Valentin Pimstein, Jewish Pioneer Of Mexican Telenovelas, Dies At 91
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
(JTA) — Iconic Mexican telenovela producer Valentin Pimstein, whose serial dramas were dubbed and subtitled in dozens of languages and shown around the world, has died
Pimstein died on Tuesday at the age of 91, reported Programa Hoy television show.
Born in Chile, the Jewish producer was the seventh of nine children of a Russian family. His love for romantic and melodramatic stories came from his Jewish mother, an assiduous consumer of radio soap operas and Mexican cinema.
Pimstein is remembered for his successful telenovelas including “Maria Mercedes,” “La picara sonadora,” “Los ricos tambien lloran,” “Rosa Salvaje,” “Simplemente Maria,” Carusel,” and many others, which were dubbed and subtitled in dozens of languages and aired around the world.
He is considered the “father of the pink soap opera,” because most of his stories were romantic and melodramatic. In the 1980s, he discovered actresses Lucía Méndez, Verónica Castro, Angelica Aragón, Edith González and Victoria Ruffo, who were protagonists of some of his soap operas.
After moving to Mexico, Pimstein became assistant director of Televisa TV channel and later became a producer. His first telenovela was “Gutierritos,” considered an icon in the history of soap operas.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
