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RAWHIDE/CBS/1959-66
**(Robert Cabal) Hey Soos Patines, a Mexican cattle drover who worked with a
crew of cowhands along the Kansas Sedalia Trail of the late 1800's.
THE REAL MCCOYS/ABC/CBS/1957-63
**(Tony Martinez) Pepino Garcia, a guitar-playing, Mexican farmhand who worked
at a San Fernando Valley ranch owned by grouchy Grandpa McCoy and his newlywed
grandson, Luke. Pepino often answered in the affirmative by saying "Si, Señor
Grandpa". When Pepino speaks Spanish, Grandpa says “Talk United States. I don’t
understand that lingo.”
REALIDADES/PBS/1975-76
*Magazine of the air produced at WNET-TV 13 in New York originally aired locally
in 1973-74. This program went nationally in 1975 and featured a variety of
formats from news features, dramas and documentaries. This program was the first
national Hispanic bilingual show.
THE REDD FOXX SHOW/ABC/1986
**(Rosana De Soto) Diana Olmos, sassy and sexy Puerto Rican cook/waitress who
worked at an inner-city New York City coffee shop/newsstand owned by a black man
named Al Hughes.
REDIGO/NBC/1963
**(Mina Martinez) Linda Martinez, the Mexican cook at a New Mexico cattle ranch
owned by James Howard Redigo. Other cast included Rudy Solari as Frank Martinez,
Linda's husband and Redigo's ranch hand; and Elena Verdugo as Gerry, Redigo's
romantic interest who worked as the assistant manager of the Gran Quivera Hotel
in the nearby town of Mesa.
RENEGADES/ABC/1983
**(Fausto Bara) Gaucho, a tough, Hispanic gang leader (Wild Cats Gang) who
teamed with six other street gang leaders (under the supervision of a big city
cop) to form a group of crime fighting youths. Angel Granadas, Jr. played the
role of Gaucho in the 1982 made-for-TV movie that inspired the series.
RESURRECTION BLVD./SHO/2000-2002
*(Michael DeLorenzo) Carlos Santiago, a Mexican-American boxer who becomes the
Middle Weight Champion of the world after a remarkable recovery from a gunshot
wound. Carlos lives with his widower father Roberto Santiago (Tony Plana) and
three generation of his family (Miguel, Yolanda, Alex and Victoria) under one
roof on Resurrection Boulevard in East Los Angeles. Nicholas Gonzalez as Alex
Santiago is the youngest son, who quit UCLA to fill in for Carlos as the
family's boxing contender only to be robbed of his title, has now returned to
school as a pre-med student. Ruth Livier as Yolanda Santiago is the oldest
sister. Mauricio Mendoza as Miguel Santiago is the oldest son who helped train
his brothers, but has moved on to become a boxing promoter and fight organizer
focused on Carlos' career. Marisol Nichols as Victoria Santiago is a high school
student and the youngest of the Santiagos. Elizabeth Peña as aunt Beatrice "Bibi"
Corrales is Roberto's sexy and outspoken sister-in-law, has kept the Santiago
household in order since the death of Roberto's wife. Daniel Zacapa as Ruben
Santiago, Roberto's brother is a brain damaged ex-boxer who doesn't speak, but
nonetheless is smarter than he lets on.
RHODA/CBS/1974-78
**(Rafael Campos) Ramon Diaz, Jr., an easy-going Hispanic assistant working at
the Doyle Costume Company located in New York City.
THE RITA MORENO SHOW/ABC/1976
*(Rita Moreno) Googie Gomez, a Puerto Rican Hispanic entertainer working in a
homosexual bathhouse in New York while she waits for her big break in showbiz.
The Googie character in this half-hour comedy pilot was based on the Broadway
play and movie The Ritz.
ROSEANNE/ABC/1988-97
**(Evelina Fernandez) Juanita Herrera, Hispanic blue-collar female who worked as
an assembly line employee at Wellman Plastics in Lanford, Illinois during the
first seven episodes of this sitcom.
ROSWELL/WB/UPN/1999-2002
**(Adam Rodriguez) Jesse Estaban Ramirez, a young attorney working for the firm
of Isabel and Max Evans' father in Roswell, NM. Jesse married the bosses
daughter Isabel Amanda Evans (played by Katherine Heigl). Of, course, Isabel and
her brother Max are adopted (and outer space aliens). Ivonne Coll appeared as
Jesse's mother, Mrs. Ramirez.
SANCHEZ OF BEL AIR/SYN/USA/1986-87
*(Reni Santoni) Ricardo Sanchez, an Hispanic clothing manufacturer who moved his
family from the barrio of East Los Angeles to the exclusive neighborhood of Bel
Air. His family members included Marius Del Mar as Rita; and Richard Coca as
Miguel. The series ran 13 episodes.
