starring role of Matea Gutiérrez in Arturo Ripstein’s The Black Widow / La viuda negra, for which Vega received her third Ariel Award nomination for Best Actress, and first win. Few years later, she worked with director Jaime Humberto Hermosillo in the 1983 drama Looks Can Be Deceiving / Las apariencias engañan.

 In addition to her work as an actress, Vega produced, wrote, and directed the 1986 film Las amantes del señor de la noche / Lovers of the Lord of the Night, which she starred along with Irma Serrano and Emilio Fernández.

After sporadic roles in film and television during the nineties, Vega had a potent comeback in Luis Estrada’s 1999 controversial political satire Herod’s Law / La ley de Herodes, in which she played the role of Doña Lupe, the owner of a brothel in a small Mexican town, winning the Ariel Award for Best Supporting Actress.

During the first two decades of the new century, Vega worked in several films including Pink Punch / Puños rosas (Beto Gómez, 2004), El cobrador: In God We Trust (Paul Leduc, 2006), Meet the Head of Juan Pérez / Conozca la cabeza de Juan Pérez (Emilio Portes, 2008), Tear This Heart Out / Arráncame la vida (Roberto Sneider, 2008), Saving Private Perez / Salvando al Soldado Pérez (Beto Gómez, 2011), and Dora and the Lost City of Gold (James Bobin, 2019). Her last performance in film was in the 2020 comedy Cindy la Regia by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta, and Santiago Limón.

Vega won the Ariel Award for Best Supporting Actress twice again, for Fuera del cielo (Javier Patrón, 2006), and for The Hours With You / Las horas contigo (Aguilar Mastretta, 2014), and was nominated in the same category for Anwar Safa’s El Jeremías a year later. In 2015, the Guadalajara Film Festival presented her with the Silver Mayahuel Award, and in 2017, she was presented with a lifetime achievement Golden Ariel. She is survived by the daughter Shaula and her son Arturo.

Director

Lovers of the Lord of the Night (1986)

Lovers of the Lord of the Night

6.8

Director

1986

 

Writer

Dos chichimecas en Hollywood (1986)

Dos chichimecas en Hollywood

story (as J. Vega)

1986

 

Lovers of the Lord of the Night (1986)

Lovers of the Lord of the Night

6.8

Writer

1986

 

Una gallina muy ponedora (1982)

Una gallina muy ponedora

6.9

screenplay

story

1982

 

Actress

Lost in Mexico

Lola

Pre-production

 

Verónica Castro, Arturo Ríos, Cecilia Suárez, Aislinn Derbez, and Dario Yazbek Bernal in The House of Flowers (2018)

The House of Flowers

7.5

TV Series

Victoria Aguirre

2019–2020

9 episodes

 

Diana Bovio, Giuseppe Gamba, and Cassandra Sanchez Navarro in Cindy La Regia (2020)

Cindy La Regia

6.0

Mercedes

2020

 

Benicio Del Toro, Danny Trejo, Eugenio Derbez, Nicholas Coombe, Isabela Merced, Madeleine Madden, and Jeff Wahlberg in Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)

Dora and the Lost City of Gold

6.1

Old Woman

2019

 

Guatemala 1982 (2018)

Guatemala 1982

5.5

Rosaura

2018

 

Like, la leyenda (2018)

Like, la leyenda

6.6

TV Series

Eduarda

2018

66 episodes

 

Island of the Dolls (2018)

Island of the Dolls

5.2

Abuela

2018

 

Juan Manuel Bernal and Sophie Alexander-Katz in If I Were You (2018)

If I Were You

5.3

Nana

2018

 

Más sabe el diablo por viejo (2018)

Más sabe el diablo por viejo

5.9

Marilú Sáez

2018

 

Jordan Belfi, Ana Claudia Talancón, and Gabylu Lara in American Curious (2018)

American Curious

6.2

Bertha García

2018

 

Sergio Corona in Como dice el dicho (2011)

Como dice el dicho

4.6

TV Series

Flor

Paloma

2016–2017

2 episodes

 

Osvaldo de León and Claudia Martín in Sin tu mirada (2017)

Sin tu mirada

6.7

TV Series

Dominga

2017

1 episode

 

Hoy voy a cambiar (2017)

Hoy voy a cambiar

7.8

TV Mini Series

La Bruja

2017

1 episode

 

Érase una vez (2017)

Érase una vez

6.7

TV Series

Águeda

2017

1 episode

 

El Chema (2016)

El Chema

6.9

TV Series

Celia

2016

2 episodes

 

