Mayra Alejandra
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Mayra Alejandra Rodríguez Lezama (May 7, 1958 – April 17, 2014) was a Venezuelan
actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
. She was the daughter of the Comedian, Charles Barry and the
Writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
and
Actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
, Ligia Lezama.


Biography

Mayra Alejandra Rodríguez Lezama was born on May 7, 1958 in Caracas,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. She was the daughter of Charles Barry (born Carlos Alberto Rodríguez González), was a humourist and founding member of the long-standing '' Radio Rochela'' comedy show, while her mother, Ligia Lezama, was a teleplay writer and also an able actress. She had one brother and one sister. She was raised in a home of artists and was for sure bound to have some of the same passions. (Spanish)


Career

For most of her career, a Mayra character coped with the unfortunate turn of events that were inevitable in TV melodramas and movies by conveying a tense or worried expression. Her fits of tears or temperament were short and sweet, and it underscored the projected inner strength of her characters that proved a pictorial sense of feminism. Her technique was spontaneous and effective, but her acting genius and rhetoric relied on her expressive eyes and the graceful stylings of her hands. After attending high school, Mayra made her debut in the
Radio Caracas Television Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) was a Venezuelan free-to-air television network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, Radio Caracas Televisi ...
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'' ...
''Valentina'' (1975). Then, her first starring role was in ''Angélica'' (1976), where she played a character created especially designed for her by her mother Ligia Lezama. Later, the young actress excelled in ''La hija de Juana Crespo'' (1977), an effective drama from Salvador Garmendia and
José Ignacio Cabrujas José Ignacio Cabrujas Lofiego (July 17, 1937 – October 21, 1995 in Porlamar, Margarita Island) was a Venezuelan playwright, theater director, chronicler, soap opera writer, drama librettist, screenplay writer, radio moderator, humanist and poli ...
. Mayra next appeared in another hit, '' Luisana Mia'' (1981), but she is best remembered for her strong performance in ''
Leonela ''Leonela'' is a Venezuelan telenovela written by Delia Fiallo and produced by RCTV, Radio Caracas Televisión in 1983. The telenovela was divided into two parts: the first part ''Leonela'' had 55 episodes and the second part titled ''Miedo al amor ...
'' (1983), where she played the role of a rape victim falling in love with her rapist. She also appeared in sympathetic parts in '' Bienvenida Esperanza'' (1983), '' Marta y Javier'' (1983) and ''
La Mujer Prohibida La mujer prohibida may refer to: * La mujer prohibida (1972 TV series) * La mujer prohibida (1991 TV series) {{dab ...
'' (1991). Nevertheless, Mayra only needed two films to create a perennial image of femme fatale inside Venezuelan cinema. In 1978 she portrayed the ill-fated '' Carmen'' of
Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and a ...
, as sensual as unprejudiced, dragged itself to tragedy, in
Román Chalbaud Román Chalbaud (born 10 October 1931) is a Venezuelan film director and screenwriter, as well as a prominent playwright. Starting work in television after prestigious training, Chalbaud moved into making films before the industry took off i ...
's adaptation ''Carmen la que contaba 16 años''. Eight years later she repeated her success as a troubled woman, but perhaps more fragile, more lover and friendly that Carmen, while characterizing the seductive and promiscuous
Manon Lescaut ''The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut'' ( ) is a novel by Antoine François Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of ''Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité'' (''Memoirs and Adventures of a Ma ...
of
Abbé Prévost Antoine François Prévost d'Exiles ( , , ; 1 April 169725 November 1763), usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French priest, author, and novelist. Life and works He was born at Hesdin, Artois, and first appears with the full nam ...
. In ''Manón'', a reasonably faithful adaptation made by Chalbaud, Mayra projected an unforced dignity that bolstered her image and established herself as a reliable actress. Eventually, she appeared in a bunch of TV series and
stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...
. In the 1990s, she took this time at the height of her popularity to go on sabbatical to take care of her child. Motherhood was part of her public image, and her own children frequently was featured in fan magazine articles and photographs. Still beautiful at 45, Mayra went back to work in 2000, appearing as a guest star in the
Venevisión Venevisión () is a Venezuelan free-to-air television channel and one of Venezuela's largest television networks, owned by the Cisneros Media division of Grupo Cisneros. History The company's roots date back to June 1, 1953, with the establis ...
telenovela '' Hechizo de Amor''. In her later collaborations, she had become typed as a mother, usually playing the parent of grown-up children, appearing as characters that were older than herself, thus acquiring an older image that belied her actual age. Adapting to her new support role, she made significant appearances in '' Estrambótica Anastasia'' (2004) and '' Harina de otro costal'' (2010), a contemporary and correct version of
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's '' Romeo and Juliet''. During her career, Mayra starred alongside leading men as Miguelángel Landa, both in television and films, as well as with Carlos Olivier, José Luis Rodríguez and Jean Carlo Simancas. She belongs to the generation of pioneering actresses of Venezuelan soap operas such as
Doris Wells Doris Wells (born Doris María Buonafina; 28 October 1943 – 20 September 1988) was a Venezuelan actress, writer and producer. Her best-known television appearances were in ''Campeones'', ''La trepadora'', ''La Hora'', ''Historia de tres herman ...
,
Marina Baura Marina Baura (born November 1, 1941) is a former Venezuelan telenovela actress. Early life Born as Julia Pérez in Galicia, Spain, she moved with her parents and brother Jesús to Venezuela when she was 15 years old, in 1956. She started her pro ...
,
Lupita Ferrer Lupita Ferrer (born December 6, 1947) is a Venezuelan theater, film and television actress. She is known as a "Queen" of telenovelas and one of the most famous Spanish speaking telenovela actresses of all time. Biography Ferrer was born as Yola ...
,
Caridad Canelón Caridad Canelón (born May 16, 1955), is a Venezuelan television actress. She has worked as an actress of telenovelas for Radio Caracas Televisión and Venevisión Venevisión () is a Venezuelan free-to-air television channel and one of Venez ...
,
Hilda Carrero Hilda Elvira Carrero García (December 26, 1951 – January 28, 2002) was a Venezuela, Venezuelan model and actress, known for her participation in series as ''Las amazonas (Venezuelan TV series), Las Amazonas'', ''El sol sale para todos'', L ...
, Rebeca González, Pierina España and Amanda Gutiérrez


