Talk about Mirtha Legrand is to explore almost a century of Argentine history through a single figure. At 99 years old, Rosa María Juana Martínez Suárez is not only an icon of entertainment, but a living presence in the country’s culture and politics. Her career, as extensive as it is multifaceted, traces an arc that goes from classic cinema to television, from public intimacy to controversy, and from the social elite to the voice recognized by millions as an interlocutor of a national reality that is often uncomfortable and that only she dares to comment on.
In recent years, Mirtha went from being the photograph of a rancid aristocracy to becoming the flag of the voiceless. His catchphrase “They ask me in the street” became the preamble to ask politicians what few dare to ask. And it doesn’t just feed on leaders. His “mesaza” became a measure of success among the new generations. Getting there, whether for L-Gante, Luck-Ra, La Joaqui or Lali, is the long-awaited celebrity certificate. Even over the years, she managed to conquer the progressive public that always looked at her with distrust. And he became the “voice of the people”, with his criticism of the power in power. It could be said, without fear of being wrong, that Mirtha is already an untouchable on the national scene.
Born in Villa Cañás, province of Santa Fe, in 1927, Mirtha found her first shine in the cinema of the 1940s. Films like “Tuesdays, Orchids” (1941) and “The Trip” (1942) made her an absolute star. Her beauty, charisma and versatility led her to embody the golden youth of Argentine cinema in a moment of splendor. Under the direction of Daniel Tinayre, whom she married in 1946, she also starred in daring films for the time.
Renaissance. His true turning point was June 3, 1968, the day he premiered “Lunching with the Stars.” The image of an extended table, illustrious guests and a hostess who knew how to ask questions marked a before and after on Argentine television. “Eat on television?” she asked herself in disbelief at first, at the proposal offered by businessman Alejandro Romay. That simple innovation became the most influential platform in the country, capable of transforming lunches into political, cultural and social spaces. And he repeated: “How they see you, they treat you”, one of his immortal phrases. Television not only reflected, but defined perceptions. And over time he added: “And if they see you well, they hire you.”
Thus, his table became a mirror of Argentina. All the democratic presidents of Argentina were present, some more comfortable, others less so, and none went unnoticed. Carlos Menem, in the nineties, kept the promise he had made to Mirtha before becoming head of state and returned to the program several times. On one of those visits he even danced Arabic dance in the studio, a gesture that went beyond the presidential solemnity. Mirtha confronted Mauricio Macri with a phrase that became iconic: “He doesn’t see reality.” With Javier Milei, when he was still a candidate, he went further. He stated that he and his partner “were not normal.” There were lunches with Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner that became milestones on the media agenda due to the crudeness of the questions and the open tension with power.
Being already a milestone of Argentine television, in more than half a century on the air, many of its questions were recorded due to the level of incorrectness they had. In 2010, in a debate on the equal marriage law, he asked the designer Roberto Piazza: “The homosexual couple, suppose they adopt a boy, since they have homosexual inclinations, couldn’t their son be raped?”, a comment that he later described as “unhappy” and for which he also apologized. Thus, it is also worth mentioning when he invited Yiya Murano to his table and accepted a dough “of his own making”; or in 1999, the clash with Silvana Suárez when, after questioning her incisively about her personal life and her divorce, Legrand blurted out: “I don’t need you to have an audience,” a phrase that precipitated Suárez’s departure from the live table. It was the first time a guest left the table and walked away during the broadcast. Years later, Mirtha acknowledged with self-criticism: “I deserved it.”
Mea culpa. One of his virtues is that he always knew how to apologize, show evolution and get on the same level as his opponents, even when they were far behind his career. From his implicit homophobia, he managed to change his editorial line and what at the time made more than one guest uncomfortable with his sexuality, he later naturalized it. The thing is that his frontal style – and at times prejudiced – generated tensions with his guests. Uncomfortable questions to figures such as Cecilia Rossetto or the star Cris Miró about how she should refer to her gender identity reflected not only the lack of cultural education of her time, but also the transition from a traditional personality to a more reflective and sensitive one. Because he overcame all that and knew how to improve himself.
