Josita Hernán(1914-1999)

Josita Hernán was born Josefina Hernández Meléndez in Maó, Menorca (Balearic Islands), where his military father was stationed. Her mother, Remmé, was a poetist. She studied in Toledo and later moved to Madrid. During a trip to Paris with her parents they visited the Joinville studios where "Melodía de Arrabal" was then being shot, and she was offered a small part. On stage she had her first role in 1929 as Doña Urraca in "Las mocedades del Cid". Then she lived in Paris, working for Joinville as dubber to Spanish for Paramount pictures until 1935, when she returned to Spain. She was offered the main comedic role in La tonta del bote (1939), her first picture with leading man Rafael Durán. It became such a hit that they would make several more films together and also started a stage company that toured Spain in 1941. She became well known for her voice, comedic abilities and characterizations which often changed her looks, as in Una chica de opereta (1944). In 1947 she left movies to write poetry (compiled as "Altavoz de caracolas") and novels, returning to Paris in the early 50s to study stage direction, working as correspondent for the magazine "Gran Mundo" and also giving lessons in Spanish and military language at the École Militaire. In 1985 she definitively returned to Spain. She died peacefully in Madrid on December 6th., 1999.