Luz Jiménez (actress)

Luz Jiménez Ormeño (born 18 December 1934) is a Chilean actress, theater director, and teacher who gained recognition for her performances in the roles of Maruja in the play ' (1979) and Kiki Blanche in the telenovela ' (1988). She has developed a career spanning 50 years, in which she gained popularity mainly as a theater and television actress.

She began acting theatrically in the 1950s, and during the 1980s became one of the first important figures of the then-emerging telenovela industry at Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN) centered around . Since then, she has been considered one of the country's most respected figures in the performing arts.

Among her most recognized collaborations are those she formed with director , appearing in important telenovelas such as ' (1984), ' (1985), ' (1989), ' (1997), ' (1999), ''Romané'' (2000), ''Pampa Ilusión'' (2001), ' (2002), ' (2007), '' Manuel Rodríguez'' (2010), and '' La Doña'' (2011).

In 2015 she was recognized with a career award at the first .

In 2017 she obtained a small role in the Rede Globo series ''Os Dias Eram Assim''.

Biography

Beginnings

Luz Jiménez's acting studies were conducted in the mid-1960s at the of the University of Chile. However she left her studies incomplete. "I left the theater for a love. I got married and then I had my four daughters." Later, she resumed her studies at the Catholic University's , graduating in 1979. During the 1970s she worked as a secretary in the vice-rectory of the university after the censorship of university theaters during Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship.

She began her career between 1955 and 1960, participating in the various university and independent theater companies, acting in works such as ''El fin de febrero'' (1958) by Alejandro Sieveking, ''La princesa Panchita'', ''Ocúpate de Amelia'', and ''¿Cuantos años tiene un día?'' by the company.

1979–1990

Collective theater and world tour

In 1979 Jiménez starred with Myriam Palacios, Soledad Alonso, and Loreto Valenzuela in the play ' by David Benavente, directed by Raúl Osorio. It was created by Benavente and the Theater Research Workshop (TIT) at Santiago's Teatro Ángel. The work constitutes a milestone in the history of Chilean theater during the period of the dictatorship, given that it deals with the theme of unemployment of the time and machismo from the point of view of three women settlers who try to overcome poverty by weaving burlap in a workshop given by the Vicariate of Solidarity. The success of the play led her to make an international tour of America and Europe.

Collaboration with Sonia Fuchs

After participating in numerous plays, Jiménez debuted on television in 1981 with the first original telenovela on TVN, ', directed by Claudio Guzmán and produced by . In the telenovela she shared the stage with and . This turned out to be a shaky experience for the established theater actress, but it served as a rapid introduction to television. After this opportunity the actress achieved a great friendship with Fuchs, collaborating on all her productions until 1991. Next she would work with Malú Gatica, Loreto Valenzuela, and Alfredo Castro in ' (1984), in which she played a peasant woman faithful to her employer played by Gatica. Later she was part of the cast of ''La torre 10'' (1984). She obtained a starring role in ''Marta a las ocho'', along with Sonia Viveros and , playing Amneris, a woman characterized by her soft tone of voice, elegance, and taste for opera music. The result was excellent. It not only satisfied the public, but also TVN. In the following years, she acted in the melodramas ' (1985), ' (1986), ' (1986), and the miniseries '. In 1987 she appeared in ', where she played Lucrecia Ferrer, a sober and elegant writer of famous novels who falls in love with an executive played by Eduardo Barril.

After participating in numerous telenovelas, Luz Jiménez had her first big role with a leading character: Kiki Blanche in ''Bellas y Audaces'' (1988), directed by and in which she shared credits with actresses such as Sonia Viveros, , and debutante Ana María Gazmuri. Director Vicuña declared: "We tried many figures and we bet on her. For her charisma and great sweetness. It was not an easy role and she did it very well." In 1989 she took the part of one of the central characters of the highly successful series ''Teresa de los Andes'', where she played a religious leader of a convent where Sister Teresa was played by Paulina Urrutia. According to the actress herself, this was one of the best characters she has played on television.

1991–1995

Training of new actors

At the beginning of 1990, she withdrew temporarily from television to teach and train new actors. Between 1991 and 1995 she would join the faculty of The Theater Club of director Fernando González. Among her students were the actors Carolina Fadic, Tamara Acosta, Aline Küppenheim, Álvaro Morales, and Francisca Gavilán. Jiménez clarified, "What I have tried most to convey to you is that acting is a vocation, an inevitable passion that goes beyond the ego and that harbors a true curiosity about life, a desire to tell, a love for the game." According to Tamara Acosta, "She (Luz) was my first acting teacher. She was very important in my training; she had that wonderful thing about the warmth of putting together a team."

1997–2014

Collaboration with Sabatini and TVN's golden age

After a period without major projects, Jiménez regained public favor in 1997 after participating in ''Oro Verde'', again under the direction of Vicente Sabatini, where she gave life to a gossipy woman in charge of a popular hairdresser's in the fictional town of Los Robles in Caburga. The actress shared scenes with Álvaro Morales, José Soza, and Maricarmen Arrigorriaga

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