Gabriela de la Garza, Iván Sánchez, Pablo Valentín, and Flavio Medina in Yago (2016)

Yago

7.3

TV Series

2016

3 episodes

 

Livia Brito in Italian Bride (2014)

Italian Bride

6.2

TV Series

Eloísa

2014–2015

174 episodes

 

El Jeremías (2015)

El Jeremías

7.2

Herminia

2015

 

The Hours with You (2014)

The Hours with You

6.9

Abu

2014

 

Los inadaptados (2011)

Los inadaptados

6.5

Rosario

2011

 

Private Pérez (2011)

Private Pérez

5.9

Doña Elvira de Pérez

2011

 

Niña de mi corazón (2010)

Niña de mi corazón

5.6

TV Series

Belen (2010)

2010

84 episodes

 

Damián Alcázar and Jorge Zárate in Hell (2010)

Hell

7.6

Doña Rosaura

2010

 

Fermín Volcoff in I Miss You (2010)

I Miss You

7.1

Sofía

2010

 

Más allá del muro

2009

 

El Pantera (2007)

El Pantera

5.5

TV Series

Procuradora

2009

3 episodes

 

Crónicas chilangas (2009)

Crónicas chilangas

6.5

Anita

2009

 

Luis Ernesto Franco and Diana García in To Love (2009)

To Love

4.8

Concha

2009

 

Terminales (2008)

Terminales

7.6

TV Series

Emma Díaz

Abuela de Abril y Brenda

2008

13 episodes

 

Daniel Giménez Cacho, Ana Claudia Talancón, and José María de Tavira in Tear This Heart Out (2008)

Tear This Heart Out

7.4

Gitana

2008

 

Crepúsculo rojo (2008)

Crepúsculo rojo

6.5

Locha

2008

 

Mujeres asesinas (2008)

Mujeres asesinas

8.0

TV Series

Margarita Rascón

2008

1 episode

 

Conozca la cabeza de Juan Pérez (2008)

Conozca la cabeza de Juan Pérez

7.0

Adivina

2008

 

Silvia Pinal in Mujer, casos de la vida real (1985)

Mujer, casos de la vida real

6.4

TV Series

2005–2007

4 episodes

 

Fernando Colunga, Susana González, and Sebastián Rulli in Pasión (2007)

Pasión

8.0

TV Series

María Julia 'La Paisana'

2007

2 episodes

 

Cobrador: In God We Trust (2006)

Cobrador: In God We Trust

5.6

La Gitana

2006

 

Mujer alabastrina (2006)

Mujer alabastrina

5.0

2006

 

Fuera del cielo (2006)

Fuera del cielo

5.7

Madre

2006

 

Como tú me has deseado (2005)

Como tú me has deseado

4.9

Brigitte

2005

 

Killer Snake (2004)

Killer Snake

6.7

Short

Lupe

2004

 

Pink Punch (2004)

Pink Punch

5.1

La Güera

2004

 

José Ángel Llamas, Ivonne Montero, and Bárbara Mori in Amor Descarado (2003)

Amor Descarado

8.4

TV Series

Nora

2003–2004

120 episodes

 

Kate del Castillo in Ramona (2000)

Ramona

8.4

TV Series

Matea

2000

1 episode

 

Damián Alcázar in Herod's Law (1999)

Herod's Law

7.8

Doña Lupe

1999

 

Angelica Bridges, Ralf Moeller, and Jeremy Kemp in Conan the Adventurer (1997)

Conan the Adventurer

5.0

TV Series

Hag

1997

1 episode

 

Patricia Manterola, Mario Cimarro, Helena Rojo, and César Évora in Gente bien (1997)

Gente bien

8.6

TV Series

Mercedes Figueroa

1997

89 episodes

 

Los padres de hoy y del mañana

TV Mini Series

Hostess

1996

10 episodes

 

Manhattan Merengue! (1995)

Manhattan Merengue!

