Celebrity Biographies
Emma Penella
She was one of those ‘lifelong’ Spanish actresses. Emma Penella leaves behind her a solid filmography, and she was active until her death, at the age of 76. The veteran actress died on August 27, in Madrid, as a result of sepsis. “She had been sick for a year, although only her relatives knew about it,” said Emma Piedra, her eldest daughter.
Born on March 2, 1930 in Madrid, Manuela Ruiz Penella comes from a family with an artistic vocation, since her grandfather was the musical composer Manuel Penella, while her sisters Elisa Montés and Terele Pávez are also dedicated to acting. Emma began her career as an actress very young, because her mother was a close friend of film directors, such as Jesús Franco , who encouraged her and her sisters to follow this path. She got her start in plays and as a minor in movies like Knaves of Honor . At the beginning of her career, she used to dub her voice, in movies like Eyes Leave Their Mark , Hanging Meat and Red Fish , fromJosé Antonio Nieves Conde , a surprising thriller that despite everything was one of his most celebrated works. “When I was developing projects in Hollywood I took a copy of Los peces rojos with me ,” says the film’s screenwriter, Carlos Blanco . “One day I organized a screening for Gary Cooper and he was surprised by the physical presence of Emma Penella. She told me that she had the most beautiful eyes that she had ever seen”.
Juan Antonio Bardem opted for her, allowing her to use her own voice in Cómicos , a tribute to rural actors that was one of the actress’s great roles. Her performance surprised a great friend of Bardem’s, Luis García Berlanga , who gave her the most remembered role of hers, the daughter of José Isbert and the protagonist’s girlfriend in the memorable comedy El verdugo . The film was selected for the Venice Film Festival, but the organizers, opposed to the Franco regime, forced the team to enter the projection room through the back door. Demonstrating her great character, she entered through the front door, allowing herself to be seen by the journalists.
At this time, she married Emiliano Piedra, the producer of the legendary Campanadas a midnight , with whom she would have three daughters. From that moment on, she lavished much less on the cinema, although she could be seen in literary adaptations of first-rate works such as La busca , Fortunata y Jacinta y La regenta . In the 80s she was signed by Francisco Regueiro ( Our Father ) and Carlos Saura ( El amor brujo ) and became one of the favorite actresses of Eloy de la Iglesia ( La estanquera de Vallecas , The Bulgarian boyfriends ). AfterAsk the king for an account and some television appearance, the actress was more or less retired, when a casting director came to her house, because she had thought that she could play a role in the series There is no one alive here . When she asked about her state of health, Emma Penella danced an Aragonese jota, so she decided that she was in top shape to give her the role, with which she achieved great success. In the Spanish version of The Incredibles , she did an excellent job voicing superhero costume designer Edna Mode. When her death happened to her, she was still one of the protagonists of the series La que se avecina , a rehash of Aquí no hay quien viva, which the same producers had launched for another chain.