Young Eva Duarte wanted to be famous. So she left home in her teens and worked hard to advance her acting career. But she only achieved true stardom after marrying a man who would become the president of Argentina. Eva’s work as first lady made her one of the most famous—and most controversial—women in the world.
Born in Los Toldos, Argentina, on May 7, 1919, Eva was soon nicknamed Evita, "little Eva." Her father was a wealthy landowner, but Evita and her four older siblings were shunned by the neighbors because their parents were not married. After Evita’s father died in a car accident in 1926, she, her mother, and her sisters worked as seamstresses and cooks for wealthy households to pay the bills. As a result, Evita learned of the vast differences between classes in Argentina. She later said, "I was very sad for many days when I discovered that in the world there were poor people and rich people."
Soon the family moved to a larger town called Junín, where her mother opened a boardinghouse. Life became easier for Evita. She regularly attended school and found she loved reciting poetry. She also loved the movies. These two passions merged when she had the chance to act in school plays. Evita decided to become a famous movie star.
At age 15 she packed her bags and moved to Argentina’s biggest city—Buenos Aires. She worked as a model and got her first role on stage in March 1935. After that she toured with a theater company, performing small parts. Soon Evita’s picture began appearing in local newspapers and magazines. In 1942 she got her big break when the owner of the Radical Soap Company noticed her. He cast Evita as the star in a radio show the company sponsored. Some listeners thought she was a bad actress, but others said she portrayed suffering women well. Almost all who knew her agreed she worked very hard. The head of the largest radio company in the country soon gave her the leading role in a new program, playing famous women such as Elizabeth I of England. She became one of the busiest and highest-paid radio stars in Argentina.
On January 22, 1944, Evita attended a benefit for Argentine earthquake victims. On this "marvelous day," as she called it, Evita met Colonel Juan Perón, a 48-year-old widower. He was drawn to the pretty, 24-year-old actress, and they started seeing each other.
In the mid-1940s, the Argentine government was in turmoil. The president resigned in February 1944, and Juan became vice president, minister of war, and secretary of labor. Some people feared that all these positions made Juan too powerful, and they forced him to resign on October 9, 1945. Within days they went even further and imprisoned him. Argentina’s workers did not stand for that; thousands demonstrated for Juan’s freedom. Some people claim that Evita rallied the protesters; others argue that she was not involved. Either way, Juan was released on October 17. Days later he married Evita, and they started campaigning for the presidency together. Evita was the first wife of a presidential candidate to give speeches. She told the poor that she understood them, saying, "I speak in the name of the humble, the homeless, to cry out against the old, evil days." Excited about a leader who supported the workers instead of the rich, the crowds chanted, "Evita, Evita!" With Evita’s help, Juan became president on June 4, 1946.
Evita was a new kind of first lady. Although she had no official title, she became an active member of the government, with an office in the ministry of labor. Not everyone approved of her involvement. When she came to a government meeting that was normally attended only by elected officials, a senator objected to her presence. He learned a valuable lesson—those who offended Evita paid a high price. He was tossed out of the government and jailed. Evita also traveled to Europe to meet the pope and the heads of many countries. At receptions she glistened in jewels and designer dresses. But many Europeans were unsure if they could trust this woman, who claimed to love the poor but dressed like a queen. She upset many people by visiting Spain, a country ruled by a fascist dictator. Some demonstrators in Europe even threw stones and tomatoes at her.
In Argentina Evita was not popular with everyone, but she continued to work hard for what she wanted. She annoyed many men by insisting that women be given the right to vote, which was granted in 1947. She disturbed the upper class by supporting the workers, saying, "The land belongs to him who works it." Evita knew that her power came from the devotion of the lower classes. Workers loved her and called her the "Queen of Labor" and the "Lady of Hope." She organized the Eva Perón Foundation, which funded housing for the poor, the elderly, and single mothers. It also built schools, orphanages, and hospitals. Evita solicited money for her foundation from big companies and rich individuals. Most donated, but some objected—for which they were punished. A candy company that resisted giving money to the foundation was closed for three years. Newspapers that carried negative stories about Evita were also shut down, and her critics were spied upon and had their telephones tapped.
She was still beloved by the workers, however, and they urged her to run for vice president in the election of 1951. She declined, probably because she knew by then that she was sick. Evita had cancer, but she voted for her husband from her hospital bed in the first election in which women could participate. Evita’s last public appearance was on June 4, 1952, at Juan’s inauguration, where she was given the title "Spiritual Leader of the Nation." She died on July 26, 1952, at age 33.
Evita’s death led to an enormous outpouring of grief. Two million Argentines came to see her lying in state. Flowers carpeted the streets and businesses closed for three days. Juan had her body embalmed and planned to display it in an elaborate shrine. But he was ousted as president in 1955, before the monument could be finished. The new military government worried that Evita’s death would encourage her admirers to take up the causes she supported. So they hid her body in Italy for over a decade. In the 1970s Juan returned to the presidency, and Evita was finally buried in Argentina in 1976. Today many people visit her grave.
Evita sought fame her entire life. Beloved by some and feared by others, she became an important part of Argentina’s history. She said, "I left my dreams by the wayside in order to watch over the dreams of others." Did she? Even today people cannot agree about this former first lady. Was she truly a champion of the poor or was she simply acting the part to advance her own career? No one will ever know, but few would argue that she achieved fame beyond her wildest hopes.