Mexican actress María Eugenia Ríos died this Thursday at the age of 88, her son, actor Andrés Bonfiglio, announced on his social networks. The cause of death is not yet known: “I deeply appreciate your prayers, however, my mommy decided to leave us ten minutes ago to join my beloved daddy. May they live happily in eternity,” the director and singer also wrote on his Facebook account. Just on Tuesday, July 30, Bonfiglio had asked his followers to pray for his mother’s delicate health.
With her brilliant career, María Eugenia Ríos became a benchmark for acting in Mexico. Although she studied to be a bilingual secretary, she knew she was destined to shine on stage and in front of the spotlight. She studied acting at the Andrés Soler Academy and soon made her way into theater, film and soap operas. She made her debut in 1954 on the most important stage in the country: the Palacio de Bellas Artes in a play by the American playwright Arthur Miller.
The actress acted in numerous Mexican films such as La vida de Chucho el Roto, Pero sigo siendo el rey, Los signos del zodiaco, among others. And on the so-called small screen, in Mexican soap operas, she participated in the iconic Rubí, María Mercedes, Carita de Ángel, Pablo y Elena and La sombra del pecado, just to mention some of the most relevant productions.
One of Ríos’ most notable facets was her philanthropic work. She dedicated years of her life to the Children’s Shelter of the National Actors Association (ANDA), an organization created in the 1970s by Dolores del Río to support actresses who had to work and at the same time raise their small children. She also participated in the women’s committee of the same association.
María Eugenia Ríos died just a few days after her 89th birthday. The actress was born on August 4, 1935 in Mexico City and was married to actor Óscar Morelli, who died in 2005, with whom she had four children. In 2014, she ended her half-century artistic career with a role in the play Madame Curie, which paid tribute to her career.
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