Prudencia María Victoria Grifell Masip (27 December 1879 – 7 June 1970) was a Spanish actress and comedian.

Biography

Early life

Grifell was born to Spanish stage actors and started her acting career herself at the age of ten in theater in Venezuela and touring Spain and Latin America. By the 1900s she had become very popular and moved to Mexico to continue her career in stage, after the Spanish Civil War she decided not to go back to that country but instead to relocate in Mexico permanently after 1940.

Career

Three years later, already at the age of 61, she appeared in her first film Internado para señoritas ("Girls Boarding School") with the stars Mapy Cortés, Emilio Tuero and Katy Jurado. Just as Sara García, her co-star as the Vivanco sisters in two films, she mostly played feisty but lovable granny roles. In 1961 she made a jump to the television industry starring in her first of many telenovela roles in Niebla with Amparo Rivelles and Ernesto Alonso.

Personal life

She was married to actor Paco Martínez until his death, and with whom she had five children, all of whom became actors: Maruja Grifell, Amparo Grifell, Enrique, Dolores, and Pepe Martínez. She is considered one of the most notable people from Lugo, Spain and many have honored her life. A book in the Galician language was written about her life Prudencia Grifell, unha lucense no cine de ouro mexicano in 2005.

Telenovelas

Films