Gladys Rodriguez

Early years

Rodriguez was born in Santurce, a section of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. Her parents moved to New York City 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, drama and ballet.

In 1960, Rodriguez returned to Puerto Rico where she took drama classes under the guidance of Edmundo Rivera Alvarez. She enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico where she earned a degree in Dramatic Arts.

Television acting debut

Rodriguez made her television debut when she auditioned for a role in the soap opera La Mujer de Aquella Noche ( The Woman of that night) and performed alongside Braulio Castillo. The soap opera was a success and her acting caught the attention of a Peruvian director who offered her a role in the soap opera Simplemente Maria-2da. Parte (Simply Mary-Part 2), filmed in Peru. Simplemente Maria Part 2, became an international success, in Latin America.

She was inactive during the early 1970s, however in 1975 Puerto Rican television producer Tommy Muniz offered Rodriguez to play the role of his "wife" in a situation comedy Los Garcias. 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 soap operas: Marta Llorens, with Raul Julia, & Juan Jose Camero, Fue sin Querer, (It wasn't on Purpose), with Sandro de America, Verano Rojo, with Rogelio Guerra, (Red Summer) and Viernes Social, with Arnaldo Andre, (Social Friday), among others. In 2006, she performed a supporting actress role in Telemundo's soap opera Duena y Senora, starring Karla Monroig.

Theater acting career

Rodriguez began her theater acting career by acting in the following productions: Un Travia llamado Deseo (A Streetcar named Desire) and Los Soles Truncos (Fanlights) alongside Esther Sandoval, Muerte en el Nilo (Death in the Nile), Palacio de Carton (Cardboard Palace), La Enemiga (The Enemy), El Buho y la gatita (The Owl and the Pussycat), El mismo ano 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, and as the Mother Superior in the San Juan premiere of "Sor-Presas" (Nunsense). Other productions include Flor de Presidio (1989) and Steel Magnolias.

She belonged to an association of Puerto Rican actresses called MECA, which produced for television programs such as Ellas al Mediodia. Later she joined actresses, Angela Meyer, Camille Carrion and Marilyn Pupo in the TV program called Ahora (Now).

Movie career

Rodriguez' first featured movie was the 1989 film Lo que le paso a Santiago (What happened to Santiago) produced by Pedro Muniz, written and directed by Jacobo Morales. The movie was nominated for an Oscar in 1989 in the category of "Best Foreign Film".

Filmography

In 1999, she participated in the theater production of La Carreta (La Oxcart) by Rene Marques. That same year, she authored her first book titled "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 has led the producers to present it outside of Puerto Rico, to places like the United States.

Currently

Gladys Rodriguez worked on the post-production stages as actress and Production Designer of the mini TV series El Regalo which was released in 2006.

Presently, in 2007, she's hosting a morning talk show: Entre Nosotras (Among Us), with Alba Nydia Diaz, among other celebrities, broadcast by Televicentro, in Puerto Rico, and WAPA America, throughout the United States.