Gilda Mirós (born September 20, 1938, in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is an American actress, radio and television producer, and author, of Puerto Rican descent. As a theater and film actress, Mirós has worked in the US, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. She became one of the first Latina journalists on television when she moved from film to journalism and was one of the first to appear pregnant on television. Her documentaries include works on the

Viet Nam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

and New York's Riker’s Island prison. She has published at least ten books and audiobooks, including works on Latin American culture. In 2020, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the

National Association of Hispanic Journalists The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is a Washington, D.C.–based organization dedicated to the advancement of Hispanic and Latino journalists in the United States and Puerto Rico. It was established in 1984. NAHJ has appr ...

(NAHJ)

Early life and education

Carmen Gilda Santiago Díaz was born on September 20, 1938 in Santurce,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. In 1946, she moved with her mother and stepfather to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where she lived in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. She grew up bilingual in Spanish and English. While studying painting at university, Mirós saw an advertisement for an acting academy in Mexico. In 1957, she and her mother went to an audition at the Asociación Nacional de Actores, ANDA, in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. Mirós was accepted and began to study acting,

diction Diction ( (nom. ), "a saying, expression, word"), in its original meaning, is a writer's or speaker's distinctive vocabulary choices and style of expression in a piece of writing such as a poem or story.Crannell (1997) ''Glossary'', p. 406 In its c ...

, and the history of the theater at age 18.

Career

Mirós' first work in Mexican television was as a model, working with

Agustín Lara Ángel Agustín María Carlos Fausto Mariano Alfonso del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Lara y Aguirre del Pino (; ; October 30, 1897 – November 6, 1970), known as Agustín Lara, was a Mexican composer and performer of songs and boleros. He is rec ...

and

Libertad Lamarque Libertad Lamarque Bouza (; 24 November 1908 – 12 December 2000) was an Argentine and Mexican actress and singer, became one of the most iconic stars of the Golden Age of cinema in both Argentina and Mexico. She achieved fame throughout Latin A ...

. She went on to work in film, soap operas, theater, and television in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and NYC. She appeared in films such as ''La Vendedora de Amor'', 1964. In 1971, Mirós traveled to Vietnam with the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

as a performer in “Puerto Rico Sings”. She also worked as a correspondent on a documentary, visiting military camps such as Danang to interview soldiers about their experiences. She received awards for this work from the Department of Defense and was made an honorary member of the National Congress of Puerto Rican Veterans (Congreso National de Veteranos Puertorriqueno). She became a host and producer of remote radio/TV specials in Latin America, a broadcaster, narrator, actress, and columnist. Mirós has worked with radio and television stations such as

WADO Wado may refer to: * WADO, a radio station in New York City; * Wadō (era) (Japanese: ), a Japanese era * Wadō-ryū (Japanese: ), a style of karate * Wadokai (Japanese: ), a karate organization * WADO, a standard for web access to DICOM Digita ...

WJIT WJIT (1250 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Religious broadcasting, Religious format. It is licensed to Sabana, Luquillo, Puerto Rico, Sabana, Puerto Rico, and is owned by Aurio A. Matos Barreto and operated under a time bro ...

, and WBNX-AM (later

WKDM WKDM (1380 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York. The station is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting and broadcasts in Mandarin Chinese on weekdays. Most shows are brokered programming, where the host pays for the t ...

) in New York;

WXTV WXTV-DT (channel 41) is a television station licensed to Paterson, New Jersey, United States, serving as the Univision outlet for the New York City area. It is one of two flagship stations of the Spanish-language network (the other being WLT ...

, channel 41 (

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...

); and

WNJU WNJU (channel 47) is a television station licensed to Linden, New Jersey, United States, serving as the Telemundo outlet for the New York City area. It is one of two flagship (broadcasting), flagship stations of the Spanish-language network (th ...

, channel 47 (

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...

) in the NY, NJ, and CT areas. Mirós hosted the first daily radio program to be broadcast live simultaneously in New York and Los Angeles, from the

Spanish Broadcasting System Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. (SBS) is an American media company specializing in Spanish-speaking audiences. It is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States. SBS is also invested in television and internet ...

(SBS) FM 92 in Miami. Mirós' program "Amorosamente" aired on WWFE, Telemundo and Telemiami Cable in Miami. Mirós produces "Latin Icons of the Past and Present," a cable/streaming program in NYC, and is part of the "Performing Arts Legacy Project". Her oral history (in English) is available at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College-CUNY. Miros has received a Star on the Paseo del Parque Celia Cruz in Union City, New Jersey, and was the International Godmother (Madrina Internacional) of the Parada Cubana in New Jersey in 2017. In the book ''Celia Cruz and Sonora Matancera'' (2003) and the audiobook ''My Best Radio Interviews'' (''Mis Mejores Entrevistas de Radio'') Mirós published recorded interviews with members of the

Sonora Matancera La Sonora Matancera is a Cuban band that played Latin American urban popular dance music. Founded in 1924 and led for more than five decades by guitarist, vocalist, composer, and producer Rogelio Martínez, musicologists consider it an icon o ...

orchestra from her decades of Spanish-language radio programs. They include Rogelio Martínez, co-founder and director; musician and singer Carlos Manuel Diaz;

Celia Cruz Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of , earning the nickna ...

, Bobby Capó, Leo Marini, Carlos Argentino, Celio Gonzalez, Nelson Pinedo, Carmen Delia Dipini, Yayo el Indio, Alberto Beltrán, Joe Quijano, Javier Vazquéz, Elliot Romero, and Calixto Leicea. Mirós produced and hosted the 65th Anniversary of the group, ''Sonora Matancera with Celia Cruz and co-stars'' at Carnegie Hall in 1989. From September 15, 2023 – August 17, 2025, she was one of seven Latinas profiled in the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...

's exhibit "¡De última hora!: Latinas Report Breaking News."

Awards and honors

* 2021, Best National Journalist of 2021, National College of Cuban Journalists in Exile, Miami, Florida * 2020, Lifetime Achievement Award from the

(NAHJ) * 2019, Hometown National Media Award, Alliance for Community Media * Multiple Awards, Association of Latin Entertainment Critics of New York (ACE) * Medal of Our Lady of Providence, Archdiocese of New York * Star, Paseo del Parque Celia Cruz, Union City, New Jersey, * 1972, Certificate of Appreciation, United States Department of Defense * Honorary member, National Congress of Puerto Rican Veterans (Congreso National de Veteranos Puertorriqueno)

Selected Works

*''El Preso Hispano y la Comunidad Penal'' *''Celia Cruz & Sonora Matancera'' (2003) *''A Portrait of Puerto Rico'' (2005) *''Hortense and Her Happy Ducklings'' (2006) *''Memorias De Los Espiritus y Mi Madre'' (2009) *''Spirit Messages To My Mother'' (2010) *''Mystical Wings/Alas Místicas'' (2011) *''In Touch With Mom in Spirit/En Contacto Con Mami en Espiritu'' *''De La Montaǹa Venimos – Ìconos Latinoamericanos'' (2017) * Spoken word recording ''Poética'' (2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirós, Gilda 1938 births American people of Puerto Rican descent Puerto Rican women writers American actresses