Monday, March 14, 2011

Betcha Didn't Know...?

Some of the most notable names from the dawn of film and television are of Latino descent. Here are some of them.

In this edition, some Latinas who became known in the 1970s and 1980s in film and television.

Lynda Carter (1951- ) was born Lynda Jean Córdoba Carter (or Lynda Jean Carter Córdoba al estilo latino) in Phoenix, Arizona, USA to an Irish-American father and a Mexican mother. An actress and singer, she became Miss World USA, played Rita Hayworth in a TV movie, played Mama Morton in the West End production of the musical Chicago, had her second jazz album reach #10 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart (in 2009) and continues to sell out cabaret shows around the country. Most people know her for playing the title role in the television series "The New Adventures of Wonder Woman." ¡Que maravilla!

Catherine Bach (1954- ) was born Catherine Bachman Kucera (al estilo latino) in Cleveland, Ohio, USA to a father of German ancestry and a Mexican-American mother. She auditioned for a role that according to TV producers was supposed to "look like Dolly Parton." Her talent and charisma earned her the gig in spite of not looking like Dolly Parton. She disagreed with the producers over her original costume for her character (a white turtleneck, poodle skirt and go-go boots), so she offered her alternative: a homemade T-shirt, a pair of unraveled denim shorts and high heels. And just like that, a new look was created. The pair of short shorts were named after her character on the show. And the phenomenon of Daisy Duke on "The Dukes of Hazzard" (and "Daisy Dukes" shorts) was born.

Raquel Welch (1940- ) was born Jo-Raquel Tejada Hall (al estilo latino) to a Bolivian-Spanish father and a mother of English descent in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She wanted to be a performer her entire life, and when told her body wasn't "proper" for ballet, opted for modeling, acting and singing. Early films include Fantastic Voyage, Bandolero! and One Million Years B.C., the last of which made her a star of epic proportions. Other films include Myra Breckenridge, 100 Rifles, The Three Musketeers and Legally Blonde. Her role in the TV movie "Right to Die," where she played a woman dying from Lou Gehrig's disease earned her critical acclaim. She followed this up with roles in the Broadway musicals Woman of the Year and Victor/Victoria as well as a role in the TV series "American Family." Also a businesswoman, she has created fitness videos/DVDs, a signature line of wigs and a jewelry and skincare line.

Ana Alicia (1956- ), sometimes styled as Ana-Alicia, was born Ana Alicia Ortiz in Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal, México. She is best known for her role as scheming heiress Melissa Agretti on the long-running primetime soap opera "Falcon Crest." Other TV credits include roles on "Ryan's Hope" (where she played Alicia Nieves for 15 months), "Battlestar Galactica" and "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century." On "Falcon Crest," she become the series' "love to hate" character and a firm fan favorite, as a worthy rival for the show's arch-villainess Angela Channing (played by Jane Wyman). Film credits include Halloween II and Romero (the latter starring Raúl Juliá).

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