5.7

Alfidia

1995

 

Lucía Méndez in Señora Tentación (1994)

Señora Tentación

7.0

TV Series

Tamara

1994

1 episode

 

En legítima defensa (1992)

En legítima defensa

1992

 

Discriminación maldita (1990)

Discriminación maldita

1990

 

El reportero (1990)

El reportero

1990

 

Los desmadrados

1989

 

Salvajes (1989)

Salvajes

7.0

Luz

1989

 

The Bloody Monks (1989)

The Bloody Monks

5.0

Angélica

1989

 

Las borrachas (1989)

Las borrachas

2.7

1989

 

The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (1987)

The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory

6.1

TV Movie

Senora Cos

1987

 

Dos chichimecas en Hollywood (1986)

Dos chichimecas en Hollywood

1986

 

El secuestro de Lola (1986)

El secuestro de Lola

5.4

1986

 

Lovers of the Lord of the Night (1986)

Lovers of the Lord of the Night

6.8

Amparo - Nana

1986

 

Nick Mancuso in Stingray (1986)

Stingray

7.4

TV Series

Isabel Rodriguez

1986

1 episode

 

Code Name: Foxfire (1985)

Code Name: Foxfire

6.5

TV Series

Paloma

1985

1 episode

 

In 'n Out (1984)

In 'n Out

5.2

Mona Mur

1984

 

San Judas de la Frontera (1984)

San Judas de la Frontera

1984

 

Gina Gallego and Ketty Lester in Rituals (1984)

Rituals

7.1

TV Series

Maria (1984)

1984–1995

 

Sam Elliott and Cybill Shepherd in The Yellow Rose (1983)

The Yellow Rose

7.4

TV Series

Juanita Diaz

1984

1 episode

 

Las glorias del gran Púas (1984)

Las glorias del gran Púas

5.6

1984

 

El amor es un juego extraño (1983)

El amor es un juego extraño

1983

 

The Greatest American Hero (1981)

The Greatest American Hero

7.3

TV Series

Serena Delvera

1983

1 episode

 

Las apariencias engañan (1983)

Las apariencias engañan

6.4

1983

 

Una gallina muy ponedora (1982)

Una gallina muy ponedora

6.9

1982

 

Gary Busey and Willie Nelson in Barbarosa (1982)

Barbarosa

6.3

Josephina

1982

 

El macho bionico (1981)

El macho bionico

4.4

Leonor 'La Leona'

1981

 

Las siete cucas (1981)

Las siete cucas

5.7

Cuca

1981

 

Jorge Rivero in La pulquería (1981)

La pulquería

5.6

1981

 

Bordello (1981)

Bordello

5.5

Tamar

1981

 

José Luis Manzano in Navajeros (1980)

Navajeros

6.7

Mercedes

1980

 

Las tentadoras (1980)

Las tentadoras

6.5

1980

 

Naná (1979)

Naná

7.0

Satin

1979

 

Midnight Dolls (1979)

Midnight Dolls

7.2

Lorena

1979

 

The Streets of L.A. (1979)

The Streets of L.A.

5.8

TV Movie

Anita Zamora

1979

 

Sasha Montenegro and Alfonso Zayas in Las cariñosas (1979)

Las cariñosas

4.9

1979

 

Red Gold (1978)

Red Gold

5.8

María

1978

 

Casa de citas (1978)

Casa de citas

5.2

Nati

1978

 

The Black Widow (1977)

The Black Widow

7.0

Matea Gutiérrez

1977

 

María, la santa (1977)

María, la santa

6.2

La Mulata

1977

 

Isela Vega in Acto de posesión (1977)

Acto de posesión

4.8

Raquel

1977

 

The Rhinemann Exchange (1977)

The Rhinemann Exchange

6.3

TV Mini Series

Anna

1977

1 episode

 

Nos reimos de la migra (destrampados y mojados) (1976)

Nos reimos de la migra (destrampados y mojados)

6.6

Monica

1976

 

Fred Williamson in Joshua (1976)

Joshua

4.6

Maria

1976

 

La India (1976)

La India

6.3

La India

mother

1976

 

El hombre de los hongos (1976)

El hombre de los hongos

5.8

Elvira

Mother

1976

 

Pam Grier, Ken Norton, and Warren Oates in Drum (1976)

Drum

5.5

Marianna

1976

 

Celestina (1976)

Celestina

5.5

Melibea

1976

 

El llanto de la tortuga (1975)

El llanto de la tortuga

7.1

Diana

1975

 

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

7.4

Elita

1974

 

The Deadly Trackers (1973)

The Deadly Trackers

5.6

Maria

1973

 

Raphael and Isela Vega in Volveré a nacer (1973)

Volveré a nacer

5.1

Mónica

1973

 

El festin de la loba (1972)

El festin de la loba

8.7

Teresa de Jesús

1972

 

Basuras humanas (1972)

Basuras humanas

4.0

Laura

1972

 

Fin de fiesta (1972)

Fin de fiesta

6.5

Silvia

1972

 

La primavera de los escorpiones (1971)

La primavera de los escorpiones

5.9

Isabel

1971

 

La hora desnuda (1971)

La hora desnuda

1971

 

The Wild Season (1971)

