Katy Jurado, who died last week at age 78, will be remembered as the woman who shattered Hollywood's insistence that Latinas could only act with their passion a-flamin'. Her nuanced portrayal of saloon owner Helen Ramírez in the 1952 classic western High Noon ranks as one of the most important performances for Latinos in American media.
Before Jurado, Latinas were allowed onscreen only if they played some version of the hot señorita, a character defined solely by their uncontrollable sexuality. It didn't matter how an actress went about it, whether building an entire career around this stereotype (Lupe Velez's “Mexican Spitfire” series), masking it under aristocracy (Dolores del Rio) or shrouding their sensuality in an aura of mystery (Rita Hayworth, whose real name was Margarita Cansino); Latinas had to exhibit the hot señorita's traits in all of their performances if they wished to have a Hollywood career.
After Jurado, everything changed. In High Noon, Ramírez was the moral nexus between embattled marshal Will Kane (Gary Cooper), the criminals that threaten to kill Kane and the townspeople. Ramírez still had characteristics of the hot señorita, forced to say stultifying lines like “It takes more than big, broad shoulders to make a man.” But Jurado inflected the role with unstated dignity, exposing the flaws of the rest of the characters while being a slave to nothing. Ramírez was a demanding role that took equal parts restraint and conviction, but Jurado pulled it off and showed Hollywood that Latinas were much more than mere sexpots.
Jurado never again reached these heights, exiled mainly to spaghetti westerns, but her High Noon performance is still remembered as Hollywood's first non-stereotyped Latina role. It serves as inspiration for aspiring Latina actresses of what is possible when Hollywood allows women to act rather than vamp.
