Ana Alicia

Last updated

Ana Alicia
Ana Alicia.jpg
Alicia in the 1980s
Born
Ana Alicia Ortiz Torres

(1956-12-12) December 12, 1956 (age 67)
NationalityMexican-American
Alma mater Wellesley College
University of Texas at El Paso
Southwestern Law School [2]
Occupation(s)Actress, singer, producer
Years active1977–present
Known for Halloween II
Ryan's Hope
Falcon Crest
Battlestar Galactica
Spouse
Gary R. Benz
(m. 1994;div. 2016)
Children2

Ana Alicia Ortiz Torres (born December 12, 1956) [1] is a Mexican-American former actress who performed in theatre and on television. After getting her television start by spending a year on the daytime soap-opera Ryan's Hope , she gained international recognition for her role as scheming vineyard heiress Melissa Agretti on the long-running primetime soap opera Falcon Crest which she portrayed for seven seasons from 1982 until 1988. She has also performed in few single episode guest-starring roles on various televisions shows or in television movies most years from the late-1970s to the mid-1990s.

Contents

Early life

Ana Alicia Ortiz Torres was born in Mexico City to Carlos Celestino Ortiz and Alicia Torres, who ran businesses in Acapulco, Mexico. She was the third of four children. Her family moved to El Paso, Texas, when she was six years old after the death of her father. There, she lived with her grandmother, mother, an uncle, and her three siblings in a house that her father had purchased for her grandmother. Upon graduating from high school in 1972, Ortiz earned a scholarship to Wellesley College. Upon arrival at Wellesley College, Ortiz auditioned and won the lead role for Jules Feiffer's Crawling Arnold.

On summer break after her freshman year, Ortiz auditioned for The Adobe Horseshoe Dinner Theatre outside El Paso, Texas. The theatre offered her a position as a recurring actress in all feature productions. The opportunity would allow her to work with name actors from Hollywood and New York and receive a large weekly salary. She accepted the offer and also acquired her actor's equity card through her term. She left Wellesley College, instead pursuing her bachelor's degree in drama at the University of Texas at El Paso to be closer to her mother and three brothers. [2]

Her first professional role under an AEA contract was as one of the Pigeon Sisters in a production of The Odd Couple starring Bob Denver at The Adobe Horseshoe Dinner Theater in El Paso. [3]

Ana Alicia spent the next three years performing in main stage productions at UTEP as well as having significant roles in the Adobe Horseshoe repertoire.[ citation needed ]

Career

After earning her degree in 1977, Ortiz moved to Los Angeles and started auditioning for roles in various productions. She won the part of Alicia Nieves on Ryan's Hope , a daytime soap opera, moving to New York City for taping. After fifteen months on the show, Ortiz moved back to Los Angeles part-time and kept auditioning while attending law school at Southwestern Law School at night back in Texas. Eventually, her acting opportunities suffered and she decided to pursue acting full-time. [3]

Now going by "Ana Alicia" professionally, she landed several guest roles in episodic television, including Starbuck's love interest, Aurora, in the 1979 Battlestar Galactica episode "Take the Celestra" and Gloria Alonzo in the episode "Space Croppers" of the series sequel Galactica 1980 . Between these she appeared as Falina Redding in the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century episode "Vegas in Space." In 1979 Ana Alicia appeared in the made-for-TV movie The Sacketts as Drusilla, the love of Tyrell Sackett. The movie was based on the Louis L'Amour books The Sacketts and The Daybreakers. She played a major role in the 1981 TV movie Coward of the County , which also starred Kenny Rogers, and was based on his hit song of the same name. In 1982, she was cast in the role of spoiled, selfish vineyard heiress Melissa Agretti on Falcon Crest as a replacement for actress Delores Cantú who had played Melissa for one episode in early 1982. Ana Alicia appeared in the 1983 TV-movie, Happy Endings, opposite John Schneider and her former Ryan's Hope co-star, Catherine Hicks.

