Mona Maris

Mona Maris (November 7, 1903 – March 23, 1991) was an Argentine film actress who was born in Buenos Aires.

Ancestry and education

Her given name was Mona Maria Emita Capdeville. Her mother was a Spanish Basque and her father a French Catalan. Maris was educated in England, France, and Germany and by the age of nineteen she spoke four languages.

Films

Maris' ambition to become an actress originated during World War I, when she was a pupil in Luders, France. Together with her classmates she wrote, directed, and presented short plays to entertain soldiers billeted near the school. After graduation Maris begged to go to England and her mother finally relented. In England she found a woman was given much more freedom than in either Spain or South America. She traveled to England under the indirect chaperonage of an Argentine family.

Her stay was intended to last only six months, but was extended another two years. The Argentine ambassador in Berlin received a letter which led to Maris being introduced to the President of the United Film Association. Soon she journeyed to Germany, where she participated in Universum Film AG productions. She was given a screen test during which the camera was not loaded with film. A prominent director noticed Maris and offered her a five-year contract. She counseled with her grandmother, who reluctantly allowed her to accept.