Personal life

Mayra Alejandra was married twice and divorced. Mayra Alejandra had a steamy relationship with Mexican actor
Salvador Pineda Salvador Pineda Popoca (born June 16, 1952 in Huetamo, Michoacan, Mexico) is a Mexican actor, who has participated in over 20 Mexican telenovelas and Mexican movies, as well as two Hollywood low budget movies. Born to Mexican politician Salvado ...
. They were going to get married on December 18, 1987, but the Mexican actor left her at the altar. On March 27, 1989, she gave birth to the couple's first child, a boy, whom they called Aarón Salvador Pineda Rodríguez, who was born in Caracas,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. Salvador Pineda recognized his son, Aarón Salvador Pineda Rodríguez on the advice of his friend Andrés García. In 2012, Mayra Alejandra announced that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. She subsequently received
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs ( chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...
treatment, being able to regain a level of normalcy in her life. She suffered a relapse in early 2014. She died in Caracas on April 17, 2014 at the age of 55 after a long illness from a
lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...
.Noticiero Digital – Obituary
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Filmography


Television


Movies


Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayra Alejandra 1955 births 2014 deaths Actresses from Caracas Venezuelan film actresses Venezuelan telenovela actresses Venezuelan television actresses Venezuelan stage actresses 20th-century Venezuelan actresses 21st-century Venezuelan actresses Deaths from cancer in Venezuela Deaths from lung cancer