Belita Moreno

Last updated
Belita Moreno
Born (1949-11-01) November 1, 1949 (age 74)
Education Southern Methodist University (BFA)
OccupationActress
Years active1977–present
Spouse
Joel Rudnick
(m. 1982)
[1]
Children2

Belita Moreno (born November 1, 1949 [2] ) is an American actress best known for her roles as Benita "Benny" Lopez on the ABC sitcom George Lopez and Edwina Twinkacetti and Lydia Markham on Perfect Strangers .

Contents

Early life

Moreno majored in Theatre at Southern Methodist University. [3] She continued her acting studies at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, California, where she appeared in the musical Once Upon a Mattress . [4] [5] Moreno is married to Joel Rudnick, a talent agent. The couple have two children.[ citation needed ]

Career

Soon after Moreno arrived in Hollywood, California, to pursue her acting career, she met director Robert Altman,[ citation needed ] and landed roles in three of his films: 3 Women, A Wedding , and A Perfect Couple . She appeared in many other films, including Mommie Dearest, Swing Shift, Oh, God! You Devil, Nobody's Fool, Men Don't Leave, Clear and Present Danger and Grosse Pointe Blank .

Moreno was a regular on the long-running ABC sitcom Perfect Strangers from 1986 to 1992. Her work on television includes appearances in television movies, such as Crazy From the Heart and Death Benefit, the miniseries Tales of the City , and in numerous sitcoms and dramatic series, including The Golden Girls, Family Ties, Valerie and Melrose Place . Moreno played Benny Lopez, George Lopez's mother, on George Lopez (2002–07).

During the 1980s, Moreno was a favorite of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley. Moreno performed in at least four premieres of Henley's plays. Henley created several roles specifically for Moreno: "Popeye" in The Miss Firecracker Contest , some dialogue of which was based on a true story told to the playwright by Moreno, [6] and "Lacey Rollins" in the two-act play The Lucky Spot. Moreno performed in Firecracker at the Victory Theater in Burbank, California in 1980, and in Lucky Spot off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 1987.

Moreno also appeared in Henley's 1982 Broadway premiere at the Eugene O'Neill Theater of The Wake of Jamey Foster as "Katty Foster", directed by Ulu Grosbard, and in the 1989 world premiere of Abundance, as "Macon" at the South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California. [7]

Since the early 1990s, Moreno has served as an acting coach and advisor on numerous films, [8] such as Jerry Maguire, Rush Hour 2, Almost Famous, Parent Trap, The Family Man, Crossroads and 17 Again . [9] She also appeared on Wizards of Waverly Place on Disney and Fairly Legal on USA Network.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1977 3 Women Alcira
1978 Remember My Name Neighbor
1978 A Wedding Daphne Corelli
1979 A Perfect Couple Eleousa
1981 Mommie Dearest Belinda Rosenberg
1982 Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again Nurse Gonzales
1984 Swing Shift Mabel Stoddard
1984 Oh, God! You Devil Mrs. Vega
1986 Nobody's Fool Jane
1988 Two Idiots in Hollywood Dream Barbecue Mother
1990 Men Don't Leave Mrs. Buckley
1994 Clear and Present Danger Jean Fowler
1997 Grosse Pointe Blank Mrs. Kinetta
2005Barbara JeanMarionShort
2010 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Mrs. Norton
2011 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Mrs. Norton
2017 Ferdinand ShopkeeperVoice

