Saby Kamalich (born May 13, 1939 in Lima, Peru) is a Peruvian-born Mexican film and television actress. Her father Antonio Fantoni was from Italy, and her mother was from Croatia. Aside from her telenovela roles, Kamalich starred in many Mexican film productions such as Valente Quintero (1973), where she co-starred Antonio Aguilar.

Biography

Saby Kamalich was born Sabina Fantoni Kamalich to Antonio Fantoni and his Croatian wife.
Kamalich first became interested in acting as a young woman when Braulio Castillo, the Puerto Rican actor, went to work in Peru. Kamalich admitted to El Vocero, a newspaper in Puerto Rico, that she had platonic feelings for Castillo. The two would later maintain a lifelong friendship.

Looking for better job opportunities, Kamalich moved to Mexico in 1970, where she had participated in three stage productions, and more importantly in Panamericana's 1969 version of the well-known telenovela (Spanish soap operas), Simplemente Maria. The Peruvian version, was the fourth filmed of Simplemente Maria, which had already been a hit in Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.

Simplemente Maria made Kamalich famous across Latin America, in markets such as Guatemala, Nicaragua, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, and the aforementioned countries, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

It was during the filming of Simplemente Maria that Kamalich finally met her childhood idol, Braulio Castillo, who was already a family man with five children.

Since then, Kamalich has worked in a considerable number of telenovelas, usually playing benevolent characters. One exception was her 2005 participation in Gitanas, where she plays a villain. In Gitanas, she had the opportunity to act with Saul Lisazo, who played her son, among other actors.

In 2005 she also acted in another Telemundo serial, "Corazón partido" where she reappeared as villain yet again in the role of "Virginia Graham".

In 2007 Kamalich participates in another telenovela produced by Telemundo. Madre Luna which is being shot in Colombia, she is to play the role as a villain. This would be the first time in many years that Kamalich leaves Mexico (where she has resided for over 3 decades) to a foreign country (Colombia) to participate in this telenovela (Madre Luna).

Among the most significant telenovelas are: 1971's Rosas Para Veronica, which was another major hit, 1973's Mi Rival, and 1979's Amor Prohibido, which was also remade later on.

After the decade of the 1970s was over, Kamalich's telenovela career slowed somewhat. During the 1980s, she participated in ten productions, including 1988's Amor en Silencio ("Silently Loving You"). During the 1990s, her work became even more sporadic, but she did participate in Carrusel de las Américas, which was the sequel of the children's telenovela hit Carrusel, alongside Ludwika Paleta. In 1998, she and Lucía Méndez acted together in Tres veces Sofia (Three Times Sofia).

Saby Kamalich, as a result of her career that spans 35 years in Mexico as an actress, will be given the Eduardo Arozamena medal for her contributions to that country's show business. She has won the prestigious Ariel award for best acting performances in Mexico for best supporting actress in Mariana.

Apart from that, she also made a film, also named Simplemente Maria, based on the successful telenovela.

In 2012, she is actually to portray Berenice del Toro in La Mujer de Judas (2012) but she did not show up on the first day of shooting due to health problem. She was replaced by Marta Verduzco. Later that year, she is set to comeback with La Otra Cara del Alma alongside Gabriela Spanic and Eduardo Capetillo.