Amparo Muñoz biography: 13 things about Miss Universe 1974

Amparo Muñoz Quesada was a Spanish actor, model and beauty queen born in Vélez-Málaga, Malaga, Andalusia, Spain. In 1974, she became the first Miss Universe from Spain.

Muñoz was the eldest of five siblings. Their father was a blacksmith and their mother was a housewife. They were so poor Muñoz’s godparents started helping raise her in 1961.

After finishing high school, Muñoz worked as an administrative office assistant for a newspaper agency in Malaga. The agency’s director encouraged her to join El Certamen de Belleza de Costa del Sol 1973, which she won.

Aside from Muñoz’s three marriages, she also had romantic relationships with Maximo Valverde, Antonio Flores, Jose Coronado and a Spanish politician.

Miss Universe 1974 was 5’7″ tall. Here are 13 more things about her:

1. In 1968, she appeared in an episode of the television show “Hora Once”. On August 26, 1973, she won Miss España 1973 in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain. She made her film acting debut in “Vida Conyugal Sana”, which was released in Spain on October 25, 1973.
2. On July 21, 1974, she represented Spain at Miss Universe 1974, competed against 64 other candidates at the Folk Arts Theater in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines and won the title. In January 1975, she stopped fulfilling her duties as Miss Universe 1974 but she was never dethroned. On July 19, 1975, her successor Miss Universe 1975 Anne Marie Pohtamo was crowned at the National Gymnasium in San Salvador, El Salvador by Kerry Anne Wells. 
3. She and Patxi Andión co-starred in “La Otra Alcoba”, which was released in Spain on May 3, 1976. They got married on May 16, 1976, separated in 1978 and divorced in 1983.
4. She starred in “Mamá Cumple Cien Años”, which was produced by Elias Querejeta, released in on September 17, 1979, and nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 52nd Academy Awards.
5. In 1980, he met Chilean antique dealer Flavio Labarca. She starred in “Dedicatoria”, which was produced by Querejeta. The film was nominated for Palme d’Or at the 1980 Festival de Cannes in Cannes, France.
6. On June 24, 1983, he and Labarca got married in Bali, Indonesia. She starred with Gloria Diaz and PJ Abellana in the Filipino film “Hayop sa Ganda”, which was released in the Philippines on July 15, 1983. He and Labarca lived in the Philippines but they separated after his arrest in Madrid, Spain in 1981.
7. She starred in “La Luna Negra”, which premiered at the 1988 San Sebastian International Film Festival in Donostia-San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain.
8. In February 1991, she married Víctor Santiago Rubio Guijarro, a businessman. In 1994, they separated.
9. She starred in “Familia”, which was produced by Querejeta. The film premiered at the 1996 Vancouver International Film Festival. She starred in “Fotos”, which was presented at the 1997 Sitges Film Festival in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain, and “Elles”, which premiered at the 1997 Palm Springs International Film Festival in Palm Springs, California, United States.
10. She starred in “Un Paraíso Bajo Las Estrellas”, which premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, USA.
11. In 2003, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
12. In 2005, she released her memoir titled “La Vida es Elprecio”. She starred in the TV film “El Cas de la Nuvia Dividida”, which was released in Spain on October 14, 2006.
13. On June 21, 2010, she turned 56. On February 27, 2011, she died in Malaga. On March 1, 2011, she was cremated.