In 1989, Ortiz appeared with Raúl Juliá in the movie Romero , her only non-television film role, apart from Halloween II in 1981. Then in 1990, Ana Alicia appeared in the 1990 made-for-TV movie Miracle Landing as flight attendant Michelle Honda. The film is based on an in-flight accident aboard Aloha Airlines Flight 243 that occurred in April 1988. Ana Alicia continued to play guest roles on episodic television, including two episodes in the action series Renegade which reunited her with her former Falcon Crest screen husband Lorenzo Lamas.

Alicia sang two songs on the soap, Falcon Crest. The first song was "Goody Goody", a famous 1936 song composed by Matty Malneck with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was first sung by Bing Crosby. The second song was "Body and Soul". It was written by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton and Johnny Green in 1930. The song was presented by Libby Holman in the revue Three's a Crowd and used as the theme of the 1947 film, Body and Soul , becoming a jazz favorite. [4]

In October 2010, Ana Alicia appeared in a promotional video for the Norwegian television show Gylne Tider. She and other celebrities filmed a cover of The Beatles song "Let It Be". [5]

Ana Alicia was the national spokesperson for The Humane Society of the United States. [6] She has given out awards promoting Hispanic accomplishments in the media from the Golden Eagle Awards. [2]

Family

Alicia married producer and entrepreneur Gary R. Benz on April 24, 1994; they divorced in 2016. [7]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1981 Halloween II Janet Marshall
1989 Romero Arista Zelada
1991Flamenco - un voyage andalou [8] HerselfDocumentary
1994To Die, to SleepKathy's MotherVoice
2012The Nightmare Isn't Over: The Making of Halloween II [9] HerselfDocumentary
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1977–1978 Ryan's Hope Alicia Nieves
1978 The Next Step Beyond Angela MendozaEpisode "Portrait of the Mind: (1.9)
1979 The Hardy Boys Suzanne CliffordEpisode "Life on the Line" (3.10)
1979 Battlestar Galactica AuroraEpisode "Take the Celestra" (1.20)
1979 The Sacketts (TV movie)Drusilla
1979 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Falina ReddingEpisode "Vegas in Space" (1.3)
1979 The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo Millie RogersEpisode "The Boom Boom Lady" (1.9)
1980 Galactica 1980 Gloria AlonzoEpisode "Space Croppers" (1.9)
1980 Quincy, M.E. Nurse Nancy BergerEpisode "No Way to Treat a Patient" (5.22)
1980Roughnecks (TV movie)Yolanda Suarez
1980 Condominium (TV movie)Thelma Messenkott
1981 B. J. and the Bear DoloresEpisode "Seven Lady Captives" (3.11)
1981 Coward of the County (TV movie)Violet
1981The Ordeal of Bill Carney (TV movie)Lisa Saldonna
1982 McClain's Law Episode "A Matter of Honor" (1.8)
1982 Tattletales Herself5 Episodes
1982–1988 Falcon Crest Melissa Agretti Cumson Gioberti 173 Episodes
1983Happy Endings (TV movie)Veronica
1983 Battle of the Network Stars XV Herself - CBS Team
1984 Hollywood '84 (TV miniseries)HerselfEpisode (1.2)
1984 The Love Boat Samantha GregoryEpisode " My Mother, My Chaperone/Present, The/Death and Life of Sir Alfred Demerest, The/Welcome Aboard: Part 1: (8.11)
1984 The Love Boat Samantha GregoryEpisode "My Mother, My Chaperone/Present, The/Death and Life of Sir Alfred Demerest, The/Welcome Aboard: Part 2" (8.12)
1985 Hotel (TV series)Mary Ellen CarsonEpisode "Bystanders" (2.17)
1986The CBS Easter Parade (TV special)Herself - Host
1987 Sex Symbols: Past, Present and Future (TV movie)Herself
1988 Moonlighting Mary Erin-GatesEpisode "And the Flesh Was Made Word" (4.14) (as Ana-Alicia)
1989 Falcon Crest Samantha Ross5 Episodes
1990 Miracle Landing (TV movie)Michelle Honda(as Ana-Alicia)
1991 Life Goes On Shanna GreyEpisode "Lighter Than Air" (2.21)
1993 Rio Shannon (TV movie)Dolores Santillan
1994 Murder, She Wrote Sgt. Hilda DupontEpisode "Northern Explosion" (10.11)
1994 Acapulco H.E.A.T. Linda DavidsonEpisode "Code Name: Easy Riders" (1.12)
1994 Renegade Dr. Grace PrescottEpisode "Sheriff Reno" (2.19) (as Ana-Alicia)
1996 Renegade Angela BaptistaEpisode "Hard Evidence" (4.19) (as Ana-Alicia)
1997 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Duchess of Earl / Businessman's DaughterEpisode "The Pied Piper" (5.2) (Voice)
2004 E! True Hollywood Story HerselfEpisode "Scream Queens"
2015Frontera RojaSoilaEpisode "Reencuentros" (1.1)

