Christiane Martel

Christiane Martel
Christiane Martel in 1954
Miss Universe 1953
First Lady of Veracruz
In role
1 December 1998 – 30 November 2004
GovernorMiguel Alemán Velasco
Preceded bySonia Sánchez de Chirinos
Succeeded byRosa Margarita Borunda de Herrera
Personal details
BornChristiane Magnani
(1936-01-18) 18 January 1936[1]
Nancy, France
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)[2]
Spouse(s)Ronnie Marengo (divorced)
Miguel Aleman Velasco
Children4, including Miguel
Occupation
  • Actress (1954–1961)
  • Beauty queen (1952–1953)

Christiane Martel (born Christiane Magnani on 18 January 1936) is a French-Mexican actress, model and beauty queen. She became the second woman to win the Miss Universe beauty pageant in 1953.[3] She was the only French woman to hold the Miss Universe title until Iris Mittenaere in 2016.

Life and career

Childhood

Martel was born on 18 January 1936[1] in Nancy, France to a modest family of Italian ancestry and was raised in Piennes. Amid the Second World War, her family moved to Western France, and later, in 1940, to Loudun.[4]

1952–1953: Pageantry

Martel in 1953

She was Miss Châtellerault in 1952. She was crowned Miss Cinémonde and represented France at Miss Universe 1953 where she became the second Miss Universe. She was crowned by actress Julie Adams as Miss Universe 1952, Armi Kuusela of Finland, had given up her crown.

Martel's runners-up in the 1953 pageant was Myrna Hansen of the USA, followed by delegates of Japan, Mexico, and Australia.

1954–1962: Acting career

Shortly after her reign, Martel embarked on a successful career in international films, appearing in movies such as Yankee Pasha, So This Is Paris, Drop the Curtain, the 1956 version of Corazón salvaje (playing the villain Aimée), Viva el Amor!, Rosa Blanca and her last film to date, 1961's Leoni al Sole.

Later activities

Later, Martel served as a judge at the Miss Universe 1978 pageant. She would also make television appearances at the Miss Universe pageants held in 1989, 1993, and 2007, all of which were held in Mexico. Her most recent television appearance in France was on 3 December 2011 at the Miss France pageant. She appeared in the Mexican television show, Sale el sol in 2017 where she was interviewed.

Personal life

Martel was married briefly to Ronnie Marengo, a department store heir, whom she divorced in 1955.[5] In 1961 she married Miguel Alemán Velasco, who would become Governor of Veracruz and is the son of Miguel Alemán Valdés, former president of Mexico. They have three daughters and one son. Their son, Miguel Alemán Magnani, is a stakeholder of Televisa and is the former owner of low-cost airline, Interjet.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Christiane Martel, la primera francesa en ganar Miss Universo, recupera su historia mexicana en un libro de memorias" [Christiane Martel, the first Frenchwoman to win Miss Universe, revisits her Mexican history in a memoir]. El País (in Spanish). 2 August 2026. Retrieved 27 August 2026. Martel repasa a los 90 años una vida marcada por la guerra, Hollywood y la política mexicana [At 90, Martel looks back on a life marked by war, Hollywood, and Mexican politics]
  2. ↑ "New Miss Universe Is a Cute Parisian Dish". Spokane Daily Chronicle. 18 July 1953. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  3. ↑ Christiane Magnani, la “Miss Universo” que reina en el corazón de Miguel Alemán Velasco. Hola. 3 July 2013
  4. ↑ "Christiane Martel: biography and main films". lifeder.com. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  5. ↑ Mark Griffin (2010). A Hundred Or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli. Da Capo Press. pp. 168–. ISBN 978-0-306-81893-6.
  6. ↑ Christiane Martel Profile. glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com
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