Gladys Rodríguez (born June 4, 1943) is a Puerto Rican actress, comedian, and television host.

Early years

Rodríguez was born in Santurce,

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. She and her parents moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

when she was still a child. In New York, she received her primary and secondary education. When she was eight years old she attended the Children's Hour Academy where she learned

tap dancing Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

and

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

. In 1960, Rodríguez returned to Puerto Rico where she took drama classes under the guidance of Edmundo Rivera Alvarez. She enrolled in the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

and earned a degree in Dramatic Arts.

Career

Television

Rodríguez made her television debut when she auditioned for a role in the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

''La Mujer de Aquella Noche'' (The Woman of That Night) and performed alongside

Braulio Castillo Braulio Castillo Cintrón (March 30, 1933 – February 28, 2015) was a telenovela actor in Latin America. His two sons, Braulio Castillo, Jr. and Jorge Castillo, are also actors. He was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Castillo played in the ''O ...

. The soap opera was a success and her acting caught the attention of a

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

vian director who offered her a role in the soap opera ''Simplemente María-2da. Parte'' (''Simply Mary-Part 2''), filmed in

. ''Simplemente María Part 2'', became an international success, in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

. She was inactive during the early 1970s, however in 1975 Puerto Rican television producer

Tommy Muñiz Lucas Tomás Muñiz Ramírez (4 February 1922 – 15 January 2009), better known as Tommy Muñiz, was a Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican comedy and drama actor, media producer, businessman and network owner. He is considered to be one of the pioneerin ...

offered Rodríguez to play the role of his "wife" in the situation comedy ''Los García''. The show became very popular and is the longest running series in Puerto Rican television history, considered by many to be a Puerto Rican classic. During that period she also performed the leading roles in the

s: ''Marta Llorens'' with

Raúl Juliá Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...

and

Juan José Camero Juan José Camero (born September 15, 1943) is an Argentine film, television, and theatre actor. Camero started out as an advertising model and worked his way into television roles. In the 1970s he did quite a lot of work in Argentine ''teleno ...

, ''Fue sin Querer'' (''It Wasn't on Purpose'') with

Sandro de América Roberto Sánchez-Ocampo (August 19, 1945 – January 4, 2010), better known by his stage names Sandro or Sandro de América, was an Argentine singer and actor. He is considered a pioneer of Argentine rock for being one of the first rock artists ...

, ''Verano Rojo'' (''Red Summer'') with

Rogelio Guerra Hildegardo Francisco Guerra Martínez (8 October 1936 – 28 February 2018), known artistically as Rogelio Guerra, was a Mexican actor. While primarily active in movies and television, he also was known for his work in theater and dubbing. Fi ...

and ''Viernes Social'' (''Social Friday'') with

Arnaldo André Arnaldo André (born November 12, 1943) is a Paraguayan actor for soap-operas. He spent most of his career in Argentina, where he has been active since 1964. He earned a Martín Fierro award in 2010, and his most recent work was in the ''Los úni ...

, among others. In 2006, she performed a supporting actress role in

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language Terrestrial television, terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a divi ...

's soap opera '' Dueña y Señora'', starring

Karla Monroig Karla Monroig (; born March 5, 1979 in Guayama, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican actress, model and television host. Early years Karla Monroig was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico, located on the southern coastal valley region of the island of Puerto ...

. Rodríguez worked on the post-production stages as actress and Production Designer of the TV mini-series ''El Regalo'' which was released in 2006. In 2007 she hosted a morning

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...

''Entre Nosotras'' (''Among Us'') with Alba Nydia Díaz, among other celebrities.

Theater

Rodríguez began her theater acting career by acting in the following productions: ''Un Tranvía llamado Deseo'' (''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of person ...

'') and ''Los Soles Truncos'' (''Fanlights'') alongside

Esther Sandoval Esther Sandoval (28 December 1928 – 6 February 2006) was a Puerto Rican actress and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television. Early years Sandoval was born Esther María González in Ponce where she received her primary and secondary education. ...

, ''Muerte en el Nilo'' (''Death on the Nile''), ''Palacio de Carton'' (''Cardboard Palace''), ''La Enemiga'' (The Enemy), ''El Búho y la gatita'' (''The Owl and the Pussycat''), ''El mismo año a la misma hora'' (The same year at the same time) and many other more. In the 1990s she starred as Anna in the San Juan production of ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...

