A-C  /  D-F /  G-K /  L-Q /  R-Z

GAVILAN/NBC/1983
*(Fernando Lamas) Ceasar de Portago, a suave, conniving Hispanic travel agent who shared a Malibu Beach home with Robert Gavilan, an inventor. Actor Patrick Mcnee replaced Lamas upon his death.

GENE RODDENBERRY’S EARTH: FINAL CONFLICT/SYN/1997-2002
**(Von Flores) Ronald T. Sandoval, an F.B.I. agent recruited as one of the protectors for the Taelon occupation force. He is the primary human aide to Da’an, a power mad Tealon leader. Although Ronald does Da’an’s bidding, he has his own agenda that includes destroying the Taelons for their culpability in the killing of his wife and the destruction of the his birthplace [Caya Island in the Pacific Rim] with a power burst from their space craft. Actor Von Flores was born and raised in the Philippine Islands.

GEORGE/ABC/1993-94
**(Anne Haney) Juanita Holman, the sour Hispanic housekeeper for the Foster family. Also featured was Pablo Irlanda as Mauricio Butler, a hot tempered youth who belonged to an after-school boxing club called the TKO Club.

THE GEORGE LÓPEZ SHOW/ABC/2002-2007
*(George López) George López, a blue-collar, Mexican-American assembly line worker promoted to manage a Los Angeles-based airplane parts factory. George's family consists of Constance Marie as his loving, supportive wife, Angie López (her parents Vic and Emilina are Cuban); Belita Moreno as Benny López, George's acerbic, insensitive, meddling mother; the never-seen Manny López, George's father who left years ago - Benny is reluctant to tell George the real identity of his father, even claiming him dead); Masiela Lusha as the very bright teenager daughter, Carmen López; Luis Armand Garcia as their adorable but precocious nine-year-old son, Max López; and Valente Rodriguez as Ernesto 'Ernie' Cardenas, George's best friend and coworker at the factory. This Sandra Bullock-produced half-hour comedy series was loosely based on veteran stand-up comic George Lopez's real life. A A native of Los Angeles, George had hosted his own radio show in the City of Angles, where he was the first Latino to headline the keystone morning radio slot on KCMG-FM, an English-language station. A frequent guest on the TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno, George also has had recurring roles in the sitcom THE BROTHERS GARCIA and the drama RESURRECTION BOULEVARD. Trivia Note: Sandra Bullock makes cameo appearances on the show as a klutzy, injury-prone warehouse worker dubbed "Accident Amy."

GERALDO/SYN/1987-88
*(Geraldo Rivera) Geraldo Rivera, former ABC correspondent who hosted this popular hour daytime talk show. In 1988, Geraldo's nose was busted in a studio audience brawl when black activist Roy Innis and a bunch of white supremacists went wild during the taping of the program. Geraldo Rivera is part Puerto Rican and part Jewish. He has appeared in a number of TV venues including the host of GOOD NIGHT AMERICA in 1975; the host of NOW IT CAN BE TOLD in 1991; and a correspondent on the news program 20/20 on ABC. In 2002 he appeared on THE PULSE, a weekly news show for gamers..

GHOSTWRITER/PBS/1992
*(David Lopez/costar) Alejandro "Alex" Fernandez, youngster from El Salvador who along with a group of multi-ethnic kids solved mysteries with the help of a spiritual entity who typed messages to them via a computer owned by Jamal Jenkins. Also featured was Mayteana Morales as Alex's sister Gabriella "Gaby" Fernandez who shares a bedroom in a small house in Brooklyn. Alex attends Zora Neale Hurston Middle School. Gaby went to Washington Elementary school where she was a reporter on the school newspaper.

GIDEON'S CROSSING/ABC/2000-2001
*(Rubén Blades/costar) Dr. Max Cabranes, Hispanic psychiatrist working at a prestigious Boston-based teaching hospital that is often the last hope for critically ill patients.

GOING TO EXTREMES/ABC/1992-93
**(Camillo Gallardo) Kim Selby, Hispanic medical student attending Croft University Medical School on the Caribbean Island of Jantique in the West Indies. The metaphysical loner, Kim comes from a wealthy Chilean family.

