TV & Movies
From an early telenovela cameo to 1997’s Selena.
Fanfare surrounding the legendary Selena Quintanilla has increased as of late, thanks to the release of Netflix’s Selena: The Series, which chronicles the life and tragic passing of the Texas-born singer. Known as the “Queen of Tejano music,” Quintanilla captivated audiences with catchy songs like “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” which was just one of seven tracks by the musician to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Tracks chart. Over 25 years since Quintanilla was murdered by her friend and the president of her fan club Yolanda Saldívar, her legacy is anything but forgotten. Many musicians have cited the Tejano icon as a major influence, and her life is celebrated annually at the Fiesta de la Flor festival in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas.
If you’ve already marathon-watched Selena: The Series and are craving more information about Quintanilla’s life story, check out these films, TV shows, and documentaries.
Dos Mujeres Un Camino
Five years after she transitioned from performing with Los Dinos to pursuing a solo career, Quintanilla appeared as herself in two episodes of the Mexican neo-noir telenovela Dos mujeres un camino. In an interview with TVyNovelas roughly translated to English, the singer said, “I was very nervous because it was my first [acting] performance, but it was a lot of fun.” The series isn’t available to stream, but you can watch her scenes and musical performance on YouTube.
Don Juan DeMarco
The singer took on her first and final cameo role in the 1995 film Don Juan DeMarco, which stars Johnny Depp as a delusional man who believes he is famed fictional seducer Don Juan. Filmed while she was alive but released posthumously in 1995, Quintanilla plays a ranchera singer who briefly appears in the film to perform Bryan Adams’ “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?” alongside a mariachi band.
Selena
Produced by Quintanilla’s father, this beloved 1997 biopic stars Jennifer Lopez in her breakout role as the Tejano musician and chronicles her life, career, and death. In 1996, Lopez spoke to Entertainment Tonight on set of the film. “[Selena] did so much great stuff for the Latino community and gave all these little girls somebody to look up to,” she said. “The movie, in that sense, can help in the same way, breaking down barriers in Hollywood [because] we've had so many problems getting good roles. For me, it's such a blessing. It's an honor to be able to do this.”
Selena Remembered
Similarly to Selena, this documentary was also produced by Quintanilla’s father and released in 1997. Originally packaged as a CD/DVD combo, Selena Remembered features the singer’s most notable songs and music videos as well as footage of her life and career narrated by Edward James Olmos, who played her father in the Jennifer Lopez-starring biopic.
Selena ¡VIVE! Concert
A decade after her passing, Spanish language network Univision produced Selena ¡VIVE! Concert, held at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on April 7, 2005. The televised concert featured performances from Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Paulina Rubio, and members of the Quintanilla family. When it first aired, the special became the highest-rated and most viewed Spanish-language TV special in American television history.
Snapped: Selena: Death of a Superstar
Given the unexpected and horrific nature of Quintanilla’s death, she has been the subject of several true crime documentaries. The Oxygen series Snapped, which focuses on famous and/or bizarre cases of women accused of murder, dedicated an episode to Quintanilla’s murder by Yolanda Saldívar in 2014. The episode centered around how Saldívar went from an extreme fan to the person who murdered her, just over a year after she was placed in charge of managing the singer’s boutiques.
True Hollywood Story: Death of Innocence
Released in March 2021, this True Hollywood Story focuses on three performers who were disturbingly murdered by their own fans: actor Rebecca Schaeffer, who passed in 1989; singer Christina Grimmie, who passed in 2016; and Quintanilla. Per NBC’s description, the episode “explores their lives, their legacies, and the dark side of fame.”
