Cabrera began her career as a child actress at 8 years old, working on radio dramas and on stage with the Roberto Rodríguez' Compañía Infantil (Children's Company).

[1] She made her film debut in 1945, in François Betancourt's Sed de amor, and in the 1950s she appeared in a number of popular Cuban and Mexican films, notably the controversial The White Rose directed by Emilio Fernández.

[1] In 1961 she headed the CMQ television and radio department of the Cuban literacy campaign.

[2][3] In 2003 she was awarded a lifetime Premio Nacional de Televisión [es] for her career.

[1][2] Her final years were difficult, with Cabrera infirm, largely forgotten by the public and receiving poor "food aid" from the state.