The Wild Season

5.2

Mercedes

1971

 

The Taste of the Savage (1971)

The Taste of the Savage

5.4

Sara Carson

1971

 

Las reglas del juego (1971)

Las reglas del juego

6.0

Verónica

1971

 

La buscona (1970)

La buscona

4.9

1970

 

El oficio más antiguo del mundo (1970)

El oficio más antiguo del mundo

6.0

Yolanda

1970

 

Prohibido (1970)

Prohibido

6.6

Sra. Vega

1970

 

The Piranhas Mate by Lent (1969)

The Piranhas Mate by Lent

7.0

Eulalia (Lala)

1969

 

Madame Death (1969)

Madame Death

5.1

Lisa

1969

 

Enigma de muerte (1969)

Enigma de muerte

5.9

Estrella

1969

 

Las impuras (1969)

Las impuras

1969

 

Las golfas (1969)

Las golfas

5.6

Otilia

1969

 

El deseo llega de noche (1969)

El deseo llega de noche

3.0

Leda

1969

 

Cuernos debajo de la cama (1969)

Cuernos debajo de la cama

4.9

Elsa

1969

 

Diabolical Pact (1969)

Diabolical Pact

4.8

Ballerina

1969

 

Mauricio Garcés in El matrimonio es como el demonio (1969)

El matrimonio es como el demonio

7.4

Aloha

1969

 

Boris Karloff in Fear Chamber (1968)

Fear Chamber

3.5

Helga

1968

 

La cama (1968)

La cama

7.3

1968

 

Las sicodélicas (1968)

Las sicodélicas

5.9

Daliliah

1968

 

Cantinflas in Por mis pistolas (1968)

Por mis pistolas

6.6

Lupita Sánchez

1968

 

Las pecadoras (1968)

Las pecadoras

4.9

1968

 

Julio Alemán, Mauricio Garcés, and Ana Bertha Lepe in Mujeres, mujeres, mujeres (1967)

Mujeres, mujeres, mujeres

6.5

(segment "El imponente")

1967

 

Don Juan 67 (1967)

Don Juan 67

7.4

Carmen

1967

 

S.O.S. Operation Bikini (1967)

S.O.S. Operation Bikini

5.3

Bristol's Assistant

1967

 

Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens in Rage (1966)

Rage

6.3

1966

 

Los valientes no mueren (1962)

Los valientes no mueren

6.0

1962

 

Isela Vega and June Wilkinson in The Rage (1962)

The Rage

5.0

Tito's new lover

1962

 

Verano violento (1960)

Verano violento

6.0

Carmen

1960

 

Producer

Lovers of the Lord of the Night (1986)

Lovers of the Lord of the Night

6.8

producer

1986

 

Una gallina muy ponedora (1982)

Una gallina muy ponedora

6.9

producer

1982

 

José Luis Manzano in Navajeros (1980)

Navajeros

6.7

associate producer (uncredited)

1980

 

Thanks

Online (2006)

Online

6.5

Short

special thanks

2006

 

Charity (2004)

Charity

8.1

Short

special thanks

2004

 

Soundtrack

In 'n Out (1984)

In 'n Out

5.2

performer: "Amanecí en tus brazos", "El Siete Mares"

1984

 

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia

7.4

Soundtrack ("Bennie's Song")

1974

 

Self

When Peckinpah Met Chalo

Post-production

 

Passion & Poetry: Peckinpah Anecdotes (2017)

Passion & Poetry: Peckinpah Anecdotes

8.8

Short

Self

2017

 

Passion & Poetry: Sam's Favorite Film (2014)

Passion & Poetry: Sam's Favorite Film

8.4

Self

2014

 

Bo Hopkins in Passion & Poetry: Sam's Killer Elite (2013)

Passion & Poetry: Sam's Killer Elite

7.4

Video

Self

2013

 

Passion & Poetry: The Ballad of Sam Peckinpah (2005)

Passion & Poetry: The Ballad of Sam Peckinpah

7.2

Self

2005

 

Por un puñado de rosas (2005)

Por un puñado de rosas

8.2

TV Movie

Self

2005

 

Mantrap: Straw Dogs - The Final Cut (2003)

Mantrap: Straw Dogs - The Final Cut

6.9

TV Movie

Self - Actress

2003

 

Las posadas

1968

 

Archive Footage

TCM Remembers 2021 (2021)

TCM Remembers 2021

8.8

TV Special

Self

actress (archive footage)

2021

 

Sam Peckinpah in Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade (2004)

Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade

7.1

TV Movie

Self (archive footage)

2004