THE GOLDEN PALACE/CBS/1992-93
**(Cheech Marin) Chuy Castillos, recently divorced Mexican chef working at "The Golden Palace," a small Art Deco hotel in the trendy South Bay section of Miami Beach recently purchased by three senior citizens. Marin was born in South Central Los Angeles and raised in Granada Hills, California. He studied English at California State College, Northridge.

GOOD MORNING, MIAMI/NBC/2001-2004
**(Tessie Santiago) Lucia Rojas-Klein, sassy, self-centered, opinionated Cuban-American TV host of "Good Morning, Miami," [the lowest-rated morning show in America] who shares the spotlight with her dog, Stuey. According to Santiago, “Lucia is very over-the-top and I use a heavy accent as a prop – it brings color to my character. In addition, Santiago was enthralled with the opportunity to portray a fellow Cuban-American, even though as an original honey blonde, she doesn’t fit the traditional Hispanic stereotype away from the set. “My grandfather and grandmother were blondes with light-colored eyes,” she says. “I love that people are seeing that Hispanics don’t have to be associated with a certain look.” Tessie Marie Santiago, a Cuban-American, was born August 10, 1975 and raised in Miami as the oldest of three children. Most of Santiago’s family fled from Cuba after Castro and communism. She attended the University of Miami with a double major in Film and Theater Arts. In 2000, she starred in the syndicated action adventure series QUEEN OF SWORDS about Tessa Alvarado, a Spanish aristocrat in the early 1800s.

GRAND SLAM/CBS/1990
*(Paul Rodriguez) Pedro N. Gomez, an Hispanic bounty hunter who teamed with an Anglo partner to track down bail-bond jumpers in the Los Angeles area. Other cast included Abel Franco as Al Ramirez, the owner of Aztec Bail Bonds; and Lupe Ontiveros as Grandma Gomez. Pedro's car license plate reads: VATO UNO. Paul Rodriguez also hosted the daytime version of the syndicated NEWLYWED GAME, replacing Bob Eubanks.

THE GREAT AMERICAN HERO/ABC/1981-83
**(Don Cervantes) Rodriquez, streetwise Hispanic student attending remedial education classes taught by Ralph Hinkley (aka "The Great American Hero").

THE GREAT DEFENDER.FOX 1995
**(Carlos Sanz) Asst. D.A. Jerry Perez, Hispanic attorney who interacted with Boston-based Italian lawyer, Lou Frischetti

GREETINGS FROM TUCSON/WB/2002-2003
*(Pablo Santos/costar) David Tiant, a quick-witted 15-year-old who faces the challenge of growing up in an ethnically-mixed family in Tucson, Arizona. David's father Jacquin (Julio Oscar Mechosa) is a pragmatic Mexican-American who recently got promoted and moved to a bigger house in a nicer upper-middle class neighborhood. (The Tiants' last house had bars on the windows and was subject to frequent police helicopter flyovers). David's red-haired mother, Elizabeth (Rebecca Creskoff) is a fiercely proud Irish Catholic who is devoted to her children. The rest of the family consist of Aimee Garcia as his older sister, Maria, a bitchy cheerleader (she rejects her Mexican heritage and tells people she is Spanish); Jacob Vargas as David's colorful, live-in Uncle Ernesto who works as an animal control officer and has three ex-wives and a young son named Daniel (Bobby Chavez) and Lupe Ontiveros as David's hip, free-spirited, rule-breaking grandmother, Magdalena. Sara Paxton plays pretty blonde teenager, Sara Tobin, the next-door neighbor on whom David has a crush. Produced by Big Ticket Television, a division of Paramount Television Production, this autobiographical comedy series is based on the life of the show's creator Peter Murrieta.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF/ABC/1985
**(Chick Vennera) Raoul, the Hispanic butler serving in the White House under the administration of Julia Mansfield, the first woman chief executive. The President's daughter Lucy Mansfield had the "hots" for this Latino lad.

