Gladys Rodríguez


Gladys Rodríguez is a Puerto Rican actress, comedian, and television host. She is also a Christian pastor and a priest at an Episcopalian church in Oviedo, Florida, near Orlando, United States.

Early years

Rodríguez was born in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. She and 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, Rodríguez returned to Puerto Rico where she took drama classes under the guidance of Edmundo Rivera Alvarez. She enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico and earned a degree in Dramatic Arts.

Career

Television

Rodríguez made her television debut when she auditioned for a role in the soap opera La Mujer de Aquella Noche 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 María-2da. Parte, filmed in Peru. Simplemente María Part 2, became an international success, in Latin America.
In 1971, Rodríguez was cast to play the role of an elderly woman who had abandoned her son in Mami santa produced by Tommy Muñiz. In 1975 Puerto Rican Muñiz offered Rodríguez to play the role of his working class character's wife in the situation comedy Los García. The program reflected the increasingly changing dynamic of Puerto Rican families during the ongoing industrial surge. After the character representing her daughter was married, she decided to leave the production, feeling that playing a mother-in-law would limit her options. 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 Raúl Juliá and Juan José Camero, Fue sin Querer with Sandro de América, Verano Rojo with Rogelio Guerra and Viernes Social with Arnaldo André, among others. In 2006, she performed a supporting actress role in Telemundo's soap opera Dueña y Señora, starring Karla Monroig.
In 1991, she appeared in Muñiz's first miniseries, Nadie lo va a saber. In 1993, Rodríguez was part of the supporting cast in Rafo Muñiz's play, La vida en un beso. A series of special revivals of Los García followed, with the first airing on August 28, 1994 and the last on May 4, 1995. WIPR-TV displayed interest in reviving the series, but Muñiz declined.
Rodríguez worked on the post-production stages as actress and Production Designer of the TV mini-series El Regalo which was released in 2006.
In 2007 she hosted a morning talk show Entre Nosotras with Alba Nydia Díaz, among other celebrities.

Theater

Rodríguez began her theater acting career by acting in the following productions: Un Tranvía llamado Deseo and Los Soles Truncos alongside Esther Sandoval, Muerte en el Nilo, Palacio de Carton, La Enemiga, El Búho y la gatita, El mismo año a la misma hora 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. Other productions include Flor de Presidio and Steel Magnolias.
She belonged to an association of Puerto Rican actresses called MECA, which produced for television programs such as Ellas al Mediodía. Later she joined actresses, Ángela Meyer, Camille Carrion and Marilyn Pupo in the TV program called Ahora.

Feature films

Rodríguez's first featured movie was the 1979 comedy Dios los cria, playing Annette. Then came the 1982 musical comedy Una Aventura Llamada Menudo alongside Puerto Rican boy band Menudo and Mexican teen actress Alondra. In this film, Rodriguez played matriarchal character Señora Mía. This was followed by the 1989 film Lo que le paso a Santiago, produced by Pedro Muñiz and written and directed by Jacobo Morales. Lo que le paso a Santiago was nominated for an Oscar in 1989 in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.

Filmography

  • Lamento Borincano - uncredited
  • Los Expatriados - uncredited
  • Un Largo viaje hacia la muerte - uncredited
  • Dios los cría - Annette
  • Una Aventura llamada Menudo - Señora Mía
  • Cuentos de Don Abelardo
  • Lo que le Pasó a Santiago - Angelina
  • Posada Corazon
  • El Poder del Shakti
  • Desvío al paraíso - Lona
  • La Guagua aérea
  • Milagro en Yauco
  • Amores como todos los demas - Yolanda
  • Amores TV Mini-series - Seda Blanca
  • El Sueño del regreso - Carlotta
  • El Regalo TV Mini-series - Elizabeth
  • The Caller - Mrs. Guidi
In 1999, she participated in the theater production of La Carreta by Rene Marques. That same year, she authored her first book, Aliup, in which she discusses her strong Christian beliefs. On March 15, 2002, she acted in the theater production of Mujeres de la Biblia, which was initially presented in the Tapia Theater of San Juan. The production's success in over 60 continuous presentations led the producers to present it outside of Puerto Rico to places like the United States.