Biography

Spanish actress. Parents: Antonio Nile (guitar player) and Rosario del Río. She was born during an artistic tournee of her parents in Argentina. She lived in Málaga till she the age of 12. There she studied dance. When she was 12 years old, she debuted in the comedy theatre of Buenos Aires with the help of Pastora Imperio who calls her Petite Imperio. That was her artistic name during the next years, when she had a great success in several countries in southAmerica. In 1926 she came back to Spain and adopted the artistic name of Imperio Argentina, singing in the main theaters of the country. The film director Florián Rey discovered her in the Romea theater in Madrid and then she played La hermana San Sulpicio (1927).
- IMDb mini biography by: Miguel A. Andrade

For years there were rumors that Miss Argentina had been romantically involved with actors Rafael Rivelles and Marlene Dietrich as well as with Nazis Joseph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler himself. In her 2002 autobiography she admitted to an affair with Rivelles but denied any involvement with Dietrich and the Nazis. The 1998 film "La niña de tus ojos" starring Penelope Cruz is a fictionalized account of Miss Argentina in 1938 Germany with Goebbels trying to win her favor.

In 1994 she was honored as "Ciudadano Ilustre de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires" ("Illustrious Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires").

Daughter of guitarist Antonio Nile and actress Rosario del Río.

The career of the Hispanic actress was championed by the Nazis because she openly supported their Fascist ally Francisco Franco in his Civil War, but that made the films of hers that were exported to the United States unpopular with the Loyalist leaning Spanish speaking community in cities like New York.