María de los Àngeles Santana Soravilla

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She began in 1933 as an actress in cinema, hired by Películas Cubanas S.A., participating in numerous American, Mexican and Argentine films, some in co-production with Cuba.

Between 1939 and 1942 she works intensely in Cuban radio without abandoning her film commitments.

From 1943 to 1944 she develops a successful tour through Mexico where she stands out in cinema, theater and cabaret, while also venturing into genres such as operetta, zarzuela and musical comedies, sharing successes with figures such as Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete and Cantinflas, among others.

In 1947 she returns to Cuba and joins the theatrical companies of Garrido and Piñero, and Mario Martínez Casado.

In 1951, established as an international vedette, she is hired to perform in Spain in the lead role of the show "Tentación" which remained on the Madrid billboard for four years, and because of which María de los Ángeles acquired notorious fame and popularity in that country.

Upon her return to La Habana in 1954 she joins the Company of Ernesto Lecuona with which she showcases her vocal-musical qualities and interprets with notable recognition classic versions of the songs of the great Cuban composer.

The triumph of The Revolution finds her working in the Hubert de Blanck theater hall in the work "Mujeres", by American Claire Booth Luce, which had premiered in December 1958 with great success, directed by Cuqui Ponce de León and María Julia Casanova, where, as part of her character, she performed songs by Olga de Blanck. This work was a theatrical success, as it remained on the billboard -with a total of 324 performances- until March 12, 1960, as reported by researcher Jorge A. González in his Cronología del Teatro Dramático Habanero: 1936-1960.

During the 1960s she continues working in theater and her performances in the works presented in the Sala Arlequín stand out, under the artistic direction of Rubén Vigón; among them "Un sorbo de miel" and "Algo no dicho".

In a season held in July 1961 she performs the character of La Tabernera in "La verbena de La Paloma", which with staging by Miguel de Grandy the Teatro Lírico Nacional de Cuba (which has had different names since its creation) presented at the Havana Teatro Payret, alongside Rosita Fornés, Armando Palacios, Armando Pico and other important national figures; this work was revived later in December of the same year, and also during the month of April of the following year.

In 1970 Nelson Dorr, with his adaptation and that of Abelardo Estorino, directs her in the lead role of his staging of the amusing "Tía Meim", by Patrick Dennis, which with outstanding acceptance from audience and critics she performed at the Teatro Mella, sharing with Enrique Almirante and other then members of the Teatro Musical de La Habana collective.

In December 1976 María de los Ángeles appears again in Havana's lyric theater, this time in the character of Doña Rosa in "Cecilia Valdés" which under the artistic direction of Jesús (Chucho) Hernández was exhibited at the then Teatro García Lorca (Today Sala García Lorca of the Gran Teatro de La Habana).

In the early 1980s she performs in the company of Enrique Santiesteban in "Comedia a la antigua", by Russian author Alexei Arbúzov, directed by María Elena Espinosa, at the Teatro Mella.

Her lead role as Ampara in "Una Casa Colonial", staging by Nelson Dorr, based on the text by her brother Nicolás, premiered in February 1982 in the Sala Covarrubias of the Teatro Nacional, revived shortly after at the Teatro Mella, left no doubt that María de los Ángeles remained one of our actresses with the most charisma, the most popular, and with the most complete scenic performance.

Founder of Cuban television, her character as Remigia in the weekly "San Nicolás del Peladero", is one of the most successful and remembered humorous roles in the entire history of our T.V. accompanied by other great figures, such as Germán Pinelli and Enrique Santiesteban. While working simultaneously in various programs she did not stop performing for twenty-four years (1963-1987), the character of La Alcaldesa in the popular television program "San Nicolás del Peladero".

In cinema we can mention her performances in "Romance del palmar" (1938, directed by Ramón Peón); "Estampas habaneras" (1939, directed by Jaime Salvador); "Mi tía América" (1939, directed by Jaime Salvador) and in the same year she performed in the Mexican film "Asesinato en los estudios".

In 1984 Daniel Díaz Torres directed her in the film version of "Una casa colonial", and in 1989 she filmed "La vida en rosa" this time directed by Rolando Díaz.

In 2001 the Cuban Ministry of Culture awarded her the National Theater Prize, shared with another great figure of her caliber: Rosita Fornés. She also possesses other awards, prizes and official recognitions from various cultural institutions for her long, intense and meritorious artistic career. She received the National Television Prize in 2003. She has received various distinctions and recognitions, among which are the Replica of the Machete of Máximo Gómez, the Alejo Carpentier Medal and the Félix Varela Order of the First Degree.

María passed away on February 7, 2011 at the age of 96