Amparo Soler Leal Dies: Spanish Actress, Muse To Prominent Directors Dead At 80 From Heart Failure

Amparo Soler Leal, movie, theater and TV Spanish actress, has died in Barcelona at 80 years old from a heart failure. Soler Leal was the daughter of actors Salvador Soler Marí and Milagros Leal. Coming from a family of performers, she made her theater debut at the tender age of 15 in "No Me Mientas Tanto," a play by Antonio and Alfonso Paso. After her stage commencement, a young Amparo started working under the direction of Luis Escobar in modern and classic plays, until she finally had her big break with "Historias de una Casa" by Joaquín Calvo Sotelo.

She became a success, portraying characters in plays such as "Vestir al Desnudo," "La Zapatera Prodigiosa," "Las Buenas Personas," "La Gaviota," "Ondina and "¡Ay, infeliz de la que nace hermosa!" Soler Leal debuted in the movies in 1953 in Luis Marquina's "Así es Madrid," but it wasn't until 1960 when José María Forqué gave her a "small role" in his movie "Usted Puede Ser Un Asesino," that earned her the Premio Nacional de Interpretación or National Interpretation Prize. Amparo then went to work with famed director Luis García Berlanga in "Plácido," and then became his muse, with the director featuring her in "Escopeta Nacional," "Patrimonio Nacional," "Nacional III," "La Vaquilla" and "Todos a la Cárcel."

She also teamed up with Luis Buñuel in "El Discreto Encanto de la Burguesía," and with Pedro Almodóvar in "¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto?" Among her other noticeable appearances in movies are "Hay que Deshacer la Casa" by José Luis García Sánchez, "Cara de acelga" by José Sacristán, "Sauna" by Andreu Martín, "Los Papeles de Aspern," "Las Apariencias Engañan" by Carlos Balagué, "Por fin solos," "Puede ser divertido," by Azucena Rodríguez, "París Tomboctú," and many more.

On TV, her face was in the TVE series "El Olivar de Atocha," "Juego de Niños" as the hostess, "Querido Maestro," a Tele 5 series, and she guest starred in many other shows like "7 vidas," "Condenadas a Entenderse," "Paraíso," "Un Paso Adelante" and "Paco y Veva." After decades of doing theater, she made her return to the stage with "La Señoria Julia," and "Amanda." She also did "El Zoo de Cristal," directed by Mario Gas, and later "La Celestina." In the 2000's she did "Don Juan Tenorio," "Las Mariposas son Libres" and "Al Menos no es Navidad."

Of course her impressive resumé also come with numerous awards. Among them are, Best Actress from The Association of Latin Entertainment Critics of New York and an award from the Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos for her work in "Bearn," by Jaime Chavarri. Her wake will be held at her home and her family and friends will have "a glass of champagne at hand and Serrat's music playing in the background," according to Soler Leal's last wishes.