Mexico native Pedro Armendariz Sr. started his career by working in Western movies in the U.S. and Mexico, and eventually graduated to bigger films, including a part with Sir Roger Moore and Lana Turner in Diane (1956). Armendariz contracted his cancer while working on the set of The Conqueror (1956), a movie he made with John Wayne, and TMWTGG villain Richard Loo (Hai Fat) in a minor role. The set of this film was contaminated by radioactive fallout from above-ground U. S. atomic bomb testing at the Nevada Test Site, a military munitions test site that includes the infamous Area 51. Radioactive fallout from atomic bomb explosions was carried by weather conditions into the town of Las Vegas, and the nearby U. S. states of Utah and Arizona. Pedro Armendariz, John Wayne, Richard Loo, and the rest of the cast and crew of The Conqueror were filming on location at Bryce Canyon National Park and Snow Canyon State Park in Utah, both of which were affected by radioactive fallout. This radiation was so toxic that many of the cast members of the film died off fairly quickly, and Armendariz was among the first victims of it, having found out that his cancer was inoperable on the set of FRWL. Ultimately, he chose to commit suicide rather than die slowly from radioactive cancer, and never lived long enough to see the finished FRWL as us Bond fans know it today. Very sad.
The Armendariz legacy, however, continues to live on. Pedro Sr.'s son, Pedro Armendariz Jr., is a reputable actor in his own right, also in his native Mexico, and was cast by Cubby Broccoli for LTK. He played President Hector Lopez of Isthmus in the film, and also served as an assistant director and advisor to the producers. Besides LTK, he can be seen in many Spanish-language films and TV series.
For Pedro Armendariz Sr., his performance as Kerim Bey is the best of his acting career, even better than his Westerns and other roles. Wherever you are Pedro, you have earned your place as Kerim Bey. Stay strong in heaven.
"I've lead a particularly fascinating life. Would you like to hear about it?"
- Pedro Armendariz as Kerim Bey, FRWL -
Pedro Armendariz on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000784/
The Conqueror on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049092/
The Comqueror website: http://perso.orange.fr/diego.vega/
Edited by Forward Look, 09 May 2007 - 05:36 AM.
