Linda Cristal
Biography
Linda Cristal, born Marta Victoria Moya Peggo Burges on 23 February 1931 in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, was an Argentine actress who worked in both film and television. In 1960 John Wayne selected her to portray Flaca in the epic western The Alamo, and the following year she co‑starred with James Stewart in Two Rode Together. After those films she semi‑retired to raise her two children. During the 1960‑61 television season she appeared as a female matador on NBC’s The Tab Hunter Show. She returned to acting when she was added as the final cast member of the NBC series The High Chaparral, after a three‑week audition process led by producer David Dortort. Cristal died on 27 June 2020 at age 89.
Career overview
Linda Cristal, born Marta Victoria Moya Peggo Burges on 23 February 1931 in Rosario, Santa Fé, Argentina, was an Argentine‑American actress whose career spanned film and television, particularly in the Western genre. She is credited with 38 acting roles. In 1960 John Wayne selected her to portray Flaca in the epic film The Alamo, and the following year she co‑starred with James Stewart in the Western Two Rode Together. After that film she semi‑retired from acting to raise her two children.
During the 1960‑61 television season Cristal appeared as a female matador on NBC’s The Tab Hunter Show. She returned to the screen when producer David Dortort added her as the final cast member of the NBC series The High Chaparral, after a three‑week audition process seeking the right actress. Throughout her career she was noted for her multilingual abilities and for contributing to numerous Western productions on both the big and small screens.
Cristal’s work remained recognized for its association with prominent Western titles and for her distinctive presence in mid‑century American entertainment. She passed away on 27 June 2020 at the age of 89.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- John Wayne's 'The Alamo' (1992) as Self
- Condominium (1980) as Carlotta Churchbridge
- When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion (1979) as Self
- The Love Boat (1977) as Elvira Monteverde
- Love and the Midnight Auto Supply (1977) as Annie
- Kolossal - The Magnificent Macisti (1977) as Self - Akis (archive footage)
- The Dead Don't Die (1975) as Vera LaValle
- Mr. Majestyk (1974) as Nancy Chavez
- El chofer (1974) as Julia
- Police Story (1973)
- Search (1972)
- The Marshal of Madrid (1972) as Cesla Dobbs
- Panic in the City (1968) as Dr. Paula Stevens
- The High Chaparral (1967) as Victoria Cannon
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964)
- Slave Girls of Sheba (1963) as Olivia
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self
- The Merv Griffin Show (1962) as Self
- Two Rode Together (1961) as Elena de la Madriaga
- The Alamo (1960) as Flaca
- The Pharaohs' Woman (1960) as Akis
- Bonanza (1959) as Teresa
- Rawhide (1959) as Louise
- Legions of the Nile (1959) as Cleopatra alias Berenice
- Cry Tough (1959) as Sarita
- The Perfect Furlough (1958) as Sandra Roca
- The Last of the Fast Guns (1958) as Maria O'Reilly
- The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958) as Elena Hardy
- El diablo desaparece (1957)
- Comanche (1956) as Margarita
- Enemigos (1956)
- El 7 leguas (1955) as Blanca
- With the Devil in the Body (1954)
- The Magnificent Beast (1953)
- El lunar de la familia (1953)
- Fruto prohibido (1953) as Julia (sin créditos)
- Genio y figura (1953)
- Bambi (1948) as Self (archive footage)