The International Cemetery in Benalmádena Pueblo is the resting place of people from across the Costa del Sol’s history, including actors, writers, a wartime officer and figures linked to the area’s cultural and tourism industries.
The cemetery is at Calle Camino de la Fuentezuela, 2. Among its notable graves is that of Hungarian-born actor Paul Lukas, who won an Oscar and specified in his will that he be buried in Benalmádena. His headstone was recently restored and unveiled at a ceremony involving the Hungarian embassy and the town hall, according to the discovery report.
Spanish actress Ágata Lys, who died in 2021, is buried with her partner, architect Fernando Soto. Her grave bears her stage name and the inscription “Thank you to life, which gave me so much.” The report says her death was not discovered in Benalmádena until 40 days later.
The cemetery also holds the grave of Jaromir Hanush, a Czech-born engineer who worked on the team that developed the atomic bomb, and Ángeles Rubio Argüelles, a theatre director and arts patron whose school helped launch the careers of performers including Antonio Banderas. Around a hundred Marist brothers are buried in seven plots.
Other notable residents include Imperio Argentina, the singer and film star, and Maurice Beriro, founder of Torremolinos’ Hotel Tropicana and Benalmádena’s Rancho Domingo. The grounds also contain many unmarked or less-known graves, reflecting the range of people who settled on the Costa del Sol.