HAMISH MACBETH/BBC/1995-97
**Ferdinand and his two sons, Jesus and Manuel, a.k.a. The Clan MacLopez. They live in the Highland town of Lochdubh, Scotland and are often under investigation by local police constable Hamish Macbeth for manufacturing illegal sherry stills. The Clan MacLopez are the descendants of sailors wrecked on the shores of Scotland during the rout of the Spanish Armada in 1582.

HANGIN' WITH MR. COOPER/ABC/1992-97
**(Luis Avalos) Rivas, the school principal at Oakbridge High School in Oakland, California during the 1992 season.

HARRY O/ABC/1974-76
**(Henry Darrow) Det. Lt. Manuel "Manny" Quinlan, an Hispanic San Diego police detective who often became involved in the cases of private detective Harry Orwell, a retired police detective. Lt. Quinlan was killed off during a February 1975 telecast.

THE HAT SQUAD/CBS/1992
*(Nestor Servano/costar) Raphael Martinez, an Hispanic orphan adopted by a Michael "Mike" Ragland and his wife along with two other orphans. Years later, Mike, a Captain with the 77th Precinct of the L.A.P.D. organized a special undercover unit called "The Hat Squad" headed by his three adopted sons. Raphael is a bit of a ladies' man. But despite his swagger he refuses to carry a gun, (as a child, he saw his parents gunned down). His weapon of choice is a special jack of spades playing card with razor sharp edges.

HEAD OF THE CLASS/ABC/1986-91
**(Leslie Bega, Michael DeLorenzo) Maria Borges and Alex Torres, two attractive Hispanic youths who were both members of the IHP (Individual Honors Program) in New York City High School.

HEAVEN HELP US/SYN/1994
*(Ricardo Montalban) Mr. Shepherd, an angel with an Hispanic accent who acts as an afterlife guide to a honeymoon couple killed in a plane crash after they who were sent back to Earth as apprentice angels to help people in need.

THE HIGH CHAPARRAL/NBC/1967-71
**(Linda Cristal) Victoria Cannon, Mexican daughter of Don Sebastian Montoya (Frank Silvera) and heiress to a vast land holdings who married an American cattle rancher, Big John Cannon. Henry Darrow played her impetuous brother, Manolito Montoya who lived at the Cannon's Arizona territory ranch knows as the High Chaparral. Also featured were Roberto Contreras as Pedro, a ranch hand; and Rudy Ramos as Wind, a half-breed youth who became part of the Cannon clan.

HIGH SIERRA SEARCH AND RESCUE/NBC/1995
**(Ramon Franco) Enrique Cruz, Hispanic schoolteacher working in Bear Lake, California, nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

HIGHCLIFFE MANOR/NBC/1979
**(Luis Avalos) Dr. Sanchez, evil Hispanic researcher trying to take over the Blacke Foundation owned by Helen Blacke, a wealthy widow who inherited controlling interest in the Foundation after her husband died in a laboratory explosion.

HILL STREET BLUES/NBC/1981-86
**(Rene Enriquez) Lt. Ray Calletano, Hispanic police officer of Columbian ancestry who was second-in-command at the fictional Hill Street Blues police station. During a 1982 episode Ray Calletano was honored as the department's "Hispanic Officer of the Year". Angered at the fact that his colleagues had mistaken him for Puerto Rican and not Columbian, Ray asked his audience "Why is it...that I look around this room full of high ranking officers and the only Hispanics I see are waiters and busboys?" Trinidad Silva occasionally appeared as Jesus Martinez, a cocky Puerto Rican street tough/gang leader with a talent for sweet talking his way out of trouble. His character softened a bit when he got married. He later took up the practice of law, however there was a small problem. He didn't have a law degree.


HOME FREE/NBC/1988
*(Trinidad Silva/costar) Benny, a Mexican American cook who worked at a home for trouble children run by a social worker. This program was an hour-long dramatic pilot.

HOT L BALTIMORE/ABC/1975
**(Jeannie Linero) Suzy Marta Rocket, a "bad" Columbian prostitute living in the "Hot l Baltimore," a dilapidated hotel in the downtown Baltimore. Also featured was Cochata Ferrell as fellow hooker, April Green, a "good" prostitute

HOTEL MALIBU/CBS/1994
**(Jennifer Lopez) Melinda Lopez, Mexican girl hired as a bartender at a luxury hotel in Malibu, California. Pepe Serna played Salvatore, her overly protective father. Both actors played the same characters in the short-lived serial drama SECOND CHANCES/CBS/1993-94.