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1977 Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman Helen Dinsmore2 episodes
1979 Visions JuliaEpisode: "Ladies in Waiting"
1981A Gun in the HouseMarcie ClarkTV film
1982 Lou Grant Cathy ShortEpisode: "Fireworks"
1983–1988 Family Ties Norma / Mrs. Pedroza / Bernice3 episodes
1983Cocaine and Blue EyesWaitressTV film
1983 The Powers of Matthew Star LouiseEpisode: "Starr Knight"
1985 Scandal Sheet TV film
1985 Robert Kennedy and His Times Angie NovelloTV miniseries
1985 Do You Remember Love Social WorkerTV film
1985 I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later Ms. FarrellTV film
1985Crime of InnocenceMarge KennedyUncredited
TV film
1985What's Happening Now!Mrs. JonesEpisode: "The Challenge"
1986 The Golden Girls NurseUncredited
Episode: "The Operation"
1986 Melba BabsEpisode: "The Girls Are Back in Town"
1986–1992 Perfect Strangers Lydia Markham / Mrs. Edwina TwinkacettiRecurring role, 46 episodes
1987 Full House Ronnie GardnerEpisode: "Our Very First Promo"
1988 The Hogan Family Mrs. ThorneEpisode: "Close Encounters"
1988 The Slap Maxwell Story Annie's LawyerSeries finale
1990 Going Places Mme. PushnikEpisode: "Curse of the Video"
1991Crazy from the HeartBeebee StilesTV film
1992 Roseanne Woman at Retirement HomeEpisode: "Ladies' Choice"
1993 Murphy Brown SidneyEpisode: "Games Mother Play"
1993 Major Dad Ms. WhitlinEpisode: "Night School"
1993 Tales of the City Alice TolliverTV miniseries
1993 Getting By Marie EnrightEpisode: "Turnabout Dance"
1996 Melrose Place Gloria Bryan3 episodes
1996Death BenefitSarah WestTV film
1996The Bachelor's BabyJudge Linda FarmerTV film
1996 Common Law RutaEpisode: "In the Matter of: Luis in Love"
2002–2007 George Lopez Benita "Benny" Lopez Main role, 120 episodes
2008 Wizards of Waverly Place MagdalenaEpisode: "Quinceanera"
2009The EastmansJune LynnUnsold TV pilot
2011 Fairly Legal Betty2 episodes
2011Truth Be ToldSophia BishopTV film
2014 Red Band Society Dr. HoltzmanEpisode: "Pilot"
2015 Family Guy Hispanic Woman (voice)Episode: "Peter's Sister"
2019 On My Block RosarioEpisode: Chapter 15
2022 Lopez vs. Lopez BellaEpisode: "Lopez vs. Christmas"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Lee</span> American singer, songwriter and actress (1920–2002)

Norma Deloris Egstrom, known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, Lee created a sophisticated persona, writing music for films, acting, and recording conceptual record albums combining poetry and music. Called the "Queen of American pop music," Lee recorded more than 1,100 masters and composed over 270 songs.

Merrin Melissa Dungey is an American film and television actress, known for her roles on the television series The King of Queens, Alias, Malcolm in the Middle, Summerland, Conviction, The Resident and The Fix. She also appeared as Ursula on Once Upon a Time. From 2022 to 2023, Dungey played series regular Kam in Shining Vale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rita Moreno</span> Puerto Rican singer, dancer, and actress (born 1931)

Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. She has performed on stage and screen in a career spanning over eight decades. Moreno is one of the last remaining stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Among her numerous accolades, she is one of the few actors to have been awarded an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony (EGOT) and the Triple Crown of Acting, with individual competitive Academy, Emmy, and Tony awards. Additional accolades include the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, the National Medal of Arts in 2009, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2013, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2015, and a Peabody Award in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masiela Lusha</span> American actress and author

Masiela Lusha is an Albanian-born American actress and author. She gained recognition for playing Carmen Lopez on the globally syndicated ABC sitcom George Lopez, a role that earned her two consecutive Young Artist Awards for Leading Young Actress in a Comedy or Drama. After transitioning into film, she starred in Sony Pictures’ Blood: The Last Vampire. Lusha also starred alongside David Hasselhoff and Ian Ziering in SyFy's television movie Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Eden</span> American actress (born 1931)

Barbara Eden is an American actress and singer, who starred as the title character in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970). Her other roles included Roslyn Pierce opposite Elvis Presley in Flaming Star (1960), Lieutenant (JG) Cathy Connors in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), and a single widowed mother, Stella Johnson, in the film Harper Valley PTA (1978) and in the television series of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Richardson</span> American actress

Patricia Castle Richardson is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Jill Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement, for which she was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and twice for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical. She also received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her performance in Ulee's Gold (1997).

Elizabeth Becker Henley is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actress. Her play Crimes of the Heart won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 1981 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play, and a nomination for a Tony Award. Her screenplay for Crimes of the Heart was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Howland</span> American actress (1941–2015)

Elizabeth Howland was an American actress. She worked on stage and television, and was best known for playing waitress Vera Gorman in the sitcom Alice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Morgan Guilbert</span> American actress (1928–2016)

Ann Morgan Guilbert, sometimes credited as Ann Guilbert, was an American television and film actress and comedian who portrayed a number of roles from the 1950s on, most notably as Millie Helper in 61 episodes of the early 1960s sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, and later Yetta Rosenberg, Fran Fine's doddering grandmother, in 56 episodes of the 1990s sitcom The Nanny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicki Lewis</span> American actress and singer (born 1960)

Vicki Lewis is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Beth in the NBC sitcom NewsRadio. She is also well known for her roles as Deb and Flo in Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, April Smuntz in Mouse Hunt, and Dr. Elsie Chapman in Godzilla. Additionally, she starred as Headmistress Knightslinger in Upside-Down Magic on Disney Channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aimee Garcia</span> American actress (born 1978)

Aimee Sandimés Garcia López de Ordóñez is an American actress and writer. She is known for her television roles as Veronica Palmero on the ABC sitcom George Lopez, Yvonne Sanchez on the CBS period drama Vegas, Jamie Batista on the Showtime drama Dexter and Ella Lopez on the Fox/Netflix drama Lucifer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candy Clark</span> American actress (active 1972– )

Candace June Clark is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Debbie Dunham in the 1973 film American Graffiti, for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and her role as Mary Lou in the 1976 film The Man Who Fell to Earth.

