Margarita Xirgu

Margarita Xirgu
Born	Margarita Xirgu Subirá (1888-06-18)18 June 1888 Molins de Rei (Barcelona), Spain
Died	25 April 1969(1969-04-25) (aged 80) Montevideo, Uruguay
Resting place	Molins de Rei (Barcelona), Spain
Nationality	Spanish and Uruguayan
Other names	Margarida Xirgu
Occupation(s)	Actress, Director

Margarita Xirgu Subirá (18 June 1888, Molins de Rei, Barcelona, Spain – 25 April 1969, Montevideo, Uruguay), also Margarida Xirgu, was a Spanish stage actress, who was greatly popular throughout her country and Latin America. A friend of the poet Federico García Lorca, she was forced into exile during Francisco Franco's dictatorship of Spain, but continued her work in America. Notable plays in which she appeared include Como tú me Deseas, La casa de Bernarda Alba, and Mariana Pineda.

An opera, Ainadamar, by the composer Osvaldo Golijov and playwright David Henry Hwang, based on Xirgu's life and her association with Lorca, was premiered in 2003. A recording of the work released in 2006 on the Deutsche Grammophon label (Catalog #642902) won the 2007 Grammy awards for Best Classical Contemporary Composition and Best Opera Recording.