Linda Cristal: Queen of the Silver Screen by Terry Alexander

HER NAME WAS MARTA Victoria Monya Peggo Burges. She was born on February 23rd, 1931, in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. Her father was Antonio Monya. He was a publisher. When she was five years old, he moved the family to Montevideo, Uruguay, after he ran afoul of the ruling elite. He had gotten on the wrong side of a political squabble. Both of her parents died of carbon monoxide poisoning, when she was thirteen, in what might have been a suicide pact. In 1950, she married Tito Gomez, but the marriage was annulled after five days. Thoughts of joining a convent and becoming a nun entered her head. Then in 1951, while vacationing in Mexico, she was discovered by Miguel Alemon Velasco and signed to a long-term contract. Marta adopted the name Linda Cristal and became one of Mexico’s rising stars.

Her first two roles were uncredited in 1952’s Cuando Levanta La Niebla and 1953’s Forbidden Fruit. She made a string of westerns in Mexico, With the Devil in the Body in 1954, El 7 Leguas in 1955, La Venganza del Diablo 1955, Enemigos 1956 and El Diablo Desaparece in 1957. Early in her career she set her sights on Hollywood and added English as her fourth language. She was fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian. Her first American film was in Comanche with Dana Andrews, Kent Smith and Mike Mazruki. Peace talks between the Comanche and the US Government are sabotaged by renegade Indians and a corrupt Indian commissioner. She had a small role in the movie as Margarita, and there were reports she wasn’t paid for her work.

Her next Hollywood film was The Last of the Fast Guns in 1958. The film starred Jock Mahoney, Gilbert Roland, and Lorne Green. Gunman Brad Ellison traveled to Mexico in search of a missing man and learned that life is not simple, and everyone has a secret. Linda played Maria O’Reilly in the film.

She played Ellen Hardy in the horror western, The Fiend Who Walked the West, also released in 1958. The movie starred Hugh O’Brian, Robert Evans, and Ron Ely. It was a remake of the 1947 movie Kiss of Death. A convicted bank robber serving his sentence and hoping to return to his family becomes involved with a deranged and homicidal inmate. 1958 was a busy year for Linda elsewhere, too. She married Robert W. Champion on April 24th. They divorced on December 9th, 1959. She won a Golden globe in 1959 for Most Promising Female Newcomer for her role in the film The Perfect Furlough.

John Wayne talked her into taking the role of Flaca in the 1960 movie The Alamo. The movie starred Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Frankie Avalon, Patrick Wayne, Chill Wills, and Ken Curtis. This was the grand movie the Duke wanted to make. An epic retelling of Davey Crockett and the men who died in The Alamo. On December 20th, 1960, she married Yale Wexler. They had two children—Gregory, born January 2nd, 1962, and Jordon, born December 13th, 1963. They divorced in 1966.

In 1961, she played Elena de la Madriaga in the movie Two Rode Together, directed by John Ford. The US Army pressured a corrupt marshal into negotiating with the leaders of the Comanche Nation for the release of white captives. The Marshal later found that the reintroduction of former captives into society has consequences. The movie starred Jimmy Stewart, Richard Widmark, Shirley Jones, Andy Devine, John McIntire, and Ken Curtis. This would be her last western movie.

Linda also made several appearances in a variety of television shows. In 1959 she appeared as Louise in the Rawhide episode “Incident of a Burst of Evil.” A crazed man came into camp for help. Rowdy investigated and found three hungry women and a boy.

In 1967, she appeared with Dale Robertson in Iron Horse in the episode “The Passenger.” Calhoun was under orders from President Grant to transport Pierre Le Druc, an associate of deposed puppet Emperor Maximilan, to a secret meeting with his French countrymen. Linda played Angela Tecan, a passenger on the train who was more than she appeared.

The role of Victoria Cannon, the wife of big John Cannon, on The High Chaparral would define her as an actress. She played the role from 1967 to 1971. She was the second wife of John Cannon, a man carving out a cattle empire in Arizona. The series starred Leif Erickson, Cameron Mitchell, Henry Darrow, and Mark Slade. Linda won a golden globe in 1970 for Best TV Actress and was Nominated in 1971. She was nominated for an Emmy for Best Actress on TV in ’68 and ’71. The cast won a Bambi Award in 1970.

AfterThe High Chaparral was cancelled, Linda appeared in Cades County in 1971. She played Celsa Dobbs in the episode “A Gun for Billy.” A convict on parole, suffering from mental illusions, took on the identity of Billy the Kid and was committing crimes based on the Kid’s history. This modern-day western starred Glenn Ford and Edgar Buchanan.

Her last appearance in a western TV show was as Teresa in the 1971 episode of Bonanza titled “Warbonnet.” Little Joe found himself in the middle of a dispute between an aging Indian and the man that stole his warbonnet years before and was using it as a decoration in his saloon.

Linda’s last big screen movie was in the 1974 film Mr. Majestyk. She played Nancy Chavez opposite Charles Bronson. A melon farmer battled organized crime and a hitman who wanted to kill him to keep him from getting his watermelons to market. Her last appearance of a western nature was in 1979 when she appeared as herself in the TV special When the West was Fun: A Western Reunion. She and Jeanette Nolan were the only women in the show. Nolan had the short-lived western series Dirty Sally. The special was hosted by Glenn Ford and featured appearances by over fifty TV stars who worked in western shows. Linda continued to work sporadically in television until she retired in 1985.

She died in her Beverly Hills home on June 27th, 2020. Linda was eighty-nine years old. She was a great actress and a grand lady. She will be missed by all the fans of The High Chaparral.

—Terry Alexander is a western, science fiction, and horror writer with a vast number of publishing credits to his name. He’s also a connoisseur of all things related to the Hollywood Western. He and his wife, Phyllis, live on a small farm near Porum, Oklahoma.