SANFORD & SON/NBC/1972-77
**(Gregory Sierra) Julio Fuentes, a Puerto Rican male who lived next door to
Fred Sanford, a grouchy junk dealer located in Watts in south central Los
Angeles during the 1972-75 seasons. Julio had a pet goat which often got loose
on the Sanford property and caused all sorts of complications. Julio was best
friends with Lamont Sanford, Fred's 34-year-old son.
SANTA BARBARA/NBC/1984-92
*(A Martinez/costar) Cruz Castillo, leading Hispanic hunk/heroic cop, who has
suffered through earthquakes, car crashes and being framed for murder on this
popular daytime soap opera. He married Eden Capwell, a beautiful Caucasian in
the Spring of 1988. A Martinez later starred as a lawyer on L.A.
LAW/NBC/1992-93. The series featured the lives and loves of four families, one
of them was the Andredes family, a Mexican-American clan struggling to achieved
their way in America. The family members were played by included Ismael East
Carlo, Margarita Cordova, Rupert Ravens and Ava Lazar as Santana, the Andredes
grown daughter who wanted two things in life: to better her social standing and
to find the baby she gave up for adoption. The soap opera Santa Barbara was one
of the first to highlight the relationship between an Hispanic and an Anglo as
well as to prominently feature Mexican American family in a leading role.
SANTA BUGIOT/CBS/1995-96
*(Cartoon Characters) - Carmen and Paco de la Antchez, two bugs who lived in the
insect town of Santa Bugito located along the Mexican border. The main hangout
in this sleepy little borough of bugs was Carmen's Cafe.
SARGE/NBC/1971-72
**(Ramon Bieri) Barney Verick, an Hispanic San Diego chief of detectives and
friend of "Sarge," a policeman turned priest.
SAVED BY THE BELL/NBC/1989-93
*(Mario Lopez) A .C. Slater, Hispanic jock and friend of white teenager
attending Bayside High School in Palisades, California. Slater continued to
appeared in the spin-off series SAVED BY THE BELL: THE COLLEGE YEARS/NBC/1993-94
when he attended California University on a wresting scholarship. The spin-off
SAVED BY THE BELL: THE NEW CLASS/NBC/1993-2000featured an Hispanic student named
Tommy DeLucca (played by Jonathan Angel).
SCRUBS/NBC/2001+
**(Judy Reyes) Carla Espinoza, caring but slightly jaded Hispanic nurse working
at Sacred Heart Hospital. Her romantic interest is black surgical resident Dr.
Chris Tuck, but others on staff also find her enticing. Carla's daily routines
include being big sister to Dr. Dorian (whom she calls "Bambi"), an adversary to
Dr. Reid, a lover to Dr. Turk and avoiding chief of medicine, Dr. Bob Kelso.
Judy Reyes describes her character as "smart and sassy and a very good nurse. I
like that she remains confident and unapologetic in a world where nurses don’t
receive the same respect as doctors.” Born November 11, 1968, Reyes grew up in
the Bronx, New York, USA and became interested in acting while attending Hunter
College in Manhattan. In 1992, she landed her first major acting role in the
independent feature film Jack and His Friends opposite Sam Rockwell. Her other
TV guest spots include New York Undercover, NYPD Blue, Cosby, The Sopranos,
Third Watch, and a recurring role on HBO's Oz as Tina Rivera, a prison guard's
wife. She also appeared as Maria Valquez in the TV Movie The Prosecutors (196)
and as Detective Vega in Mind Prey (1999).
SEAQUEST DSV/NBC/1993-95
**(Mario Sanchez) Miguel Ortiz, an Hispanic naval crewman serving as Sensor
Chief aboard the futuristic research submarine SeaQuest that roamed the oceans
of the world in the year 2018.
SECOND CHANCES/CBS/1993-94
**(Jennifer Lopez) Melinda Lopez, a Mexican-American coed engaged to a socially
prominent non-Hispanic law student. Pepe Serna played Salvador Lopez, her overly
protective father who sought to sabotage his daughters romance. Both actors
played the same roles in HOTEL MALIBU/CBS/1994. Also featured were Daniel
Gonzalez as Cesar Lopez; and John Chaidez as Johnny Lopez.
THE SECOND HALF/NBC/1993-94
*(John Mendoza) John Palmaro, an absent-minded Hispanic sportswriter working for
The Chicago Daily on a column called "The Second Half." John is newly divorced
and has weekend custody of his two daughters Cathy (age 14), and Ruth (age 9).
Jessica Lundy played Denise Palmaro, John's nurse sister who lived across the
hall.
THE SENTIMENTAL AGENT/SYN/1966
*(Carlos Borella) Carlos Thompson, a successful Hispanic businessman with a
penchant for solving crimes.
