{{Short description|Spanish-American actress and singer (1923–2015)}} {{Use American English|date=August 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Lita Baron | image = Lita Baron May 1960.jpg | image_size = | caption = Baron in 1960 | birth_name = Isabel Castro | birth_date = {{Birth date|mf=yes|1923|08|11}} | birth_place = [[Almería]], Spain | death_date = {{Death date and age|mf=yes|2015|12|16|1923|08|11}} | death_place = [[Palm Springs, California]], U.S. | other_names = Isabelita | occupation = {{hlist|Actress|singer}} | years_active = 1944–1979 | spouse = {{marriage|[[Rory Calhoun]]|1948|1970|reason=divorced}} | children = 3 }}

'''Lita Baron''' (born '''Isabel Castro'''; August 11, 1923 &ndash; December 16, 2015)<ref name="opa">{{cite book|last1=Lentz|first1=Harris M. III|title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2015|date=2016|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476625539|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=peLIDAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Lita+Baron%22&pg=PA20|accessdate=26 March 2018|language=en}}</ref> was a Spanish-born American actress and singer who appeared in movies and television shows for over 30 years.

==Early life== Baron was born Isabel Castro in [[Almería]], Spain, on August 11, 1923, and emigrated to the United States with her family in 1928. Her parents were Pedro and Francesca Castro.<ref name="LitaObit">{{cite news | url=http://obituaries.desertsun.com/obituaries/thedesertsun/obituary.aspx?n=Lita-Baron&pid=177290153 | title=Lita Baron | newspaper=[[The Desert Sun]] | date=January 17, 2016 | accessdate=October 27, 2016}}</ref>

After moving, the family lived in [[River Rouge, Michigan]],<ref name="opa" /> where she attended [[River Rouge School District|River Rouge High School]].<ref>{{cite news|title=High School Dancer|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18637885/lita_baron_isabel_castro/|work=Detroit Free Press|date=January 6, 1940|location=Michigan, Detroit|page=20|via = [[Newspapers.com]]|accessdate = March 25, 2018}} {{Open access}}</ref>

== Career == Baron started her career in show business as a singer and dancer with [[Xavier Cugat]]'s orchestra. Billed as '''Isabelita''', she also had her own act in nightclubs in Hollywood.<ref name="opa" />

Starting in 1944, she appeared in several Hollywood films and television series. Her last screen role came in the 1979 film ''Bitter Heritage'', in which her then ex-husband [[Rory Calhoun]] starred.<ref name="LBaron">{{cite web | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lita-baron-dead-actress-nightclub-856005 | title=Lita Baron, Spanish-Born Actress and Nightclub Performer, Dies at 92 | work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=January 14, 2016 | accessdate=October 27, 2016 | author=Barnes, Mike}}</ref> She later worked in radio and real estate.<ref name="LitaObit" />

==Personal life== In 1948, Baron married Hollywood actor Rory Calhoun. The couple had three daughters. Baron and Calhoun divorced in 1970, and she cited his multiple extramarital affairs as one of the reasons for the separation.<ref name="Rory">{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-rory-calhoun-1091185.html | title=Obituary: Rory Calhoun | newspaper=[[The Independent]] | date=May 3, 1999 | accessdate=October 27, 2016 | author=Vallance, Tom}}</ref>

Baron supported [[Barry Goldwater]] in the [[1964 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QfHXAAAAQBAJ&q=Lita%20Baron | title=When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics| isbn=9781107650282| last1=Critchlow| first1=Donald T.| date=2013-10-21}}</ref>

==Death== Baron died in Palm Springs, California, on December 16, 2015, at age 92. The cause of death was complications from a fall, which had resulted in a broken hip.<ref name="LBaron"/>

==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- !style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year !style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title !style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role !style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |1944 ||''[[That's My Baby! (1944 film)|That's My Baby!]]'' || Isabelita || |- |rowspan=3|1945 ||''[[Pan-Americana]]'' || Lupita || |- |''[[The Gay Senorita]]'' || Chiquita || |- |''[[Club Havana]]'' || Isabelita || |- |rowspan=3|1946 ||''[[Slightly Scandalous]]'' || Lola || |- |''[[High School Hero (1946 film)|High School Hero]]'' || Chi-Chi || |- |''[[Don Ricardo Returns]]'' || Dorothea || |- |1947 ||''[[That's My Gal]]'' || Isabelita || |- |1948 ||''[[Jungle Jim (film)|Jungle Jim]]'' || Zia || |- |rowspan=2|1949 ||''[[Border Incident]]'' || Rosita || Uncredited |- |''[[Bomba, the Jungle Boy|Bomba on Panther Island]]'' || Losana || |- |1951 ||''[[Savage Drums]]'' || Sari || |- |1954 ||''[[Jesse James' Women]]'' || Delta || |- |1955 ||''[[The Treasure of Pancho Villa]]'' || Birdcage Flirt in Plaza || Uncredited |- |rowspan=2|1956 ||''[[Red Sundown]]'' || Maria || |- |''[[The Broken Star]]'' || Conchita Alvarado || |- |1960 ||''Compadece al delincuente'' || flamenco dance couple || |- |1979 ||''Bitter Heritage'' || La Madre || (final film role) |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} *{{IMDb name|0056270|Lita Baron}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baron, Lita}} [[Category:1923 births]] [[Category:2015 deaths]] [[Category:Spanish emigrants to the United States]] [[Category:People from River Rouge, Michigan]] [[Category:21st-century American women]] [[Category:Actresses from Wayne County, Michigan]] [[Category:People from Almería]] [[Category:Actresses from Andalusia]]