María Magdalena Nile del Río, known professionally as Imperio Argentina, was born on December 26, 1906, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She began her singing career at age six, debuting in a festival at Teatro San Martín in 1916. In 1923, she moved to Spain and adopted her stage name. Her breakthrough came with the film La hermana San Sulpicio (1927), directed by Florián Rey, where she sang on the director's orders. She sang in several other notable films, including Los claveles de la Virgen (1928), Corazones sin rumbo (1928), and Melodía de arrabal (1932). Her vocal collaborations with Carlos Gardel on La casa es seria (1932) and Melodía de arrabal (1932) further solidified her status. She passed away on August 22, 2003.