HOUSE OF BUGGIN'/FOX/1995
*(John Leguizamo) Columbian-born comedian who hosted this half-hour comedy sketch show that pushed racial boundaries by poking fun at a number of ethnic groups. Leguizamo was backed by a Latino cast which included Jorge Luis Abreu, Yelba Osorio, Sixto Ramos, Rosie Perez, and Luis Guzman. One of Leguizamo's characters was a credible drag Latina showgirl, a la Flip Wilson's Geraldine. He also appeared in a successful HBO special "Spic-O-Rama" broadcast May 15, 1993.

HOUSTON KNIGHTS/CBS/1987-88
**(Efrain Figueroa) Lt. Esteban Gutierrez, Hispanic police officer based in Houston Texas who interacted with two Caucasian police detectives (one from Chicago, one from Texas.)

I HAD THREE WIVES/CBS/1985
**(Luis Avalos) Lt. Gomez, Hispanic police officer who interacted with Jackson Beaudine, an easygoing Los Angeles private eye assisted by his three ex-wives.

I LOVE LUCY/CBS/1951-57
*(Desi Arnaz/costar) Ricky Ricardo, a Cuban bandleader/singer who worked at the Tropicana Club in Manhattan. He was married to Lucy Ricardo, a zany American redhead (Lucille Ball) who was always trying to get into show business, despite her obvious lack of talent. Ricky's most popular catchphrase was "Lucy, I'm Home!" Also featured were Richard Keith as the Ricardo's son, Little Ricky. The Lucy & Ricky characters appeared in LUCY IN CONNECTICUT/CBS/1960 (episodes from the original I LOVE LUCY series) when they relocated from New York City to the Connecticut countryside; and later continued their roles in the expanded hour-long sitcom LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR/CBS/1962-67. The comedy satire IN LIVING COLOR/FOX/1989-93 featured hilarious parodies of Desi Arnaz performed by comedian/impressionist James Carrey in skits entitled I LOVE LOQUITA, which featured Ricky's zany redheaded black wife from Compton who, like the original Lucy, always wanted to get into showbiz. TRIVIA NOTE: Desi Arnaz, the costar of the sitcom I LOVE LUCY was born Desi Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III in Santiago, Cuba on March 2, 1917, Desi began as a vocalist with a band at the age of 17 and later had his own Rumba band. Later traveling to America, he performed on Broadway in Too Many Girls and made his screen debut in its movie spin-off Too Many Girls (1940). His film credits included Father Takes a Bride (1941), Four Jacks and a Jill (1942), Bataan (1943), Holiday in Havana (1949), The Long, Long Trailer (1954), and Forever Darling (1956). Desi Arnaz formerly worked with the Xavier Cugat orchestra soon after he emigrated to Miami from Cuba in 1933. Because of Desi Arnaz's ties with Cuba, he was suspected of being a Communist during the days of the McCarthy Witch Hunts. However, the love and admiration of the American public for Desi and his wife, Lucille Ball helped quell that controversy.

I MARRIED DORA/ABC/1987-88
*(Elizabeth Pena/costar) Dora Calderon, an attractive, El Salvadoran housekeeper/nanny working for a divorced Los Angeles architect and his two children. When she was threatened with deportation, her employer married her (he was afraid the Death Squads may try to kill her on her return). Their platonic relationship soon developed into true love. The series producers added a small message at the end of the first episode that read: "WARNING, Marrying an illegal alien to avoid deportation is a Federal offense punishable by fines and/or imprisonment. Do not try this in your own home". TRIVIA NOTE: Although of Cuban descent, Elizabeth Pena was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey (for which she is named). She spent her first eight years in Cuba and still carries strong memories from her days there.

IN THE BEGINNING/CBS/1978
*(Priscilla Lopez) Sister Agnes, streetwise Hispanic nun who worked with the poor in a downtown Baltimore mission. Co-worker Father Daniel McCleary whose philosophies clashed with the crusading Sister Agnes labeled her "Attila the Nun."