SESAME STREET/PBS/1969+
*(Emilio Delgado, Sonia Manzano) Luis and Maria, two fix-it shop employees
working at 123 Sesame Street, whose long time relationship blossomed into
romance. With the aid of a priest who conducted the ceremony in Spanish, Luis
and Maria wed on episode 2,485 aired in May of 1988. In attendance were Luis'
Uncle Jose (Jose Ferrer) and Maria's Mother (Lillian Furst) and a number of the
SESAME STREET regulars including Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Snuffy and Little
Elmo who was the ring bearer. A pink bird muppet called Placido Flamingo debuted
in 1985; Desiree Casado as Gabriela debuted in 1989; Rosita, la Monstrua de las
Cuevas (The Monster in the Caves), the first bilingual Monster, debuted in 1991;
and Carlo Alban as Carlo debuted in 1993. Manzano grew up in the South Bronx.
Emilio Delgado as born in Calexico, California.
SHANNON'S DEAL/NBC/1990-91
**(Elizabeth Pena) Lucy Acosta, a savvy Hispanic secretary to an
ex-gambler/lawyer. Lucy worked as a secretary to pay off her debt incurred when
her boss defended her boyfriend in court. Pena's actor parents (of Cuban
heritage) founded New York City's Latin American Theater Ensemble.
SHOGUN/NBC/1980 (Mini-series)
**(John Rhys-Davies) Rodrigues, a Portuguese emissary living in feudal Japan
during the 1600s. Damien Thomas also appeared as Father Alvito, a Portuguese
missionary (who dies in captivity). This five-part, twelve-hour miniseries is
based on the epic novel Shogun by James Clavell.
THE SINBAD SHOW/FOX/1993-94
**(Salma Hayek) Gloria Contreras, a pretty Hispanic grad student who baby sat
two young black children living across the hall at the apartment of a video-game
designer. Gloria's mother was the building's landlord. The Gloria character was
dropped within a month of the show's debut.
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE (THE ADVENTURES OF)/ATV/1962
**(Roger Delgado) Ambassador Mendoza, Spanish official representing the Royal
court of Spain who interacted with 16th century seaman, explorer Sir Francis
Drake. Drake of course was plundering the Spanish fleet on orders from Queen
Elizabeth I.
SIX FEET UNDER/HBO/2001-2005
**(Freddy Rodriquez) Frederico "Rico" Diaz, a Latino restorative artist who
worked at Fisher & Sons Funeral Home in Los Angeles, California. Seeing talent
in Rico, Mr. Nathaniel Fisher, the owner of the mortuary put Frederico through
mortuary school. Unfortunately, about five years later Mr. Fisher was killed
when a bus broadsided the new company hearse. Subsequently, Fisher's sons Nate
and David took over the business. When Rico asked for a raise and was refused,
he took a job at the rival conglomerate Kroehner Service International. But the
new place was cold and impersonal and the hours were bad. Luckily, Nate Fisher
offered to take Rico back at the same ray rate as their rival. Now Rico
meticulously prepares dead bodies with makeup and other cosmetic improvements
before they are put out for burial. A perfectionist, by nature, Rico once
protested "The woman looks like a banana. I don't airbrush her, the family's
gonna freak. You want to put her out like that then take my name off the
certificate." Rico is married with two children. Justina Machado played the role
of Vanessa Diaz, Rico's wife. Actor Freddy Rodriquez is a Chicago native. His
other TV credits included Oh Grow Up (1999), Seduced by Madness (1996) and
Party
of Five (1994) and a starring role in the HBO film, For Love or Country: The
Arturo Sandoval Story with Andy Garcia and Gloria Este.
SLATTERY'S PEOPLE/CBS/1964-65
**(Paul Geary) Johnny Ramos, the political aide of an idealistic Anglo named
James Slattery who was the minority leader for a fictional state legislature. In
the second season, Johnny was replaced by Mike Valera (played by Alejandro Rey).
SOAP/ABC/1977-81
**(Gregory Sierra) Carlos "El Puerco" Valdez, South American revolutionary
(introduced during the 1980-81 seasons) who had a fling with Jessica Tate, a
wealthy married woman from Dunns Rivers, Connecticut.
SOLDIER OF FORTUNE, INC./SYN/1997-99
**(Billy Gallo) Ricardo “Rico” Valesquez, Hispanic Navy SEAL, and medic who
joined a team of Special Ops Forces. He is an expert in signals and scuba. He
was wounded during a operation in Irag and was placed on Rehab.
SOMETHING IS OUT THERE/NBC/1988
**(Gregory Sierra) Vic Maldonado, Los Angeles-based police lieutenant who
supervises an Irish-American detective (whose partner is an outer space alien).
SONS OF THUNDER/CBS/1999
*(Marco Sanchez/costar) Carlos Sandoval, Mexican-American private eye based in
Dallas, Texas who ran the "Sons of Thunder" detective agency. with his white
partner. Carlos is martial arts trained and ready for action. According to the
TV theme song Carlos and his partner "got thunder in their soul."
STAR OF THE FAMILY/ABC/1982
**(Danny Mora) Max, a hot-headed Hispanic fireman with a broken English accent
who was a friend to the family of an aspiring actress.
