Libertad Lamarque Bouza (Spanish pronunciation: [liβeɾˈtað laˈmaɾke]; 24 November 1908 – 12 December 2000) was an Argentine and Mexican actress and singer, became one of the most iconic stars of the Golden Age of cinema in both Argentina and Mexico.

[2] At the age of 7, Lamarque won first prize in a stage competition,[4] and participated with a group of street singers that made tours of nearby cities.

[5] She capped this cycle by performing Oscar Straus's Tres valses (Three Waltzes), an adaptation of the operetta, with Chilean singer Choly Mur.

[5] In the mid-1930s Lamarque was accompanied by a trio of musicians including bandoneon player Héctor María Artola, violinist Antonio Rodio, and pianist, Alfredo Malerba, who would become her second husband.

She shone in works that were painful and romantic, such as En esta tarde gris (In this gray afternoon), Sombras, nada más (Shadows, nothing else), Tristezas de la calle Corrientes (Sorrows of Corrientes Street) or Caserón de tejas (Mansion of Tiles), Canción desesperada (Desperate Song) and Sin palabras (Without words).

The authors add that Lamarque traveled freely between Argentina and Mexico during the lifetime of Eva Perón and beyond, which does not support the blacklisting legend.

[9] Lamarque denied during her lifetime certain aspects of the legend, especially the reports that she had slapped Eva on the set of La cabalgata del circo.

On 7 January, she debuted in the Teatro América with a varied repertoire, but closed the show with "Facundo" by Cuban composer Eliseo Grenet to much applause.

[7] The picture, Gran Casino, co-starring Jorge Negrete was a flop,[16] but other roles followed, such as Soledad (1947), La dama del velo (1948), Huellas de un pasado (1950), Mujeres sin lágrimas (1951), Nunca es tarde para amar (1952), Ansiedad (1952), and Rostros olvidados (1952).

[17] Some of her best work during this period was in Otra primavera, filmed in 1949, La loca (1951) and Cuando me vaya (1953); for each of these she was nominated for an Ariel Award for Best Actress in 1951, 1953, and 1955, respectively.

In 1988, Lamarque participated in the season at Mar del Plata's Teatro Opera with the musical A todo tango II under the direction of José Colángelo.

That same year, a tile bearing her name was placed in the "Sidewalk of Latin Stars" in Miami and a tribute was held for her at the Autumn Festival of Paris.

[citation needed] She was appointed "Illustrious citizen of the city of Buenos Aires" in 1990 and on 15 November 1991, a few days before her birthday, the Municipal Council of Rosario granted her a similar distinction.

[20] Lamarque was honored in 1993 by Celebrando Magazine, a Spanish-language publication which is nationally distributed in the U.S., for her 70 years in film, theater and music and her philanthropy.

In 1998 Lamarque was featured in the soap opera La usurpadora, which was a huge success in Mexico and in many countries in Latin America.

In early December 2000, Libertad Lamarque was rushed to Santa Elena Hospital in Mexico City, after feeling sick and experiencing breathing difficulties.