Carmen Barajas Sandoval

Infobox actor
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name = Carmen Barajas Sandoval


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birthname = Mária Del Carmen Barajas Y Sandoval
birthdate = May 18 1925
location = flagicon|MEX Mexico City, Mexico
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Carmen Barajas Sandoval (born México City, May 18, 1925) is a Mexican aristocrat, bestselling author and socialite, famous for her biographies of stars such as Maria Félix and Jorge Negrete.

Family

She was born Maria Del Carmen Barajas Y De Sandoval Paullada in Mexico City, Mexico. Her parents were Lorenzo Barajas and Edelmira Sandoval Paullada Escoffier.

Her mother was a descendant of Charles Louis Escoffier, Count of Bragny, a member of the House of Bourbon-Montpensier. He was a director of the Royal Academy of Surgery and personal physician to Louis XVI of France. During the French Revolution (1789 - 1799), Bragny left France and settled in Campeche, Campeche, Viceroyalty of New Spain.

His father was the grandson of Fernando De Barajas Y De Fernán Nuñez, Count of Barajas.

Biography

At a very young age she met Jorge Negrete and became a very close friend of the actor's family. Later, He asked her to work with him at the National Association of Actors where she stayed until Negrete's death on 5 December, 1953).

Due to this friendship, Carmen became friends with some of the most important people in Mexican Show Business, such as Maria Félix, Dolores Del Rio, Miroslava and Pedro Infante. She was responsible for introducing the later to Jorge Negrete and therefore helped launch Infante's legendary career.

In 1947,she married Luis Alfonso Lavalle but the marriage ended in divorce only six years later.

Carmen spent the vast mayority of her life working at the Film Industry. She was related to hundreds of productions both in Mexico and Internationally. In 1960, she founded, along with some friends and family members, a company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films. They made several productions among we can count "Batalla en el paraíso" (A Battle in Paradise), "A la sombra del Sol" (at the shadows of the sun) & "vagabundo en la lluvia" (there's a Stranger in the in the rain), " Tiburoneros" (Shark Hunters), "Tlayucan" & "Tarahumara". These films were a huge success and won several international prizes, Including a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1962 and the "Palme D´or" award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1964 for "Tarahumara".

After this, Carmen became a repescted personality in the Film Industry and became a member at the Council of the Mexican Academy of Film.

Later in her life, along with her sister Edelmira, she created an Haute Couture "Atellier" that quickly became a success in Mexico. Her creations were considered to have the same high quality than any European designer. International stars such as Sylvia Koschina, Christa Linder, and Angelica Maria wore her creations on several "Premieres" and Red Carpets around the world.Nevertheless, the partnership with her sister ended a few years leater and Carmen ultimately close the Atellier

Due to her close relationship with France,and her efforts to improve the diplomatic affairs between France and Mexico, in 1986 Carmen received the Légion d'Honneur from President François Mitterrand at the Élysée Palace.

In 2004, Carmen moved to Paris where she currently lives.

Feminism

In 1975, Carmen was invited by her cousin, Anilú Elias Paullada to a Feminist conference. From the first moment she became a passionate feminist and joined the "Movimiento Nacional de Mujeres" (Women's National Movement). During this time, this group made several and important contributions to help abused women both in Mexico and internationally.

“The Feminist Struggle is the most important one in history ever” said Carmen who tells impressive numbers about abused women along history, both in her country and the world in her autobiographical book “Gracias a la vida”.

“ I will never stop fighting to help those women who are abused and discriminated” says Carmen who believes that every woman has the duty to fight against discrimination and any kind of abuse.

Carmen has been a passionate defender of capital punishment against rapists and, along with her feminist group changed the Mexican Legislation in order to apply stronger punishment against violence towards women.

Social Life

Carmen has been well known among the Mexican and International Jet Set. In her Autobiography “ Gracias a la Vida” she tells how she became friends with some of the most important people in Mexico's show Business, Politics, Presidents and Multimillionaires.

Among her pretenders we can count Hollywood producer Ben Reyes, and Hollywood star Charles Korvin.Among her closest friends you can count some of the most important and influential people in Mexico.

Some of her international friends are: Dolores Del Rio, Frank Sinatra, Yves Montand, HRH Prince Edward Duke of Kent, Baron Alexis de Rédé, Prince Johannes Von Thurn und Taxis, Jacques Gelman and his wife Natasha, Baron RichardDi Portanova, Count Paul of Ganay, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Shah of Iran, and his wife Ex Empress Farah Diba , Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the prominent French actor Gérard Philipe, Baron Gottfried Alexander Maximilian Walter Kurt von Cramm, Prince David Mdivani, Count Curt Heinrich Eberhard Erdmann Georg von Haugwitz-Hardenberg-Reventlow, Prince Pierre Raymond Doan, Baroness Marie-Hélène de Rothschild, Luis Buñuel, Jean Renoir, Liliane Bettencourt and Producer Luis Alcoriza.

Books

Carmen Barajas Sandoval has published seven bestelling books:
*"Galileo" (Editorial Continental, México, 1958) is a lightweight biography of the great physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. Out of stock.
*"Chopin" (Editorial Continental, México 1958) Is a biography on the French-Polish virtuoso pianist and piano composer of the Romantic period. This book is considered by the Chopin Foundation as the only accurate book on the artist's life.
*"Gracias a la Vida" (Joaquín Porrúa Editores, México, 1986) Is her autobographical book where she relates her life and the interaction she had with some of the most important and impressive people in the 1940- 1970 era.
*"Una Muja Llamada María Félix" (EDAMEX, México, 1993) Is a book with an easy narrative style in which Carmen relates her longlife friendship with one of Mexico's ultimate divas.
*"Con el alma el un hilo" (Editorial Praxis, México, 1995) Is a book divided in 3 parts, each one containing a sad story of 3 unrelated women in Mexico's early 20th century. This book is now considered as a reliable document about women's life conditions in Latin American countries.
*"Jorge Negrete: Aspectos Desconocido Del Idolo Cinematografico" (EDAMEX, México, 2001) is a biography of the man that is considered one of the most popular Mexican singers and actors of all time and the friendship they shared until Negrete's death.
*"Angélica María: La Novia de Mexico" (Reader's Digest, México, 2005): Is a biography of Superstar Angélica Maria.

References

* "Gracias a la Vida" (Joaquín Porrúa Editores, México, 1986)
* "Who's who in Mexico" (Grolier 1993)
* "Una Mujer llamada Maria Felix" (Edamex 1993)
* "Jorge Negrete: Aspectos Desconocido Del Idolo Cinematografico "(Edamex 2001)
* "Angélica Maria, La novia de Mexico" (Reader's Digest, 2005)