Liza Snyder is an American actress. She is known for her television roles, which include Officer Molly Whelan in the ABC series Sirens, Linda in the NBC sitcom Jesse, Christine Hughes in the CBS sitcom Yes, Dear from 2000 to 2006, and Andi Burns in the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan from 2016 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgie Henley</span> English actress (b. 1995)

Georgina Helen Henley is an English actress. She began acting as a child, and became known for starring as Lucy Pevensie in the fantasy film series The Chronicles of Narnia (2005–2010), which grossed over US$1.5 billion worldwide and won her several accolades. This includes nods from several critic groups and an Empire Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Tewes</span> American actress

Cynthia Lauren Tewes is an American actress. She played Julie McCoy on the television anthology series The Love Boat, which originally aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986.

<i>Nobodys Fool</i> (1986 film) 1986 film by Evelyn Purcell

Nobody's Fool is a 1986 comedy film written by playwright Beth Henley. It stars Rosanna Arquette, Eric Roberts and Mare Winningham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth MacRae</span> American actress (born 1936)

Elizabeth Hendon MacRae is an American actress who performed in dozens of television series and in nine feature films, working predominantly in productions released between 1958 and the late 1980s. Among her more widely recognized roles is her recurring character as Lou-Ann Poovie on the sitcom Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., which was originally broadcast from 1964 to 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Hunter</span> American actress (born 1958)

Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Ada McGrath in the 1993 drama film The Piano. She earned three additional Academy Award nominations for Broadcast News (1987), The Firm (1993), and Thirteen (2003). She won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for the television films Roe vs. Wade (1989) and The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993). She also starred in the TNT drama series Saving Grace (2007–2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betsy Brandt</span> American actress

Betsy Brandt is an American actress. She portrayed Marie Schrader in Breaking Bad (2008–2013) and its spinoff show, Better Call Saul (2022) and played Heather Hughes in the CBS sitcom Life in Pieces (2015–2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angelique Cabral</span> American actress (born 1979)

Angelique Cabral is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Colleen Brandon-Ortega on CBS' sitcom Life in Pieces (2015–2019) and Staff Sergeant Jillian Perez on Fox's comedy television series Enlisted (2014). She has also appeared in films The Perfect Family (2011), Friends with Benefits (2011) and Band Aid (2017).

References

  1. "Personal Data: Births". The Hollywood Reporter. September 16, 1983. p. 10. ProQuest   2587826123. A boy, Matthew Seth, 4 lb. 12 oz., on Aug. 7 to Joel Rudnick and Belita Moreno. Father's an agent at S.T.E. Representation Ltd.; mother's an actress.
  2. "Birthdays - Nov. 1 Birthdays - Nov. 1". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 1, 2023. p. 2. ProQuest   2886685861. Actor Jeannie Berlin ("The Heartbreak Kid") is 74. Music producer David Foster is 74. Actor Belita Moreno ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid") is 74. Country singer-songwriter Keith Stegall is 69. Singer Lyle Lovett is 66. See also
    • "Celebrities Birthdays for November 1". The Canadian Press. October 30, 2015. ProQuest   1728564402. Music producer David Foster is 66. Actress Jeannie Berlin is 66. Actress Belita Moreno is 66. Saxophonist Ronald Khalis Bell of Kool and the Gang is 64. Country singer-songwriter-producer Keith Stegall is 61. Singer Lyle Lovett is 58.
  3. SMU Theatre Department Alumni Archived 2008-10-25 at the Wayback Machine at Southern Methodist University official website
  4. PCPA Theaterfest History
  5. Belita Moreno Biography Archived July 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine from Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County official website
  6. Disability Studies Quarterly, "Enlightened by Our Afflictions" by M. Beth Meszaros, Vol 23, No 3/4 (2003)
  7. The Plays Of Beth Henley: A Critical Study by Gene A. Plunka. McFarland & Company: 2005
  8. Belita Moreno credits at Variety.com
  9. Moreno acting credits at Hollywood.com