![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/static01.nyt.com/packages/flash/multimedia/ICONS/transparent.png)
Lon Chaney Jr. and Elena Verdugo in "House of Frankenstein" (1944).
Universal Pictures, via Everett Collection; thumbnail, ABC, via Photofest
Elena Verdugo
Died on May 30, 2017 at age 92
Ms. Verdugo portrayed one of the first Latina professionals in a television series in the United States and in doing so was credited with inspiring Hispanic women to strive for greater self-respect. She also had a career in films early on.
Notable Deaths 2017
Remembering Mary Tyler Moore, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lewis, David Rockefeller, Trisha Brown, Glen Campbell, Dick Gregory, Edith Windsor, Sam Shepard, Tom Petty and many others who died this year.