IVAN THE TERRIBLE/CBS/1976
**(Manuel Martinez) Raoul, a Cuban immigrant who lived in a 3 1/2 room apartment in modern day Moscow inhabited by nine people including Ivan Petrovsky, a Russian headwaiter working at Hotel Metropole.

THE JACK BENNY SHOW/CBS/1950-65
**(Mel Blanc) Sy, the little Mexican who wore a serape, sombrero and spoke in monosyllables. A typical exchange between Sy and comedian Jack Benny would go something like this.

JESSE/NBC/1998-2000
*(Bruno Campos/costar) Diego Vasquez, sexy, open-hearted Chilean born artist living at 348 McCord Avenue in Buffalo, New York. When Diego loses his job at the University, his visa is revoked and he is forced to look for new employment or be sent back to Chile. Jesse Warner, his girlfriend and next-door neighbor considers marriage as a way to solve the problem and keep him in the country. Jesse's coworkers said Diego is "like Antonio Banderas, but he wants to have sex with you!" Jaqueline Obradors also appeared in a recurring role as Irma, Diego’s Chilean ex-girlfriend. Bruno Campos, the son of an international banker, Paulo and an actress Thania, was born in Rio de Janeiro and grew up in Brazil, Toronto and Bahrain and Houston, among other places. He is of German-Portuguese descent.

THE JOHN LARROQUETTE SHOW/NBC/1993-97
**(Liz Torres/costar) Mahalia Sanchez, the loud, sarcastic Hispanic assistant manager working at the Cross Roads Bus Terminal in St. Louis, Missouri, who believed she should be running the place (seedy as it was) instead of the current manager John Hemingway, a well-educated but recovering alcoholic.

JOHNNY MIDNIGHT/SYN/1960
**(Arthur Batanides) Sgt. Lupo Olivera, an Hispanic NYPD Homicide Division detective who was the police contact for actor-turned-private eye, Johnny Midnight.

KAY O'BRIEN, SURGEON/CBS/LIF/1986-87
**(Priscilla Lopez) Rosa Villanueva, a Mexican-American head nurse working at Manhattan General Hospital, and best friend of female physician, Kay O'Brien.

KEY WEST/FOX/1993
**(Geno Silva) Hector Allegria, a Cuban immigrant with money and power who lived in Key West.

KINGPIN/NBC/2003 (Miniseries)
*(Yancey Arias) Miguel Cadena, a Stanford-educated Mexican-American businessman who has taken over the reigns of his family's drug trafficking interests. His colleagues in this smuggling endeavors included Sheryl Lee as his Caucasian wife, Marlene who uses her talents as a lawyer to circumvent the US government's efforts to bring down the drug cartel; Ruben Carbajel as Joey, the Cadena's 8-year-old son; Bobby Cannavale as Chato, Miguel's ruthless brother. Angela Alvarado Rosa appeared as Delia Flores, a DEA agent who is hot on the trail of the Cardena's North American drug operations.

KNIGHT & DAYE/NBC/1989
**(Joe Lala) Cito Escobar, the Mexican cab driver who shared the home of his father-in-law Everett Daye, a local San Diego KLOP radio station personality (the host of "Knight & Daye"). Also featured were Lela Ivey as Ellie Escobar, Everett's married daughter; and the Escobar children Chris, Amy, Dougie and Laurie (played by Emily Schulman, Shiri Appleby; Glenn Walker Harris, Jr., and Brittany Thornton).

KNIGHTWATCH/ABC/1988-89
*(Benjamin Bratt) Tony Maldonado, the Hispanic ex-gang member who heads a volunteer street organization known as "The Knights of the City. The group roams the streets of New York City and acts as a surrogate police force (a la Guardian Angels) to curtail criminal activities. The group which operates out of an old church and uses martial arts as their basic mode of defense.

KOJAK/ABC/1989-90
**(Kario Salem) Det. Paco Montana, an Hispanic partner of black Det. Winston Blake working with Inspector Theo Kojak a Greek-American police detective stationed at Manhattan South.
 

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