Irma Serrano
Irma Consuelo Cielo Serrano Castro (9 December 1933 – 1 March 2023), better known simply as Irma Serrano, was a Mexican singer, actress, and politician, widely known by the nickname “La Tigresa.” Born in Comitán de Domínguez in Chiapas, she rose to prominence in the 1960s as a performer of ranchera and corrido music and developed a parallel screen career spanning Mexican cinema from the early 1960s onward.
In music, Serrano recorded and performed extensively in traditional Mexican popular styles; sources note a professional takeoff in the early 1960s, including work associated with Columbia Records.
As an actress, she became closely identified with bold, sensational genre filmmaking and star vehicles built around her “La Tigresa” persona, while also appearing in mainstream productions alongside major figures such as Cantinflas and El Santo.
Beyond film, she played a notable role in Mexico City theater as the owner and producer of Teatro Fru Fru (a venue she acquired and restored), staging adult-oriented and controversial productions, including an adaptation of Émile Zola’s Nana.
In politics, Serrano was elected in 1994 to the Senate of the Republic (Mexico), associated with the Party of the Democratic Revolution.
She died on 1 March 2023, reportedly of a heart attack, at age 89.
Acting
TV
La Madrastra
as La Duquesa
2005
Movie
El Extra
as Señorita en la audición
1962
Movie
Lola the Truck Driver
as Flor de Lotos / Alondra
1983
Movie
Shark Hunters
as Rosa
1963
Movie
Santo vs. the Zombies
as Det. Isabel
1962
Movie
Santo and the Golden Eagle
as Irma Morales
1973
Movie
Naná
as Naná
1985
Movie
El zurdo
as Catalina
1965
Movie
Juana la Cubana
1994
Movie
Lovers of the Lord of the Night
as Saurina
1986
Movie
Noches de Cabaret: Las Reinas del Talón
as as self
1978
Movie
La tigresa
as Irma 'La Tigresa'
1973
Movie
El caudillo
1968
Movie
The Revenge of Gabino Barrera
1971
Movie
The Monastery of the Vultures
as Amalia
1973
Movie
El hijo del diablo
1966
Movie
Los gavilanes negros
1966
Movie
El corrido de María Pistolas
1964
Movie
La Chamuscada - Tierra Y Libertad
as Chabela Herrero
1971
Movie
La Martina
as Martina
1972
Movie
Los malvados
1966
Movie
El Hijo De Gabino Barrera
1965
Movie
Adriana del Rio, actriz
as Self
1979
Movie
Los amores de Juan Charrasqueado
1968