16/06/2026 22:12 - Entretenimiento
Mujer mayor rubia de 80 años con vestido rojo elegante sonriendo sentada en una celebración familiar con flores y decoración festiva
Evangelina Salazar turned 80 years old this June 15, and she celebrated surrounded by what matters most to her: her family. The actress who captivated generations of Argentine viewers with her talent on screen received a special tribute from her husband of six decades, Ramón "Palito" Ortega, and from their six children and seven grandchildren.
Social media became the stage for an intimate yet emotionally charged celebration. Each post served as a portrait of a family that, generation after generation, continues to find in Evangelina their emotional center and unifying force.
The first to honor her was her lifelong companion. Palito Ortega—one of Argentina's most beloved singers from the 1960s who later served as governor of Tucumán province and senator—chose a special photo to post on his Instagram account: Evangelina seated in profile, wearing a sleek red suit and her signature blonde bob, with a subtle smile.
The message accompanying the image sums up six decades of love: "Today we celebrate another birthday of Evangelina Salazar, Palito Ortega's life partner for 60 years."
The singer, who has more than 126,000 followers on Instagram, didn't hold back in showing his affection for his wife, with whom he starred in Argentina's first televised wedding in 1967—a historic event that captivated the nation.
Bautista Ortega, son of singer Emanuel Ortega and model Ana Paula Dutil, shared several images with his grandmother, including a tender snapshot of him embracing Evangelina. "Happy birthday, beautiful," the grandson wrote.
Meanwhile, Dante Ortega, eldest son of actress Guillermina Valdés and producer Sebastián Ortega, chose a particularly emotional image showing him hugging his grandmother during a family celebration. "Happy birthday, grandma of my heart," was his dedication.
Actress Julieta Ortega, known for her roles in Argentine television and Netflix's "El Marginal" (released internationally as "The Marginal"), also joined the festivities with an intimate photo of her mother: Evangelina in a pink robe, leaning against a column in her home, smiling conspiratorially.
"Happy birthday, Mom," Julieta wrote alongside the image with a white heart emoji, conveying the peacefulness of everyday moments, far from the spotlight but full of meaning.
Evangelina Salazar began her career in film and television when she was just 11 years old, becoming one of the most prolific actresses of her generation in Argentina's golden age of cinema.
In 1966, she won the Best Actress award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival (Spain's prestigious film festival) for her leading role in "Del brazo y por la calle" ("Arm in Arm and Down the Street"), directed by Enrique Carreras. A year earlier, she had met Palito Ortega on the set of "Mi primera novia" ("My First Girlfriend"), where their love story began.
| Career Milestone | Details |
|---|---|
| Career Start | Age 11 in film and television |
| 1966 | Best Actress Award - San Sebastián Film Festival |
| 1967 | Argentina's first televised wedding (with Palito Ortega) |
| 2004 | Silver Condor Award for Best Supporting Actress |
After marrying Palito Ortega, Evangelina stepped away from the entertainment world, making only sporadic appearances in productions by her sons Sebastián and Luis Ortega, such as "Un año para recordar" (2011) and "Graduados" (2012)—popular Argentine telenovelas.
In 2004, she shone again on the big screen with "Monobloc", a film directed by her son Luis Ortega, earning her the Silver Condor Award for Best Supporting Actress—Argentina's equivalent to the Oscars, presented by the Argentine Film Critics Association.
Evangelina and Palito had six children: Martín, Julieta, Sebastián, Emanuel, Luis, and Rosario—each pursuing their own artistic careers in Argentina's entertainment industry. Today, the family has grown to include seven grandchildren who continue to celebrate their grandmother as the heart of the Ortega family dynasty.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
