Felipe, Rosa

Pessoa singular

Felipe, Rosa

1922-2009

Rosa Felipe was a Cuban actress. She was born on November 2nd, 1922 in Havana, Cuba. Her father was from the Valladolid province of Spain and her mother was Cuban. Felipe completed her early education at the Colegio Estrella de la Víbora in Havana. Later, she did her professional education at the Instituto de La Habana. She was also a self-taught typist, as well as master of handwriting, and a poet. She worked for the publication “Vanidades.”
Her acting career began in Cuba in the 1950´s, first in short scenes and dialogues from Spanish societies, and later, as a student in the Academia de Artes Dramáticas de la Escuela Libre de La Habana, where she received a competitive scholarship to attend. As a professional actress, she worked for various theater companies: Patronato del Teatro, Teatro Adad, Farseros, Theatralia, Teatro Universitario, as well as national radio stations and television broadcasts. She traveled to or worked in most parts of Cuba with each theater company she was part of. She was chosen to act alongside Francisco Petrone when he visited Havana and received high praise from critics. She acted the role of "Sara en el traspatio", under the direction of Rubén Vigón as well as the villain Ursula Betancourt in the telenovela "Mi apellido es Valdés". Felipe has won a total of 14 trophies, including the highest honor in television, the Gran Premio Avellaneda. She has appeared in many distinctive roles, from simple works to Greek tragedies, including the part of Yocasta de Medea. Her last work on Cuban television was in "Teresa Raquim", by Emilio Zola.

In 1971, she left Cuba for Madrid, Spain, and formed part of the Compañía Inglesa Nuevo Acento theater company in the capacity of director and actress. Part of her work was to produce recordings for Latin America and be a consultant for radio scripts. In 1974, she united with the community of exiled Cuban actors in Miami and continued her career in the United States. There she formed part of the group Repertorio Español in New York and the Compañia Dramatica under the direction of Spanish actor and director Alejandro Ulloa. She also presented a homage to José Martí called “El hombre sincero” written by Rene Buch, at el Museo Cubano de Arte y Cultura in Miami. In the 1990’s she appeared in telenovelas such as "El magnate", "Marielena", "Guadalupe", "Aguamarina,'' and "La mujer de mi vida." Rosa Felipe passed away in 2009.

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Biographical note written by Kate Villa, 2020-2021 UGrow Fellow for Manuscripts and Archives Management.

1. Muere en Miami actriz cubana Rosa Felipe - New York Daily News (nydailynews.com)

2. Biographical note, "Rosa Felipe: actriz cubana" :: CHC Theater Collections (miami.edu)

3. Cuban Theater Digital Archive (miami.edu)

4. Cubaliteraria - Autores (archive.org)

5. Felipe251_entrevistas_1.pdf (miami.edu)

6. CHC5243_Folder4-_Revista_nacional_de_teatro.pdf (miami.edu)

7. manet.pdf (miami.edu)