'', and as the Mother Superior in the San Juan premiere of ''Sor-Presas'' (''

Nunsense ''Nunsense'' (1985) is a musical comedy with a book, music, and lyrics by Dan Goggin. Originating as a line of greeting cards, Goggin expanded the concept into a cabaret show that ran for 38 weeks, and eventually into a full-length musical. The o ...

''). Other productions include ''Flor de Presidio'' (1989) and ''

Steel Magnolias ''Steel Magnolias'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Academy Award winner Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts. The picture is a film adaptation ...

''. She belonged to an association of Puerto Rican actresses called MECA, which produced for television programs such as ''Ellas al Mediodía''. Later she joined actresses,

Ángela Meyer Ángela Meyer (born August 2, 1947) is a Puerto Rican actress, comedian, producer of television and theatrical works, and politician. Meyer is the founder and/or co-founder of various entertainment production companies. Among the production compani ...

, Camille Carrion and Marilyn Pupo in the TV program called ''Ahora'' (Now).

Feature films

Rodríguez's first featured movie was the 1979 comedy '' Dios los cria'', playing Annette. Then came the 1982 musical comedy ''

Una Aventura Llamada Menudo ''Una aventura llamada Menudo'' is a 1982 film featuring teen boy band Menudo and Puerto Rican actress Gladys Rodríguez. The film's soundtrack received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. Synopsis In ''Una aventura llam ...

'' alongside Puerto Rican boy band Menudo and Mexican teen actress Alondra. In this film, Rodriguez played matriarchal character Señora Mía. This was followed by the 1989 film '' Lo que le paso a Santiago'' (''What Happened to Santiago''), produced by Pedro Muñiz and written and directed by

Jacobo Morales Jacobo Morales (born 12 November 1934) is a Puerto Rican actor, poet, writer, playwright, filmmaker, and auteur.Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

in 1989 in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.

Filmography

* ''Lamento Borincano'' - uncredited * ''Los Expatriados'' (1964) - uncredited * ''Un Largo viaje hacia la muerte'' (1968) - uncredited * '' Dios los cría'' (''And God Created Them'') (1979) - Annette * ''

Una Aventura llamada Menudo ''Una aventura llamada Menudo'' is a 1982 film featuring teen boy band Menudo and Puerto Rican actress Gladys Rodríguez. The film's soundtrack received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. Synopsis In ''Una aventura llam ...

'' (''An Adventure Called Menudo'') (1982) - Señora Mía * ''Cuentos de Don Abelardo'' * ''

Lo que le Pasó a Santiago ''Lo que le pasó a Santiago'' (; "What Happened to Santiago") is a 1989 Puerto Rican film written and directed by Jacobo Morales. The film tells the story of a recently retired widower who meets a mysterious young lady who disrupts his daily rou ...

'' (1989) - Angelina * ''Posada Corazon'' (Novela) (1990) * ''El Poder del Shakti'' (1995) * ''Desvío al paraíso'' (''Shortcut to Paradise'') (1994) - Lona * ''La Guagua aérea'' (''Air Bus'') (1995) * ''Milagro en Yauco'' (''Miracle in Yauco'') (1995) * ''Amores como todos los demas'' (1999) (TV) - Yolanda * ''Amores'' (2004) TV Mini-series (2003) - Seda Blanca *'' El Sueño del regreso ''(2005) - Carlotta *'' El Regalo'' (2006) TV Mini-series - Elizabeth * '' The Caller'' (2011) - Mrs. Guidi In 1999, she participated in the theater production of ''La Carreta'' (''The Oxcart'') by Rene Marques. That same year, she authored her first book, ''Aliup'', in which she discusses her strong Christian beliefs. On March 15, 2002, she acted in the theater production of ''Mujeres de la Biblia'' (''Women of the Bible''), which was initially presented in the Tapia Theater of San Juan. The production's success in over 60 continuous presentations led the producers to present it outside of Puerto Rico to places like the United States.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Gladys 1943 births Living people Actresses from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican soap opera actresses Puerto Rican writers Puerto Rican comedians Puerto Rican film actresses Puerto Rican stage actresses Puerto Rican telenovela actresses People from Santurce, Puerto Rico University of Puerto Rico alumni