Revueltas was born in Ciudad Lerdo, Durango, Mexico, to an artistic family; her brothers included composer Silvestre, writer José, and painter Fermín. She studied acting and ballet in Mexico City, and made many movies in Mexico. During the filming of her one U.S. film, Salt of the Earth, about striking Mexican-American miners in New Mexico, she was arrested and deported to Mexico.
She worked in Germany in Brecht's theater and in Cuba. Her semi-autobiographical book, The Revueltas, about her family members, came out in 1979. In her later years, she served as a judge in film festivals in Berlin, Germany and Barcelona, Spain.
She died at her home in Cuernavaca, Mexico, after a long illness. She was approximately 86 years old.