Spanish Divas

Divas and the Spanish Star System

Charisma, glamour, and cultural power — from Imperio Argentina to Penélope Cruz, the divas of Spain’s 20th-century star system have left a lasting legacy. Their influence has shaped identities and embodied female aspirations across generations.

COPLAS AND DANCING DIVAS

Imperio Argentina, Carmen Sevilla, Lola Flores… These iconic performers captivated Spanish audiences with their singing, dancing, and the unmistakable glamour of traditional Spanish costumes. In return, the public elevated them to star status, turning admiration into legacy.

Wed 22 Oct

REGIME STARS

Under the dictatorship, many female stars were confined to submissive, domestic, and servile archetypes. Yet others—like Amparo Rivelles and Aurora Bautista—rose to prominence through historical films and melodramas that portrayed women of remarkable strength and character, allowing them to embody more independent and assertive voices.

Wed 29 Oct

SARA MONTIEL

Actress and singer Sara Montiel was for for three decades Spain’s most popular, international and best paid actress. She began her career in the difficult post-Civil War 1940s and rather cleverly, she adapted songs to her voice and films to her talents.

Guest speaker: Prof. Maria Adell Carmona

Wed 5 Nov

MARISA PAREDES

Best known to British audiences for her roles in some of Pedro Almodovar films, like All About My Mother, High Heels or The Flower of My Secret, Paredes enjoyed a very long and fruitful career that started at age 14 in the role of a prostitute and, with some small roles in films and TV, she nevertheless cemented her career on the stage, where she earned a great reputation for melding dramatic intelligence and discreet intensity.

Guest speaker: Prof. Peter Evans

Wed 12 Nov

PENELOPE CRUZ

Claiming success both at home and in Hollywood, Penélope Cruz has long enjoyed star status. She has embodied different ideas of youthfulness, Spanishness, and exotic otherness.

Guest speaker: Prof. Santiago Fouz Hernandez

Wed 19 Nov

A NEW GENERATION OF SPANISH ACTRESS

Bárbara Lennie, Irene Escolar, Inma Cuesta… A generation of mature and young actresses that have achieved wide recognition due to the depth and solidity of their work on cinema, but also on theatre and television.

Wed 26 Nov