Lilián Hedwig Elisaveth Welkery Gundlach, known as Lilia del Valle, was a Mexican actress born in Mexico City on April 30, 1928. She was the daughter of German immigrants and, along with her younger sister, began her primary education at the German School in Mexico City. The family later spent two years in Berlin, where the girls became fluent in German. Upon returning to Mexico, Lilia continued her studies while also taking painting lessons at the academy of Spanish artist José Bardasano, encouraged by her parents.