Music

Singing
YearTitleSongNotes
1985 Falcon Crest (TV series)"Mairzy Doates"Episode "Cold Comfort" (4.23)
1987 Falcon Crest (TV series)"Goody Goody"Episode "Cold Hands" (6.23)
1987 Falcon Crest (TV series)"Body and Soul"Episode "Body and Soul" (6.24)
1987 Falcon Crest (TV series)"Body and Soul", "Goody Goody"Episode "Loose Cannons" (6.25)

Theatre

YearTitleRoleNotes
1973"The Odd Couple"Pigeon SisterAdobe Horseshoe Dinner Theater
"Busybody"Adobe Horseshoe Dinner Theater
"Boeing, Boeing"Adobe horseshoe Dinner Theater

Awards and nominations

Awards
YearAwardCategoryProductionResult
1986 Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role on a Prime Time Serial Falcon Crest Nominated
1988 Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role: Prime Time Falcon Crest Nominated
1989 Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding Villainess: Prime Time Falcon Crest Nominated
1990 Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress: Prime Time Falcon Crest Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Forbes</span> American actress (born 1965)

Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo is an American actress who has appeared on television and in independent films. She is a Saturn Award winner with three nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Fairchild</span> American actress (born 1950)

Morgan Fairchild is an American actress. She began acting in the early 1970s and has had roles in several television series ever since.

<i>Falcon Crest</i> American television series

Falcon Crest is an American prime time television soap opera created by Earl Hamner Jr. that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California wine industry set in the fictitious Tuscany Valley, located northeast of San Francisco and modeled after the real Napa Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorenzo Lamas</span> American actor (born 1958)

Lorenzo Fernando Lamas is an American actor. He is widely known for his role of Lance Cumson, the irresponsible grandson of Angela Channing—played by Jane Wyman—in the soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–1990), for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Sullivan</span> American actress

Susan Sullivan is an American actress, who is known for her roles as Lenore Curtin Delaney on the NBC daytime soap opera Another World (1971–76), as Lois Adams on the ABC sitcom It's a Living (1980–81), as Maggie Gioberti Channing on the CBS primetime soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–90), as Kitty Montgomery on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg (1997–2002), and as Martha Rodgers on Castle (2009–2016). She earned an Emmy nomination for Lead Actress for the role of Julie Farr in the 1978 series Julie Farr, M.D. and a Golden Globe nomination for Supporting Actress for her role in Dharma & Greg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Jeffreys</span> American actress and singer

Anne Jeffreys was an American actress and singer. She was the female lead in the 1950s TV series Topper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abby Dalton</span> American actress (1932–2020)

Gladys Marlene Wasden, known professionally as Abby Dalton, was an American actress, known for her television roles on the sitcoms Hennesey (1959–1962) and The Joey Bishop Show (1962–1965), and the primetime soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–1986).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Vernon</span> Canadian-American actress (born 1961)

Katherine Elizabeth Vernon is a Canadian-born American actress. She is known for her roles as Lorraine Prescott on the CBS primetime soap opera Falcon Crest, the stuck-up and popular Benny Hanson in the comedy film Pretty in Pink (1986), Sophia in the 1992 film Malcolm X, and Ellen Tigh in the 2004 Syfy series Battlestar Galactica.

