- Alfredo Ripstein
Alfredo Ripstein (
December 10 ,1916 ,Parral, Chihuahua , Mexico —January 20 ,2007 ,Mexico City ) was a Mexican film producer. He is credited with helping shapeMexico 's film industry in the period surroundingWorld War II .Ripstein also helped start the careers of contemporary Mexican actors such as
Gael Garcia Bernal andSalma Hayek .Early life
Ripstein's father was a Polish merchant in Parral. Members of
Pancho Villa 's army were the main customers of his parents' store. Ripstein's mother asked Villa for permission to close the store in order to give birth to Alfredo. Villa stopped by the store a few days later to see the newborn. "So the first man that ever carried my father was Pancho Villa," Ripstein's son Arturo told "Los Angeles Times " reporter Reed Johnson.Ripstein's family moved to Mexico City when he was 5 years old. Ripstein first worked as an
accountant and then was hired by Simon Wishnack'sFilmex company as a production manager and executive producer.Career
Ripstein opened his own company, Alameda Films, in 1948. One of his final feature films was "
El Crimen del Padre Amaro " in 2002. It was produced with his grandson,Daniel Birman . He also produced in 2004 BIRTH OF A PASSION, also with his grandson,Daniel Birman . In 2005 he executive produced THE RED QUEEN: A MAYAN MYSTERY for Discovery ChannelRipstein had collaborated with his son Arturo on several films, including the 1999 adaptation of
Gabriel Garcia Marquez 's novel "No One Writes to the Colonel " and "The Beginning and The End ", adapted from the novel by Egyptian authorNaguib Mahfouz .He produced more than 120 films.
Death
Ripstein died of
respiratory failure at his home in the Polanco district of Mexico City. He was survived by his wife and son, two daughters, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren at the time of his death.References
* [http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-ripstein27jan27,1,4961577.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california Johnson, Reed. (2007, January 27). "Alfredo Ripstein, 90; producer helped to shape Mexico's movie industry". The Los Angeles Times]
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