Maria Sorte is one of the celebrated Mexican actresses whose screen time included many movies throughout the 1970s and 80s. The successful actress also found fame and popularity through her marriage to the Mexican politician, Javier Garcia Paniagua.
Outside of her film roles, Sorte is an incredible singer with many released works to show for it.
Her Early Life And Age
Born Maria Harfuch Hidalgo on May 11 1955 in Carmargo Chihuahua, she became famous for her acting and singing career. She dreamt of becoming a doctor right from her younger years but fate took a turn when she accompanied a friend for a tryout at an acting department.
The now 69 years old is alleged to be of Lebanese descent even though she identifies with her Mexican side. As per her Lebanese origins, it is on her grandparent’s side but this has not been confirmed.
She Launched Her Career As An Actress
Having enrolled at the National Autonomous University to study medicine, it wasn’t long before the dream was shelved. As stated earlier, she landed a role after accompanying her friend for a tryout.
That role turned out to be one of the milestones of her career. For her debut role in My Second Mother, Sorte was nominated for Best Young Actress.
Noticeably her career kicked off as an actress and between the 1970s and 90s, she portrayed many roles that earned her the attention of fans and followers.
Outside of her acting role, she is a well-celebrated singer. Her notable works include:
Maria Sorte’s First And Only Marriage Was to Javier Garcia Paniagua
The actress and singer have only been married once. She was married to Javier Garcia Paniagua for twenty years(1978-1998). At the time she met her future husband, she was more invested in her career rather than love.
As the story goes, he sent flowers and notes to her after her theatre productions for one year while concealing his identity. After he convinced her to see him, it was quite surprising for her that the admirer turned out to be one of the most promising public officials and politicians in the country.
Notably, their marriage did not stop them from building their careers. In fact, her husband occupied many public offices and even ran for the office of president in 1981.
Despite having a great love story that looks like one of her roles on screen, their marriage of two decades was cut short when her husband died in 1998 following a heart attack.
She Had Two Children With the Mexican Politician Paniagua
Reportedly, the death of Maria’s husband after two decades of marriage was a tough deal for the celebrity. She had to pick up life and move on.
Interestingly, she did not have to do it alone since they had two children with her late husband. Their sons Omar and Adrian were in their teenage years at the time of her husband’s death, yet, they have grown into successful adults.
A Look Into Other Fascinating Facts About The Actress/ Singer
1. Maria Sorte Was Once a Teacher
Looking at her humble family background, the gifted actress is said to have taken many jobs to support her family. At one point she took a teaching job before moving to Mexico City to study medicine.
However, even that plan did not happen as she changed her career path to acting.
2. She Hired Private Psychologist To Help Recreate Movie Roles
At some point in her career, Maria used the services of a private psychologist to recreate the experiences of her characters. Her successful portrayal of a fashion model in My Second Mother involved recreating the experiences of her role in a professional setting.
Her stellar performance in that role led to many invitations to European countries like Russia.
3. Maria Sorte Married Into A Political Family
Though she is a widow for over two decades, Maria and her late husband had a great story. Notably, her marriage to Javier Garcia Paniagua brought her into an elitist family that had been involved in both the public and political life of Mexico.
Going as far back as the time of her late husband’s father, the family occupied key positions in government. While her husband’s father occupied the office of the state governor, her late husband ran for the president of the country in 1981.
Not to be deterred, even her son, Omar Garcia Harfuch is an active public office holder who once worked as the mayor of Mexico City.
4. Her Son Was Targeted In A Drug Clampdown
Maria’s son came under an attack that almost cost him his life in a drug clampdown. According to reports, he was shot more than 400 times by Jalico New Generation Cartel. Though he survived, other members of his team were not so lucky.
Omar was the chief security officer of Mexico city then and was forced to live in his office building for a year. Even at that, another attempt was made on his life when he was shot at again but he still managed to survive.
The security chief lives his life on the brink of death and is said to be on the black list of Sidronio Cassarrubias leader of the Gurreros Unidos cartel. The dangerous group is alleged to have been involved in the disappearance of 43 trainee teachers in Ayotzinapa in 2014.
The ensuing 2019 altercation led to an accusation against the US ambassador. As per the claim, the ambassador was accused of knowing about the planned attack but did not divulge the information. As of this writing, the issue has not been resolved.
5. How Rich Is Maria Sorte?
The veteran actress and singer have actively pursued her career for over four decades yet she has not revealed how much net worth she has.
At the moment, many sources are only speculating on her wealth which she acquired from a career of many years. The figures go as high as $10 million while the least is $1 million.