Laurette Spang-McCook, credited as Laurette Spang, is an American television actress. She is best known for playing the character Cassiopeia on the original Battlestar Galactica (1978).

Janet Lansbury is an American educator who was an actress in film and television, credited as Janet Julian for much of her career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Allen (actress)</span> American actor

Elizabeth Allen was an American theatre, television, and film actress and singer whose 40-year career lasted from the mid-1950s through the mid-1990s, and included scores of TV episodes and six theatrical features, two of which were directed by John Ford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Johnson</span> American actress

Laura Johnson is an American actress. She is best known for playing Terry Hartford in the CBS primetime soap opera Falcon Crest from 1983 to 1986.

Barbara Howard is an American psychotherapist and retired actress, who remains best known for her roles in the film Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and in the television series Falcon Crest as Melissa Agretti's cousin Robin Agretti. She retired from acting in 2000 to pursue her current career in psychotherapy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ana Ortiz</span> American actress and singer (born 1971)

Ana Ortiz is an American actress and singer. Having pursued a career in ballet and singing from a young age, she eventually attended University of the Arts. Ortiz began her acting career in theatre, in early 2000s starred in the short-lived NBC sitcoms Kristin (2001) and A.U.S.A. (2003), and had recurring roles on Over There and Boston Legal.

Melissa De Sousa is an American actress. She made her big screen debut playing the leading role in the 1998 comedy film Ride. She starred as Shelby in the 1999 romantic comedy-drama film The Best Man and later reprised her role in its 2013 sequel The Best Man Holiday and the 2022 Peacock series The Best Man: The Final Chapters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Channing</span> Soap opera character

Angela Channing is a fictional character on the American prime time soap opera Falcon Crest, portrayed by Jane Wyman from 1981 to 1990. Angela is the devious, tyrannical owner of the Falcon Crest winery in fictional Tuscany Valley, California, whose schemes to advance the fortunes of her family company while keeping sole control over it drive the action of the series. Wyman won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Drama Series for the role in 1984.

Denyse Tontz is a Salvadoran-American actress, singer, and songwriter. Tontz is known for her roles as Cortney Strathmore on Freeform's The Fosters, Miranda Montgomery on All My Children, Nikki Ortiz on Dog with a Blog, Elena on the 2017 Syfy series Incorporated, and heroine Alicia Mendoza in the 2019 ABC summer series Grand Hotel. She is known in the music world for her single, "United States of Anxiety", debuted in 2016 by People.com.

Médico de familia is a Spanish dramedy television series produced by Globomedia for Telecinco. The series premiered at the end of 1995, to become the most popular Tuesday night show for four years and made Telecinco a popular national broadcaster. It has been adapted and broadcast in Germany, Belgium, Finland, Italy, Portugal and Russia, among other countries. Its Italian adaptation surpassed it in episodes and was broadcast till 2016.

¿Qué pasó con Jacqueline? is a Venezuelan telenovela created by Alicia Barrios and Gustavo Michelena which was broadcast by Radio Caracas Television in 1982. The telenovela lasted for 48 episodes.

References

  1. 1 2 "Famous Birthdays on December 12 - On This Day" . Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ana Alicia - Celebrities photos and facts". Archived from the original on December 4, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Ana Alicia - Biography and facts". Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  4. Falcon Crest Blog: Ana-Alicia singing on Falcon Crest
  5. Celebs sing "Let It Be" for Gylne Tider, Leslie Nielsen cameos. Archived December 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Ortiz, Ana Alicia (October 11, 2015). "Ana Alicia Ortiz". Ana Alicia Ortiz. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  7. David, Mark (February 7, 2017). "Gary R. Benz List Sherman Oaks Home (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  8. "Flamenco - un voyage andalou (1991)". m.cinemagia.ro. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  9. "The Nightmare Isn't Over! The Making of Halloween II". letterboxd.com. Retrieved October 31, 2016.