Pedro Armendáriz marked an era. With his olive green eyes and thick mustache, he became one of the most emblematic faces of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. But his life, marked by success, had a tragic and silent end.
The man behind the myth
Before becoming an actor, Armendáriz graduated as an aeronautical engineer in California. He worked as a tourist guide at the Regis Hotel, in Alameda Central. Then came the cinema. He worked with Emilio “El Indio” Fernández in films such as Flor Silvestre, María Candelaria and La perla. In Hollywood he shared a set with John Ford and John Wayne. He acted in more than 120 films.
In 1958 he was diagnosed with cancer. It is believed that the illness could be related to his exposure to nuclear waste during the filming of The Conqueror (1956). Despite the treatments, in 1963 doctors gave him a prognosis: he had less than a year to live.
A farewell without words
Armendáriz traveled to Mexico to see his two children, Pedro and Carmen, the result of his marriage to Carmelita Bohr. He didn’t say anything explicit to them, but his look said it all. His son Pedro Armendáriz Jr. recalled in the program Historias Engarzadas:
“When he felt that things were complicated, he came here to Mexico to say goodbye to us implicitly, with his eyes, as he did, and that’s it. He left.”
The actor respected his father’s decision. “It was a hard blow, but everyone makes their life a kite,” he declared.
The last moments
Admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles, Armendáriz kept a pistol hidden. On June 18, 1963, at 11:30 in the morning, when his wife went out to lunch, he chose to end her life with a gunshot. He was 51 years old.
Two days later, his remains arrived in Mexico City. Hundreds of fans were waiting for him, incredulous at the loss of the great heartthrob of national cinema.