STAR TREK: VOYAGER/UPN/1995-2001
*(Roxann Biggs-Dawson/costar) B'Elanna Torres, hot-tempered Chief Engineer
serving onboard the starship Voyager. Raised on the colony on Qo’noS, B’Elanna
is the product of a Klingon mother and a human father. She attended Starfleet
Academy, dropped out, joined the rebel group called the Maquis and was the chief
engineer on a rebel ship until she was assigned to work on the starship Voyager.
B’Elanna main challenge in life is to curtail her aggressive Klingon nature. As
a child B’Lanna overheard her father tell her Uncle Carl that living with a
Klingon wife and daughter was very difficult. This comment and the fact that her
father left soon after made her fearful of relationships, especially, one with
human coworker Tom Paris. She feared that since her human father left her, then
her human lover Tom would also. They soon reconciled the problem and were
married.
STAT/ABC/1991
**(Julio Oscar Mechosa) Julio Oscar, an Hispanic orderly at Hudson Memorial
Hospital in New York City. Mechosa played a similar character on the medical
drama BIRDLAND.
STEAMBATH/SHO/1984-85
*(Jose Perez) God the Almighty, who appeared as Morty, a Puerto-Rican washroom
attendant cleaning up in the afterlife at a New York steam bath where souls
passed through before their eternal judgment. Jose Perez originally played the
role of Morty (a.k.a. "God") in a 1972 version (of an irreverent off-Broadway
play) starring Bill Bixby and Valerie Perrine first staged for TV on PBS in May
1973.
THE STEVE ALLEN SHOW/NBC/1956-1960/ABC/1961
**(Bill Dana) Bill Dana performed his kind-hearted Latino character Jose
Jimenez. See also THE BILL DANA SHOW
THE STEVE HARVEY SHOW/WB/1996-2002
**(Sophia Ortiz) Tracy Vilar, a sassy, soft-hearted Hispanic student attending
Booker T. Washington High School in inner city Chicago. Merlin Santana appeared
as her boyfriend Romeo Santana, a smooth-talking ladies man.
SUDDENLY SUSAN/NBC/1996-99
*(Nestor Carbonell/costar) Luis Rivera, a suave Cuban-American photographer
working for a trendy San Francisco magazine called "The Gate." Luis was the
"kind of guy who thinks he's much sexier that he really is." Luis was a
traditional macho Hispanic. His brother, Carlos (Bruno Campos), on the other
hand, was a handsome, charming homosexual. On episode "The Me Nobody Nose," Luis
studies for his citizenship; and on episode #37 "Car Trouble" Luis is refused a
rental car based on his ethnic heritage. Nestor Carbonell was born in New York
City and raised in 13 different countries. His native language is Spanish. He
also starred in the short-lived show MUSCLE/WB/1995 portraying Giani, the
resident gigolo.
SUPERCARRIER/ABC/1988
**(Gerardo Mejia) Luis Cruz, a Master-at-Arms First Class airman stationed on
the USS Georgetown, a gigantic aircraft carrier. Tasia Valenza played Yeoman
First Class Rosie Henriques.
SURFSIDE SIX/ABC/1960-62
**(Margarita Sierra) Cha Cha O'Brien, a Latin dancer in the "Boom Boom Room" at
the swank Fountainbleau Hotel in Miami Beach. She interacted with private
investigators Ken Madison, Sandy Winfield II, and Dave Thorne. The character
"Cha Cha" was born in Madrid and had been dancing since she was four-years-old.
Her body language was typically animated, a la the hot-blooded Latin stereotype.
Her character inspired a record called the "Cha Cha Twist".
THE SURVIVORS/ABC/1969-70
**(Robert Viharo) Miguel Santerra, a South American revolutionary who became
entangled with the high society members of the Carlyle family. Donna Baccala
played Marguerita.
SWORD OF JUSTICE/NBC/1978-79
*(Bert Rosario/costar) Hector Ramirez, Hispanic ex-con who teamed with his
former cellmate, a society playboy falsely accused of embezzlement, to avenge
white collar crime.
T.H.E. CAT/NBC/1966-67
**(Robert Carricart) Pepe, a Spanish gypsy who owned a San Francisco nightspot
called Casa Del Gato (translated "House of the Cat") where professional
bodyguard Thomas Hewett Edward Cat met potential clients to size up whether he
would take up their cause.
TAINA/NIK/2001-2002
*(Christian Vidal) Taina Morales, an energetic 15-year-old Puerto Rican teen
beginning her first year at the Manhattan School of the Arts. Her family
consists of Lisa Lisa as her mother Gloria Elaina Morales; Josh Cruze, as
Taina's father Eduardo; Manolo Villaverde as Taina's grandfather, Abuelo
(Gregorio 'Goyo' Sanchez); seven-year-old Brandon Iglesias as Taina's younger
brother, Santito; Selenis Leyva as Taina's aunt, Titi Rosa. In addition, Khaliah
Menée Adams co-stars as Taina's best friend, Renee Patrice Jones; Chris Knowings
as Taina's clumsy friend LaMar Ernest Chavalier Johnson; and Missy Newsome plays
Taina's rival, Maritza Hoge. In the early episode Gloria Morales, confides with
Taina about when she first came from Puerto Rico as a little girl and knew no
English. Gloria tells Taina that the new language sounded like nonsense. But
then Gloria's recalls her own mother's words and tells them to Taina. "You're a
Latina, you have strong blood." Trivia Note: Taina's name refers to the original
indigenous tribe of Puerto Rico, the Tainos.