She managed a “black list” of guests that she considered irreversible because she considered them unserious, spiteful, or lacking a discourse that would allow for deep dialogue. Ricardo Fort, symbol of “junk television”, was part of that secret manuscript where Lucho Avilés, Héctor “Bambino” Veira, Alberto Tarantini, Miguel Ángel Solá and Rodolfo Bebán also appeared. But none of them reached the level of neglect that Samuel “Chiche” Gelblung suffered, of whom he did not even want to hear about. His anger was due to a hostile view that the journalist had on his family when he edited Gente magazine and due to an unclear romance with his daughter Marcela.
His personal life was marked by intensity, but also by discretion. She lived in love and business with Daniel Tinayre for decades, but the death of his son Daniel, at a time when society was not ready to talk openly about homosexualityleft a deep mark that he integrated over time into his story, even though he says little about it. Mirtha turned her pain into a debate, like when she was unable to fire her sister Goldie due to the pandemic, a situation that she reproaches Alberto Fernández for every time she has the opportunity to talk about her Government’s health policy with Olivos-Gate. But all this anecdote was left behind at 99 years old. She seems to have achieved a social consensus that admires her resilience, her ability to reinvent herself and to continue working with lucidity, which earned her several records.
Behind the border. In 2023, the French newspaper Le Monde praised his career. The article pointed out the way in which he had made a mark on Argentine television, his professional longevity and his ability to remain on the public scene without giving in to ephemeral fashions. The international view picked up on what many in Argentina intuitively defined, its figure as part of the audiovisual memory of an entire country. In turn, the Guinness World Records entity is evaluating certifying her as the oldest communicator on the planet and the oldest to make a television advertisement for Shell’s action last year.
To study the figure of Mirtha Legrand is to understand that her validity is not explained by the persistence of her body and soul, but by the elasticity of her presence. Winner of 42 Martín Fierro awards, including Gold in 1992, Platinum in 2009 and Brilliant in 2017 and 2024; and a Silver Condor in 1945 for his leading role in the film “The Little Lady of Pérez”. She worked on all the air channels and even hosted her own radio program between 2004 and 2005, when she performed “Mirtha en la Red” on La Red AM 910. Her only reproach for the love that her audience and the media gave her occurred when a statue was inaugurated in her honor in a plaza in Villa Cañas, which she thanked, but asked for it to be removed because it did not reflect her image. And he was right.
Like everything in your life, Mirtha Legrand turned her 99th birthday into a political and public event. combining family affection, glamor and symbolism. In the house of her daughter Marcela Tinayre and surrounded by more than 70 guests, among whom were her daughter Marcela, her grandchildren Juana and Nacho Viale with their respective partners, senator Patricia Bullrich, designer Gino Bogani, singer Jairo, Teté Coustarot, Juan José Campanella and Roberto Moldavsky; The diva celebrated on Monday, February 23, with a production taken care of down to the smallest detail, in an atmosphere that, despite the storm that broke out in the city, did not lose its warmth.
The celebration included two costume changes, first an outfit by Claudio Cosano and then by Iara Alta Couture, and a setting with flowers and souvenirs. For dinner, the menu included welcome tapas, burrata starter, gnocchi, risotto and salmon; and in front of the traditional three-tier cake, and after blowing out the candles, Mirtha confessed her three wishes that summarized her vital spirit: peace for Argentina, may her beloved Racing Club win, and health for all; in addition to optimistically expressing his great desire to reach 100 years of age.
Susana Giménez was absent, warning from Madrid that she could not be there, but even so, the night was one of commotion and celebration, with emotional speeches, live music and Mirtha’s gesture of greeting the press despite the rain.
Such breadth of work and time explains that Mirtha always knew how to adapt to cultural changes, to new generations, to formats that were reinvented and to a country that, like her, changed course many times. His career gave him a passport to be able to say what he thinks without half measures. And to continue setting the agenda in the public conversation. His legacy, with lights and shadows, successes and contradictions, is an indispensable chapter in the cultural history of Argentina.
