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Marisa Paredes, a grand dame of Spanish cinema, died on Tuesday in Madrid from heart failure. She was 78.

While she acted in 75 movies, she will be best remembered for the five films she starred in directed by Pedro Almodóvar: “Dark Habits” (1983), “High Heels” (1991), “The Flower of My Secret” (1995), “All About My Mother” (1999) and “The Skin I Live In” (2011). Of all these, she thought she turned in one of her career-best performances in “The Flower of My Secret,” which marks the beginning of Almodóvar’s return to his roots and world of his mother, a re-connection which continues to this day.

In “The Flower of My Secret,” Paredes played a chic romantic novelist seemingly at first a fish out of water in the village where she was born.

In real life, Paredes had a natural elegance, compounded by her favouring dresses by Spain-based designer Sybille which J.A. Bayona noted, reacting to her death,...

Marisa Paredes, a well-known personality in Spanish cinema and close colleague of famed director Pedro Almodóvar, has died at the age of 78. The Spanish Film Academy reported her death, writing, “Spanish cinema is losing one of its most iconic actresses.”

Paredes’ career lasted nearly six decades, including over 75 films and a similar number of television shows. She is largely recognized as one of the most accomplished actresses of her time. Her work with Almodóvar includes remarkable performances in films like High Heels (1991), The Flower of My Secret (1995), All About My Mother (1999), and The Skin I Live In (2011).

Her journey to popularity was fueled by personal dedication. In an emotional interview with Spain’s Tve in June, Paredes discussed her poor beginnings as “the daughter of a doorkeeper.” At 15, she went on a hunger strike to encourage her father to support her acting career.

Desolado por la noticia del fallecimiento de Marisa Paredes,...

Marisa Paredes, the star of Pedro Almodóvar’s High Heels and The Flower Of My Secret, has died aged 78.

Paredes’ extensive career spanned nearly 80 feature films and a similar number of television productions over six decades.

Paredes also served as president of the Spanish Film Academy from 2000-2003 and received the industry’s highest awards, including an honorary Goya for lifetime achievement in 2018, the National Cinematography Award in 1996, and the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 2007.

Her final film, road movie Emergency Exit, was directed by Luis Miñarro; it filmed earlier this year and is still to be released.