TARZAN/NBC/1966-69
**(Manuel Padilla, Jr) Jai, a small orphan boy who befriended Tarzan, the King
of the Jungle. The series was filmed in the jungles of Mexico.
THE TED KNIGHT SHOW/SYN/1985-86
**(Lisa Antille) Lisa Flores, an attractive, young Mexican housekeeper, new to
the United States who worked for the Rush family while she studied to become a
citizen.
TEQUILA & BONETTI/CBS/1992
**(Mariska Hargitay) Angela Garcia, an Hispanic Los Angeles police rookie
partnered with a NYPD police officer on loan to a California beach town.
THIS OLD HOUSE/PBS/1974-89
*(Bob Vila) Cuban-American host of the popular homeowners do-it-yourself program
on the Public Broadcasting System. He was fired in the spring of 1989 and later
developed a similar program entitled HOME AGAIN WITH BOB VILA/SYN/1990+. He can
also been seen on the reedited version of the THIS OLD HOUSE program entitled
THE RENOVATION GUIDE airing on The Learning Channel.
THIRD WATCH/NBC/1999-2005
**(Anthony Ruivivar) Carlos Nieto, rookie paramedic (raised as an orphan)
described as "an ethnically three-dimensional character you don’t often see on
TV with a lot of room to explore." Carlos works the "Third Watch" (3-11 PM
shift) in the 55th Precinct. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Ruivivar
received a B.F.A. from Boston University.
THREE'S COMPANY/ABC/1977-84
**(Gino Conforti) Felipe, an Hispanic kitchen worker and dishwasher who worked
at Angelino's, an Italian restaurant located in Santa Monica, California.
Despite the fact that Felipe had put in six years at Angelino's, Mr. Angelino
hired Jack Tripper, a newly graduated culinary school graduate as the new chef.
For this, Felipe held a grudge. On episode "Cousin Cuisine," Felipe's niece,
Maria (Maria Richwine) take refuge at Jack's apartment to avoid deportation
before her wedding. Felipe's other relatives included Pete Leal as Mr. Sanchez
and J. Victor Lopez as Manual..
THE TICK/FOX/2001-02
**(Nestor Carbonell) Batmanual, lisping Latin Lothario with a fancy cell-phone
based in "The City" who finds an excuse not to perform any actual work when
trouble raises it's ugly face. He supposedly is the backup for The Tick, another
weird superhero in blue tights. Batmanuel never promotes himself without a
worthy cause, but in reality, he's far too self-centered to do any actual crime
fighting. He also steals newspapers and has thousands of unpaid parking tickets.
Sporting bat ears, Batmanuel's costume is brown, with a cape and utility belt
with BM on the belt buckle. His on/off, love/hate interest is Captain Liberty, a
gorgeous, patriotic heroine. Batmanuel's rides the Batmanuel Mobile with a
license reading "BATLOVE." The Batmanuel character is a spoof of the DC Comics
crime fighter "Batman" and loosely based on Die Fledermaus, an egotistical
coward on the animated cartoon THE TICK/FOX/1994-96. The cartoon version of The
Tick featured Carmalita (voice of Jennifer Hale), the daughter of the mad
scientist Dr. Vahtoss and the love interest of Arthur, "The Moth," The Tick's
sidekick (Dr. Vahtoss invented Arthur's flying suit). And the villain "El Seed"
(spoof of "El Cid") appeared in the form of a Spanish flower (face like a large
yellow daisy with brown seed pod in the center) bent on taking revenge on the
animals of the Earth for the way they treat plants. El Seed spoke with a funny
European Spanish accent.
TOGETHER WE STAND (NOTHING IS EASY)/CBS/1986-87
*(Julia Migenes/costar) Marion Simmons, an outgoing divorced single parent and
next door neighbor and friend of a widow raising four children.
THE TONY DANZA SHOW/NBC/1997
*(Maria Canals/costar) Carmen Cruz, a shapely, salsa-tongued Hispanic computer
whiz and assistant to divorced New York City sportswriter.
TONY ORLANDO AND DAWN/CBS/1974-76
*(Tony Orlando) Tony Orlando, a half Puerto-Rican, half Greek singer/entertainer
born in New York City who hosted this musical variety series featuring black
support singers Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent Wilson (together known as
"Dawn").
TOP OF THE HEAP/FOX/1991
**(Rita Moreno) Alixandra Stone, a classy Hispanic female who managed a suburban
country club outside of Chicago.
