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Margarita Sierra Profile
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| 5 January 36 | is born in Madrid, Spain. Her parents are Jose and Maria Virginia Sierra. |
| 40 | is an accomplished tap dancer at the age of four |
| ? | is a child star that is known as the “crazy cute Shirley Temple of Spain” |
| ? | tours Spain and Central and South America as a singer/dancer |
| 56 | goes to the States on a nightclub tour |
| Mid- to Late-50s | is an outstanding flamenco dancer, appearing at the Hollywood Bowl and top supper clubs. She longs to win recognition as a serious singer. |
| 8 January 57 | Station W-H-E-W! --- under her ruffled skirt she is a walking radio station. She has a license to operate the wireless set she uses in her act in a Chicago hotel. The set’s microphone, hidden in her bodice, picks up her voice and broadcasts it to a large receiving set that feeds her songs into loudspeakers. That way she isn’t immobilized by a floor mike when she performs. |
| 29 April 57 | Help Wanted Department: Margarita Sierra, current star of the Persian Room, is looking for a secretary who can speak English and Spanish. Must be male. |
| 14 May 57 | Walter Winchell writes about Broadway at Night: “….Persian Room star Margarita Sierra at Lindy’s or Reuben’s around 3:00 a.m. for her supper. Steak, potatoes, strawberry shortcake, and coffee. ‘Helps me overcome my insomnia,’ she explains…” |
| 15 October 57 | is a hit on “The Jack Paar Show” |
| 23 August 58 | Carmen Dragon takes the Hollywood Bowl goers south of the border as he conducts the last spectacular of the season, “Fiesta.” The evening features beautiful costumes and exotic stage settings and Margarita Sierra, the sparkling Lady from Spain. |
| 20 January 59 | Earl Wilson reports that “Rosita Serrano cancelled her St. Regis engagement: medic’s orders. Margarita Sierra subbed.” |
| 27 February 59 | Edith Piaf’s still ailing, so Margarita Sierra’s subbing at the Waldorf |
| 2 April 60 | the Plaza Hotel’s Persian Room hosts a Spanish fiesta. Margarita Sierra sings and Augie and Margo dance to Ted Straeter and His Orchestra |
| ? | is spotted in her performance at the Persian Room in New York by a Warner Brothers executive William T. Orr and signed for TV’s “Surfside 6,” which will run for two seasons |
| 60 | is signed to a contract by Warner Brothers |
| End February 61 | has lunch with columnist Lydia Cane on the patio of the Beverly Hills Hotel and says that she does not mind counting calories in the U.S. because everyone does it. “Cottage cheese and fruit three times a day.” She also shares some of her beauty routines: “I never use soap. I clean my face with cream and never rub it hard enough to stretch the skin. My grandmother had the most exquisite complexion, and I follow the advice that she gave me. I follow it religiously. She told me to use apples. When I come home at night I prepare them for the next day. I take 2 fresh apples, slice and cover them with water. Then I cook them, how you say, simmer them for 45 minutes. I let them stay overnight covered in the pan. The next morning, I drain off the juice and drink it. Then I put the apples in a dish and with my fingers I pat them all over my clean face. I keep pressing the apples right on my skin and I lie down with the soft apples like a mask on my face. In 10 minutes, I take it off and I find color in my skin and my complexion is like a baby’s. You know,” she says in parting, “they say that an apple a day keeps the doctor away—well, you try my apple a day on your face and you’ll keep the lines away.” |
| 19 March 61 | AP Movie-TV writer Bob Thomas tells you to “Close your eyes and you think you’re hearing Carmen Miranda. Open them, and you seen an entirely different doll. Margarita Sierra is tiny and vivacious like the great Miranda. She has the same bright, chirping voice. But Margarita is more of a sexpot, any red-blooded American male can tell.” |
| asked why there is no hint of romance between her and “Surfside 6” costars Troy Donahue, Van Williams, and Lee Patterson, she disappointedly says, “I don’t know. There doesn’t seem to be any time for romance on the show. That’s the trouble with American men,” she sighs. “They don’t take time for romance. They make wonderful husbands, but poor lovers. They are so considerate of their wives; they do the dishes and mind the baby, something European men never do. But as lovers, they are too fast. They want to do everything in a hurry. In Spain, the boy takes his time. Perhaps you will exchange glances with him for weeks before he will speak to you. Then he will send you notes and flowers until you finally agree to go out with him. If an American asks you for a date and you say no, he gives up.” |
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| 7 May 61 | records a special arrangement of “Eco,” an Afro-Cuban fruit vending song, for the “Surfside 6” episode titled “The Bhoyo and the Blonde” |
| 17 September 61 | is invited by matador Manuel Capetillo to be his guest at a “mano a mano” Labor Day bullfight with Luis Procuna in Tijuana. She entertained the famous torero at a “Bullfighter’s Night” fete at the Los Angeles Press Club |
| 9 July 62 | tonight’s “Surfside 6” repeat was shot early in the season but held back until April because neither Diane McBain nor Margarita Sierra was in it—and they are the two biggest publicity lures on the show |
| 63 | resides in Encino, California, with her mother |
| Mid-63 | in New York she tells a UPI reporter that she is not like Lupe Velez or Carmen Miranda, two actresses whom she is often compared to. “Carmen Miranda wore all sorts of funny hairdresses, some made of bananas, and I have never done that. Miss Velez, on the screen, was a spitfire type while I prefer happy-go-lucky parts.” |
| May 63 | learns that her heart has damaged valves. She rests several months to gain strength for an operation. |
| 5 September 63 | undergoes heart surgery. After a nine-hour operation her condition is listed as serious. Her case is complicated by a weakness in the wall of the aorta. |
| 6 September 63 | dies at age 27 at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Los Angeles, California. Her father, Jose Sierra, a Madrid businessman, and her mother, Mrs. Maria Sierra of Encino, survive. |
| 9 September 63 | rosary is recited at 7:00 p.m. in the chapel of Cunningham and O’Connor Mortuary, 8540 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood |
| 10 September 63 | Requiem Mass is recited at 10:00 a.m. in the St. Cyril’s Catholic Church, 4601 Firmament Avenue, Encino. Her mother, Mrs. Maria Sierra is the only family member present. |
| is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Los Angeles County, California. 60 mourners attend the simple funeral services. Pallbearers are “Surfside 6” costars Troy Donahue and Van Williams, actor Chad Everett, music arranger Earl Bernt, Warner Brothers publicist Mort Lichter, and her public relations agent Phil Paladino. |
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| Author: | Cheryl Messina |
| Sources: The Chillico Constitution Tribune, The Frederick Post, Great Bend Daily Tribune, The Hammond Times, The Lima News, Mansfield News Journal, Nevada State Journal, The New York Times, The Newark Advocate, The Oakland Tribune, Reno Evening Gazette, The Van Nuys News, www.Findagrave.com, www.IMDb.com | |
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| Links: Filmography | |