5 Classic Movies Starring Maria Montez, the Dominican Republic’s First Hollywood Star

You don’t become known as “The Queen of Technicolor” for nothing. And you really only need to take one look at Maria Montez’s filmography, to see why she was so dubbed. Born in the Dominican Republic, the actress arrived at Hollywood in the 1940s and slowly became the go-to gal for any kind of part that asked for an exotic-looking girl. Playing everything from a South Pacific woman called Melahi to the famous Sherazade in an adaptation of Arabian Nights (she even jockeyed for the role of Cleopatra which eventually went to Liz Taylor!), Montez became a bonafide movie star while working at Universal Pictures. By the time she died at age 39, she was hoping to transition out of those exotic damsels in distress roles she was so well-known for, working successfully as a freelance performer in Europe with the help of her second husband, actor Jean-Pierre Aumont.

Already the subject of a 2014 biopic (María Montez: La película), the Dominican actress remains one of the most well-known Latina performers of the twentieth century. She may have only worked in films for a little over a decade, but her striking allure is unavoidable. Sadly, because older movies aren’t as readily available on streaming platforms, you can only stream three of Montez’s 26 films right now. Though, for those eager to see more of her work, many of her hits are very easy to find on DVD. Nevertheless, we wanted to give you a good primer on the actress so find below 5 her must-watch films.