Antonia Rey and Andrés Castro Papers

Antonia Rey was born Maria Antonia Francesch on October 12, 1927, in Havana, Cuba to Antonio Francesch, a dentist, and Emilia Rey, a nurse. Antonia’s father died before she was born and she was given her mother’s surname. Rey’s grandmother raised her while her mother studied nursing. Her mother later married Rafael Rangel and had two sons. Antonia was a teenager when her mother remarried. From a young age, Rey wanted to be an actress, but she decided to study the law at the University of Havana, which garnered her stepfather’s approval, unlike her dream of acting on stage. However, Rey dropped out of law school and went on to pursue theater, making her debut in 1948 in “Numancia Cervantes,” at the University of Havana.

In the 1950’s she rose to prominence on the stage in Havana, playing principal roles such as Madge in William Inge’s “Picnic,” the title role in George Bernard Shaw’s “Candida” and Elizabeth Proctor in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” During this epoch, she met her husband Andres Castro who owned the theater, Las Mascaras. Castro, born July 27, 1917, in Havana, Cuba, was from an affluent family that was in the furniture business. He and Rey married in 1958. Reportedly they tied the knot during the intermission of a show they were rehearsing at the time. After the Castros rose to power in 1959, Rey and her husband who were famous in the theater community and considered to be pioneers in the pre-Revolution theater movement. Post-1959 they were presented with the offer of National Theater and getting a plethora of roles in its productions. Rey and her husband, however, decided to flee to the U.S. in 1961 as part of the “first-wave” of Cuban political exiles, which mostly consisted of upper and middle-class professionals and their families. Although she left her illustrious theater career and possessions behind in Havana, Rey’s niece reports that Rey never regretted their decision to leave Cuba.

In the United States, Rey and Castro settled in New York City to continue being part of the theater world. Like many Cuban exiles, the couple had to start from scratch. Through a connection she made, Rey was given a small role, which expanded to further opportunities. Rey made her debut on Broadway in 1964, when she played the role of Lupa in the chorus of the musical “Bajour,” which starred Chita Rivera at the Shubert Theater. Rey also played a Mexican woman in “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1973 and had small roles in two other productions of Tennessee Williams plays, “The Rose Tattoo” in 1995 and as Madrecita in “Camino Real” in 1970 at the Lincoln Center Theatre, New York City; as prisoner in, “Poets from the Inside”, and as Mamita, “The Wonderful Year”, both Public Theatre, New York City; as Fula Lopez, “In the Summer House,” Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City; as Maria in, “Back Bog Beast”, at American Place Theatre; as mother in “Blood Wedding,” INTAR Theatre, New York City; as Ranevsky in “The Cherry Orchard”, in “The Importance of Being Earnest,” and as Mrs. Warren in “Mrs. Warren's Profession,” all Westside Repertory Theatre in New York City. She also appeared in “The Engagement Baby” in 1970, as Mrs. Murino in “42 Seconds from Broadway” in 1973 and “The Ritz” in 1975.

Antonia Rey began appearing on screen in film and television roles, although during the time period when Rey was active, many of the parts available to her were “ethnic” supporting roles that followed the tropes of maternal figures, Gypsies, witches, and fortune tellers. She appeared in 30 movies from comedies to psychological thrillers, including as the landlady in “Klute,” a 1971 crime thriller with Jane Fonda, the 1979 musical “Hair,” “Moscow on the Hudson,” the 1978 drama “King of the Gypsies”, “Coogan’s Bluff,” in 1968 was her first movie appearance,” “The Lords of Flatbush,” the comedy “Kiss Me, Guido” in 1997, the thriller “Jacob’s Ladder” in 1990, as Mrs. Stella in one of the “Die Hard” films, the voice of Trixie in the 2005 animated film “The Corpse Bride,” and the voice of “Abuela” on the children’s show “Dora the Explorer.” She won cameos and small roles in sitcoms as well as soap operas (“As The World Turns,” “All My Children”), police procedurals (“Law and Order” and “Third Watch”), the TV-movie pilot for “Kojak,” and “Who’s the Boss Her final appearance was as Assunta, Blue and Isabella Scaramucci's spiritual aunt on the second season of the series “Happy!” for the Syfy Channel, which premiered after her death.The episodes where she appeared were dedicated in her name.

In 2003, Rey received a lifetime achievement award from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors. (HOLA) Her frequent appearance on television and in movies caused her to be recognized while out and about. She was beloved by those who world with her and fellow actress Gilda Miros referred to her as “Good-hearted Antonia.” Rey died at the age of 92 on February 21, 2019 in New York City.

Andrés Castro was the owner Teatro Las Máscaras in Havana. Castro, born July 27, 1917, in Havana, Cuba, was from an affluent family that was in the furniture business. He and Antonia Rey married in 1958. Reportedly they tied the knot during the intermission of a show they were rehearsing at the time. He and his wife moved to New York in 1961, where Castro also stayed in the theater world. He earned his B.F.A from the Senior Dramatic Workshop of the New School for Social Research. He founded the Westside Repertory Theater 81st Street in Manhattan, where he was the director and an educator for 25 years. He was also the director of the Senior Dramatic Workshop at Carnegie Hall. He passed away on September 2, 2000.