Gladys Rodríguez

Gladys Rodríguez (born June 4, 1943) is a Puerto Rican actress, comedian, and television host.

Rodríguez 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, 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 where she earned a degree in Dramatic Arts.

Rodríguez 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 María-2da. Parte (Simply Mary-Part 2), filmed in Peru. Simplemente María Part 2, became an international success, in Latin America.

She was inactive during the early 1970s, however in 1975 Puerto Rican television producer Tommy Muñiz offered Rodríguez to play the role of his "wife" in a situation comedy Los Garcías. 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, & Juan José Camero, Fue sin Querer, (It wasn't on Purpose), with Sandro de América, Verano Rojo, with Rogelio Guerra, (Red Summer) and Viernes Social, with Arnaldo André, (Social Friday), among others. In 2006, she performed a supporting actress role in Telemundo's soap opera Dueña y Señora, starring Karla Monroig.

Rodríguez 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 on the Nile), Palacio de Carton (Cardboard Palace), La Enemiga (The Enemy), El Búho y la gatita (The Owl and the Pussycat), El mismo año 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 Mediodía. Later she joined actresses, Ángela Meyer, Camille Carrion and Marilyn Pupo in the TV program called Ahora (Now).

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

• Lamento Borincano - uncredited
• Los Expatriados (1964) - uncredited
• Un Largo viaje hacia la muerte (1968) - uncredited
• Dios los cría (And God Created Them) (1979) - Annette
• Una Aventura llamada Menudo (alongside Menudo)-(An Adventure Called Menudo) (1982) - Señora Mía
• Cuentos de Don Abelardo
• Lo que le Pasó a Santiago (1989) - Angelina
• Posada Corazon (Novela) (1990)
• El Poder del Shakti (1995)
• Desvío al paraíso (Shortcut to Paradise) (1994) - Lona
• La Guagua aérea (Air Bus) (1995)
• Milagro en Yauco (Miracle in Yauco) (1995)
• Amores como todos los demas (1999) (TV) - Yolanda
• Amores (2004) (mini) TV Series (2003) - Seda Blanca
• El Sueño del regreso (2005) - Carlotta
• El Regalo (2006) (mini) TV Series (post-production) - Elizabeth
• The Caller (2011) - Mrs. Guidi

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.

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

In 2007 she hosted a morning talk show: Entre Nosotras (Among Us), with Alba Nydia Díaz, among other celebrities, broadcast by WAPA-TV (branded as Televicentro in Puerto Rico and WAPA America, throughout the United States).