Sara Montiel, a renowned Spanish singer and actress, was born María Antonia Abad on March 10, 1928, in Campo de Criptana, Castile–La Mancha, Spain. She would later become a naturalized citizen of Mexico. Montiel's early life was marked by her work in Juan de Orduña's 1957 film El Último Cuplé, which served as a springboard for her subsequent career in Europe, Latin America, and the United States.
Throughout her illustrious career, Montiel's films consistently broke box office records, with El Último Cuple and La Violetera earning the highest gross revenues ever recorded for films made in the Spanish-speaking movie industry during the 1950s and 1960s. Her versatility as an actress was showcased in the 1947 Spanish film adaptation of Cervantes's classic novel, Don Quixote, where she played the role of Antonia, the niece of the iconic protagonist.
In addition to her impressive filmography, Montiel's life and career were immortalized in the 2004 Pedro Almodóvar film Bad Education, where she was portrayed by a male actor in drag, Gael García Bernal, in the cross-dressing character Zahara. Furthermore, a film clip from one of Montiel's movies was incorporated into the film, serving as a testament to her enduring legacy in the world of cinema.
