Luis Jose Santander (born April 8, 1960) is a Venezuelan actor.
Santander was born in the United States and raised in Venezuela.
Santander was not an instant sensation, as he had to work hard to become famous. He labored as an actor in small plays around Venezuela when his chance to become famous arrived in 1987. That year, he made his
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
debut in "
Y la Luna Tambien" ("And the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
Too"), which became a major international hit, reaching important numbers in
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 ...
, Mexico and
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
, among others. It wasn't until 1988, however, when, at the age of 28, he became a teen idol following the smash success of "Niña Bonita" ("Pretty Girl"). This production, which was produced by
Venevision and had nothing in common storywise with the latter
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
hit "
Pretty Woman
''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, from a screenplay by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance), La ...
", was a major hit all over
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 ...
propelling Santander and his
female
Female (Venus symbol, symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ovum, ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the Sperm, male gamete during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gamet ...
co-star,
Ruddy Rodríguez
Ruddy Rosario Rodríguez de Lucía (; born March 20, 1967), a former Miss Venezuela World, is an actress, model and businesswoman. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, daughter of Venezuelan Pedro José Rodríguez and Italian Rita de Lucía. She has a b ...
, into super-stardom in the area. The
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
's title song "Tan Enamorados" also propelled singer
Ricardo Montaner
Héctor Eduardo Reglero Montaner (born September 8, 1957), better known as Ricardo Montaner (), is an Argentine-born Venezuelan singer and songwriter. Since starting his career in the late 1970s, he has released more than 24 albums, and many su ...
into international fame.
"Niña Bonita"'s success raised both Santander and Rodriguez's rentability in the high-paying
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
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 ...
world. In Santander's case, he followed "Niña Bonita" with "Maribel" in 1989. While not as successful as "
Niña Bonita", "Maribel" was also a large hit for the Venezuelan actor.
In 1991, he participated in "Mundo de Fieras", which was another large success on the Venezuelan and United States Latino television viewer's ratings.
By then, his telenovelas had caused so much interest, that Santander became well known in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
as well, with many of his soap operas being shown in places like Russia and Hungary.
In 1993, Santander participated in "Macarena". Whether the title of this song had anything to do with the latter hit, "
Macarena
"Macarena" is a dance song by Spanish pop duo Los del Río, about a woman of the same name. The song uses a type of clave rhythm. Originally appearing on the 1993 album '' A mí me gusta'', a subsequent remix by Miami-based producers The Bays ...
", is unknown.
In 1994, he participated in "Morena Clara" ("Brown Girl"), which, again, would prove that he was among Venezuelans' favorite actors.
In a surprise move, he went to Mexico in 1996, contracted by that country's largest network,
Televisa
Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content.
In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...
, to film ''
Lazos de Amor
''Lazos de amor'' (English title: ''Τies of love'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Carla Estrada for Televisa in 1995. It stars Lucero (entertainer), Lucero and Luis José Santander.
Plot
The series centers around María Guadalupe, María ...
'', ("Love Ties") alongside Mexican superstar
Lucero. Odd as it might sound to many, at the age of 37, Santander recovered his status as a teen idol, at least in Mexico, where that soap opera became a classic of Mexican television, due in part to the following he generated among Mexican
Teenage
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
d girl. Afterward, he starred in "Te sigo amando" ("I will still love you") (1996) with Claudia Ramirez and Sergio Goyri.
After filming "Vidas Prestadas" ("Borrowed Lives") in 2000, Santander has lived in semi-retirement, often flying between Mexico and Venezuela for interviews and special occasions, including appearing in "Inocente de ti" alongside Camila Sodi and Valentino Lanus.
In 2006 Santander returned to Venezuela to star in the telenovela "Silvia Rivas, divorciada".
In 2007 Santander appeared in the telenovela "Voltea pa' que te enamores".
In 2007 he was also invited to participate in the Telenovela "
Pasión" which was produced by
Carla Estrada
Carla Estrada (born Carla Patricia Estrada Guitrón on March 11, 1956 in Mexico City, D.F., Mexico) is a Mexican television producer, one of the foremost telenovela producers of Latin America.
Biography
In 2005, the Mexican government decided t ...
in
México
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and was shown in several countries around the world. Carla Estrada also produced "
Lazos de Amor
''Lazos de amor'' (English title: ''Τies of love'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Carla Estrada for Televisa in 1995. It stars Lucero (entertainer), Lucero and Luis José Santander.
Plot
The series centers around María Guadalupe, María ...
" (Love Ties) which was mentioned before.
In "
Pasión" Santander plays "Foreman", a British
Pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
, and the story is situated around 1780 in what used to be "
Nueva España
New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Amer ...
" (New Spain).
The telenovela industry has valuable presences, but there is only one dimension of Luis
Jose Santander. This charismatic artist with extensive experience, was born in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, where his parents were studying. Luis Jose arrived in Venezuela at an early age, and grew up in an environment where artistic manifestations were present every day as painters, poets, and illustrious musicians who visited the house of his parents.
After completing his primary and secondary studies, he put aside his parents dream that he study medicine, instead choosing to study acting. He achieved a scholarship to study drama in the United States in Bridgeport Connecticut,
where he perfected the mastery of the language of Shakespeare.
José Luis has received several awards among which are: Mara Gold, Meridian Gold, TVyNovelas, Silver Star——the latter two of Mexico, among others. His popularity has steadily increased and with it he has received multiple invitations to participate in events and programs in America, Europe, and even Asia.
Filmography
Television
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santander, Luis Jose
1960 births
Living people
Venezuelan people of American descent
Venezuelan male telenovela actors