María del Pilar Margarita Casajuana Martínez (28 December 1905 – 26 October 1999), known professionally as Maria Alba, was a Spanish-American film actress.
Biography Signed by the Fox Film Corporation after winning a Fox Film contest in Spain, Maria Casajuana came to the United States in 1927 as a second cabin class passenger on the S/S Suffern, which sailed from the Port of Le Havre, France, on 16 April, and arrived at the Port of New York, 26 April 1927.
Originally billed as Maria Casajuana, she appeared in 25 feature films, starting with Road House in 1928 and ending with La morena de mi copla in 1946. Her most notable appearances (as Maria Alba) were probably as "Saturday" in the 1932 Douglas Fairbanks film Mr. Robinson Crusoe, and as the exotic "Princess Nadji" in the Bela Lugosi serial The Return of Chandu. Other Latin actresses working in films, like Lupe Vélez or Dolores del Río, became fluent in English, but Maria Alba spoke English with a thick accent, which limited her casting opportunities.
Partial filmography
Her Blue, Black Eyes (1927, Short) A Girl in Every Port (1928) - Maria Buenjolla / Chiquita - Girl in Rio de Janeiro Road House (1928) - Spanish Marla Blindfold (1928) - Pepita Joy Street (1929) - Agnes Hell's Heroes (1929) - Carmelita Charros, gauchos y manolas (1930) - Spanish artist El cuerpo del delito (1930) - Señorita Delroy La fuerza del querer (1930) - Shirley Olimpia (1930) - Princess Olimpia Los que danzan (1930) - Norma Brady El código penal (1931) - Mary Brady Road of Hell (1931) - Angela Su última noche (1931) - Elena Desano Just a Gigolo (1931) - A French Wife Goldie (1931) - Dolores La ley del harem (1931) - Fatima Almost Married (1932) - Mariette (uncredited) Mr. Robinson Crusoe (1932) - Saturday Hypnotized (1932) - Princess Mitzi Kiss of Araby (1933) - Dolores Mendez The Return of Chandu (1934) - Nadji - Princess of Egypt Flirting with Danger (1934) - Rosita West of the Pecos (1934) - Dolores Great God Gold (1935) - Elena Nitto El Hijo de Nadie (1946, Mexico) La Morena de Mi Colpa (1946, Mexico) - Pepa (final film role)
References
External links
Maria Alba at Virtual History