TOTAL SECURITY/ABC/1997
**(Tony Plana) Luis Escobar, an Hispanic operative working for Total Security, a
private security firm based in Los Angeles.
TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL/CBS/1994-2003
*(Alexis Cruz), Rafael, an Hispanic angel from Heaven who comes down to Earth to
assist a guardian angel named Monica in helping troubled souls. This character
was introduced during the Fall of 1997-98.
TOUGH COOKIES/CBS/1986
**(Elizabeth Pena) Connie Rivera, an Hispanic undercover policewoman working as
a detective for the Chicago police department with Anglo detective Cliff Brady.
TOUR OF DUTY/CBS/1987-90
**(Ramon Franco) Alberto Ruiz, a Puerto Rican street fighter from the Bronx who
joined the Army to kick ass in Vietnam. On the first episode he walked into a
bunker full of soldiers and said: "What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a
Spic." Miguel A. Nunez. Jr. played Private Marcus Taylor. This series was the
first show to feature an Hispanic leading character involved in the Vietnam War.
TRIAL & ERROR/CBS/1988
*(Paul Rodriguez & Eddie Velez) Tony Rivera and John Hernandez, two Hispanic
roommates living in Los Angeles. John was fresh out of law school and Tony was a
streetwise tee-shirt salesman selling his wares on Olvera Street.
20/20/ABC/1978+
**(Geraldo Rivera) News reporter/correspondent for this magazine of the air
program. His hard hitting, gutsy investigative style often got him into very
dangerous situations. In 1986 he hosted a syndicated special "The Secrets of Al
Capone's Vaults," a supposed treasure trove of the famed criminal Al Capone. He
came up empty and very embarrassed. In December, 1986 he returned with another
spectacular live program called AMERICAN VICE which discussed problems of drugs
in our society. The program featured a live drug raid. In 1987 Geraldo began
hosting his own one-hour daytime talk show called GERALDO. In 1991 he hosted a
syndicated expose on-air magazine program NOW IT CAN BE TOLD and later GERALDO
LIVE on CNBC on the Cable networks. Geraldo Rivera is part Puerto Rican and part
Jewish.
UNION SQUARE/NBC/1997-98
*(Constance Marie/costar) Gabriella Diaz, a wide-eyed aspiring Hispanic actress
who hangs out at a downtown Manhattan diner called Union Square.
THE UNTOUCHABLES/ABC/1959-63
**(Abel Fernandez) Hispanic actor Abel Fernandez played the part of an American
Indian named Bill Youngfellow who belonged to a 1930s Chicago-based police squad
known as "The Untouchables." (actually US Treasury Agents) who fought Al Capone
and his Prohibition mobsters.
URBAN ANGEL/CBS/1991-92
*(Justin Louis) Victor Torres, an ex-con investigative reporter for the Montreal
Tribune newspaper who had underworld connections.
VERONICA'S CLOSET/NBC/1997-2000
**(Lupe Ontiveros) Louisa, the Hispanic housekeeper of Veronica Chase, the owner
of a lingerie mail-order catalog company. Louisa became the love interest of the
company's limo driver (Veronica's father).
VILLA ALEGRE/PBS/1974-81
*(Nono Arsu) Nono Arsu, one of number of regular cast members who hosted this
bi-lingual series primarily geared for Spanish-speaking pre-school children. Set
in the mythical town of Villa Alegre (Spanish for Happy Village), the program
hoped to give children (4-to-10 years-old) the opportunity to learn new language
skills to ease their assimilation into a English-speaking society. Other program
regulars included Darryl Henriquez, Julio Medina, Maria Grimm, Gilbert Duron,
Federico Roberto, Catana Tully, Carmen Zapata and Wilfredo H. Rodriquez. The
program was produced by Claudio Guzman.
VILLAGE BARN/NBC/1948-50
**(Romolo De Spirito) Romolo De Spirito, Hispanic entertainer and singer who
appeared on this musical variety series as the singing road agent known as "The
Masked Singer" during the 1949 season.
VINCENT LOPEZ/DUM/1949-51
*(Vincent Lopez) Vincent Lopez, Hispanic bandleader and pianist who hosted his
own musical variety program on the Dumont network. In 1957, he returned to
television on the CBS Network with a Saturday evening music program called THE
VINCENT LOPEZ SHOW.
VIVA VALDEZ/ABC/1976
*(Rodolfo Hoyos) Luis Valdez, a Chicano plumber and father to a East Los Angeles
family which included Carmen Zapata as his wife, Sophia; James Victor, Nelson D.
Cueves and Claudio Martinez as his sons Victor, Ernesto, and Pepe; Lisa Mordente
as his teenage daughter, Connie; and Jorge Cervera, Jr. as Jerry Ramirez, a
Mexican cousin.
THE WAYANS BROS/WB/1995-99
**(Joanne Sanchez) Lupe, an Hispanic waitress who worked the register at Pop's
Joint, a small diner in Manhattan.
