He February 23the most emblematic figure of Argentine television, Mirtha Legrandblew 99 candles from an extraordinary journey that turned her into a living legend of the show national. It burst onto the screen more than eight decades ago and maintains an active presence in the media to this day, which has been highlighted as a case of permanence almost without equivalent in the history of world television.
Legrand’s career began in the cinema during the call Golden Age of national cinemawith more than 30 films from the 40s and 50sincluding his leading role in On Tuesdays, orchids when she was just 14 years old, which catapulted her to stardom. That cinematographic background established a solid foundation for her future on television, and although she acted in films for years, it was the small screen that established her as a popular icon throughout the country.
In 1968began what would be his most lasting project: Having lunch with the stars, program where a table, a lunch and a list of diverse guests forever changed the journalistic-social format in the country. The idea, conceived to combine talk and live food, evolved over time in Having lunch with Mirtha Legrand and later in Mirtha’s Nightalways with Legrand at the forefront, posing incisive questions to figures from entertainment, politics and culture who marked the public agenda.
According to various media, its cycle, with minimal interruptions, has remained on screen for 58 seasonswhich positions it as one of the oldest drivers in the industry. It is for this reason that a tribute has been dedicated to him on various social networks and digital portals. One of the most original, using AI, is that of Mirtha Legrand in versions of different nationalities. In the edited version shared in X, we see the “lunch lady” with German, Mexican, Chinese and Colombian appearance, among others.
Throughout its history, the program changed stations multiple timesa sign of the impact and also of the tensions it generated in the television industry. After his debut on Channel 9, he moved to Channel 13 in 1973where he consolidated his identity during the seventies. Later, he passed by ATC (public television)returned to Channel 9, was on America TVreturned to Public Television and, in its most stable stage in recent times, settled again in The Thirteenwhere many viewers followed her for more than a decade. In these changes, the program not only survived but reaffirmed its vocation to always be at the center of the Argentine social and cultural debate.
Owner of a style, direct and often provocative, she made the public adopt her as something more than a host: a voice of multiple generations who has known how to adapt to social and technological changes without denying her conservative identity. Personally, Mirtha was part of a family also linked to cinema and culture: her older brother, José Martínez Suárezwas a renowned film director and his twin sister, Silvia “Goldie” Legrandalso acted at his side.
She was married to the film director Daniel Tinayre from 1946 until his death in 1994, and from that marriage were born two children, Marcela and Danielwho maintained the artistic and media legacy of the Legrand-Tinayre dynasty in the following generations. Today, his grandchildren, among them Nacho Viale and Juana Vialeand great-grandchildren like Benedictis Amberaccompany her in family celebrations and represent the continuity of a name that, for many, defines part of the history of Argentine entertainment.
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