WELCOME BACK, KOTTER/ABC/1975-79
**(Robert Hegyes) Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein, a Puerto
Rican/Jewish student who belonged to the rowdy "Sweathog" gang at James Buchanan
High School in Brooklyn.
WHAT A COUNTRY!/SYN/1986-87
**(Ada Maris) Maria Conchita Lopez, an out-going Mexican immigrant turned
Beverly Hills housekeeper who attended night school in Los Angeles to study to
become a citizen. Her love of clothing influenced her term paper on George
Washington. She concluded that not only was he the father of our country but he
was also a fashion trend setter. Julian Reyes appeared as Victor Ortega, a
fellow student who was attracted to Maria.
WHITE SHADOW/CBS/1978-1981
**(Ricardo Gomez) Ira Angustain, an Hispanic teenager who played basketball at
Carver High, a racially mixed school located in a tough, lower middle-class
neighborhood in Los Angles.
WICHITA TOWN/NBC/1959-60
**(Carlos Romero) Rico Rodriguez, reformed Mexican gunfighter who became one of
two deputies working in the frontier town of Wichita, Kansas in the post Civil
War days of 1800s.
WILDSIDE/ABC/1985
*(John Di Aguino/costar) Vargas De La Cosa, a gunsmith equally handy with a
knife who belonged to the "Wildside Chamber of Commerce" a secret vigilante
law-enforcement group founded (and answerable to the Governor) to clean up the
Northern California frontier territory filled with local gangs and wandering
renegades.
WILL & GRACE/NBC/1998-2006
**(Shelley Morrison) Rosario Salazar, a Salvadoran maid who worked in New York
City for a wealthy, white employer named Karen Walker. To keep from being
deported, Rosario and Karen arranged a fake marriage with a gay man named Jack
who later demanded palimony from Karen when he found Rosario in bed with another
man. Rosario and Karen’s prickly but caring relationship included such exchanges
as “In my country I was a school teacher, says Rosario.” Karen replies “In this
country you wash my bras” and “Hey, you’re on the clock, tamale. Get to work.”
Rosario responds “Listen, Lady, I’ll squash you like a wormy apple.”
Unfortunately, the “tamale” crack irritated the Hispanic community (who
considered it an ethnic slur) and inspired discussions of a “brownout“ and a
boycott of major networks in the fall of 1999 that protested the new season’s
lack of minority characters. Federico Subervi, a University of Texas Media
professor added “When Latinos and others are saying increase our numbers, it
does not mean increase our stereotypical representations.” Lisa Navarette of the
National Council of La Raza, the group coordinating the two-week boycott of ABC,
CBS, Fox and NBC remarked ‘It’s unfortunate that a show that has done quite a
bit to break stereotypes about gays would resort to such cheap shots at the
Latino community.
WISEGUY/CBS/1990
*(Steven Bauer) Michael "Miguel" Santana, a disbarred federal prosecutor working
undercover with the Organized Crime Bureau, a Division of the Justice
Department. Santana was Cuban born. Other cast included Manolo Villaverde as
Rafael Santana; and Martika as Dahlia Mendez.
THE XAVIER CUGAT SHOW/NBC/1957
*(Xavier Cugat) Latin bandleader, affectionately known as "Cugie" hosted this
15-minute musical variety program. Singer Abbe Lane (his wife at the time)
co-starred. Cugat also appeared on the musical programs THE VOICE OF
FIRESTONE/NBC/ABC/1949-1963 and AMERICA'S GREATEST BANDS/CBS/1955.
THE YELLOW ROSE/NBC/1983-84
*(Edward Albert/costar) Quisto Champion, the half-Mexican lawyer and son of the
late Wade Champion, an Anglo who built the The Yellow Rose ranch, a 200,000 acre
spread in west Texas. Wade's sons Roy and Quisto ran the place with the help of
Wade's 29-year-old widow, Colleen Champion.
YOU AGAIN?/ABC/1986-87
**(Luis Robles) Luis Avalos, an Hispanic friend of Matt Willow, a 17-year-old
teen living with his estranged father Henry Willows.
ZORRO/ABC/1957-59
*(Guy Williams) Don Diego de la Vega, son of an aristocrat Don Alejandro (George
J. Lewis) living in Spanish occupied California of 1820 whose alter ego was that
of Zorro (Spanish for "Fox"), a masked swashbuckling hero who battled the
tyrannical local authorities. Zorro's secret identity was known only to his
faithful mute servant, Bernardo (Gene Sheldon). Other regulars included Britt
Lomond as the evil magistrate, Captain Monastario; Henry Calvin as the plump,
inept Sgt. Garcia; and Jolene Brand as Diego's love interest, Anna Maria
Verdugo. The character of "Zorro" was created by Johnston McCulley in the story
"The Curse of Capistrano," later retitled "The Mark of Zorro".
ZORRO/CBS/1981
*(Cartoon Character) Don Diego De La Vega, a.k.a. Zorro (voice of Henry Darrow),
a swashbuckling masked hero of the Old Spanish West. Other cast were Christine
Avila as the voice of Maria; East Carlo as the voice of Gaspar; Don Diamond as
the voice of Sgt. Gonzalez; Eric Mason as the voice of Capt. Ramon; Julio Medina
as the voice of Miguel; Carlos Rivas as the voice of Don Alejandro; and Socorro
Valdez as the voice of Lucia. Another animated ZORRO cartoon resurfaced in a 28
episode syndicated series that ran from 1997-1998. This series later ran on the
Nickelodeon Channel in December of 2002. The cartoon character voices were
provided by Michael Gough as the voice of Don Diego/Zorro; Earl Boen as the
voice of Capt. Montecero; Jeannie Elias as the voice of Isabela; Patrick Fraley
as the voice of Don Alejandro; and Tony Pope as the voice of Sgt. Garcia.
ZORRO/FAM/1990-92
*(Duncan Regehr) Don Diego de la Vega alias Zorro, a swashbuckling masked hero
of the Old Spanish West. Also included were Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Zorro's
father, Don Alejandrode la Vega; Patrice Camhi as Victoria Escalante; Michael
Tylo as Alcalde Luis Ramone; James Victor as Sgt. Jaime Mendoza; Henry Darrow as
Don Alejandro De La Vega (9-14-90); Garman Hertzler as Alcalde Ignacio De Soto
(9-1-91).
ZORRO AND SON/CBS/1983
*(Henry Darrow/costar) Don Diego de la Vega, Spanish aristocrat living in
California of 1840s. This series featured both the original Zorro and his son,
Don Carlos del la Vega (Paul Regina) who teamed with his aging father to battle
the tyranny of the local authorities. Whereas Zorro, Sr's main weapon was his
sword, his son was more progressive using bombs, guns, etc. Bill Dana costarred
as Zorro's faithful mute servant, Bernardo. Other regulars included Gregory
Sierra as military Commandante Paco Pico; Richard Beauchamp as Sgt. Sepulveda;
John Moschitta as Corporal Cassette; Barney Martin as Brothers Napa and Sonoma;
and Catherine Parks as Senorita Anita.
OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST
FRITO BANDITO (TV Commercial)
*(Voice of Mel Blanc) Frito Bandito, a stereotypical Mexican bandit with a large
brim hat, pot belly and slurred English accent seen in a number of Frito Lay
Corn Chip commercials in the late 1960s. In 1969, under pressure from the
Mexican Anti-Defamation Committee, a group of concerned Hispanics who claimed
the character's "sneaky thief" image was damaging to the Mexican-American
culture, the commercial was pulled off the air. A Frito Lay survey however,
indicated that nearly ninety percent of the Hispanic viewing public liked the
character (8% did not). The Frito Bandito campaign was created by the Foote,
Cone & Belding Agency.
JUAN VALDEZ COFFEE (TV Commercial)
*(Juan Valdez) Juan Valdez, a mustachioed Hispanic representative for the
National Federation of Coffee Growers who roamed the lush green Columbian
rainforests in search of the finest grown coffee beans. Juan Valdez always wore
a peasant costume (large brim hat, sombrero and poncho) and led around his burro
that was loaded down with sacks of coffee beans.
MISS CHIQUITA BANANA (TV Commercial)
*(Chiquita Banana Female banana character (first drawn by artist Dik Browne)
who wore a headdress of fruit and sang the trademark Chiquita Banana song (voice
first provided by singer Patti Clayton) that began "Hello Amigo...I'm Chiquita
Banana and I've come to say/You eat the banana in a special way/When its fleck
with brown and has a golden hue/That's when bananas are the best for you...."
(Music © 1945 Shawnee Press Inc.) The Chiquita Banana jingle was created in 1944
for the United Fruit Company by a BBDO advertising team headed by Robert
Foreman. The song's lyrics, written by Garth Montgomery and music composed by
co-worker Ken MacKenzie, instructed Americans on how to ripen and properly use
this golden tropical fruit, for example, putting them in pies, or salads and to
never to put the equator grown fruit in the refrigerator. In 1945 and 1946,
Puerto Rico-born Elsa Miranda portrayed Miss Chiquita in numerous personal
appearances in the movies, in radio commercials. June Valli (popular for her
1954 hit song "Crying in the Chapel) was the singing voice of Chiquita Banana in
the TV commercials in the 1950s. In 1987, the image of Miss Chiquita changed
from a banana character when artist Oscar Grillo, creator of the Pink Panther,
transformed her into a beautiful brown skinned woman with a teasing smile who
wore the traditional fruit-filled sombrero, gold loop earrings along with a blue
dress adorned with ruffled sleeves and hems edged in yellow. In 1997, Chiquita
held a consumer contest to update their lyrics. Joyce Appelquist, a fifth grade
teacher from San Mateo, California, won the contest.
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