Lillian Hurst (born August 13, 1943) is a Puerto Rican actress and comedian. She made her debut as a television comedian in the early-1960s. She has worked in film, stage and television productions in the United States. [1]
Hurst was born in the Villa Palmeras neighborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her father owned the "Farmacia Imperial" ("Imperial Pharmacy"), located in Barrio Obrero, Santurce. She received her primary and secondary education in San Juan, the capital. [2] At an early age, she informed her parents that she wanted to be an actress. They soon enrolled her in Ana Santisteban's modeling academy. In 1960, when she was 17 years old, she was discovered by producer Gaspar Pumarejo. [2]
In 1960, Hurst was contracted and she starred in the television comedy Pompilia y su Familia (Pompilia and her Family), which was broadcast on WAPA-TV. Later, she hosted La Hora del Niño (The Children's Hour) on Channel 6.
Some of the other comedies in which she participated in the 1960s were Casos y Cosas de la Casa (Cases and Things of the House) with actor Braulio Castillo [3] and Matrimonio y Algo Más (Marriage and Something More). In 1969, Hurst was contracted by Panamericana de Television of Lima, Peru to work in the program El Hit del Momento (The Hit of the Moment), for one year. [2]
When Hurst returned to Puerto Rico, she went to work in some of the programs produced by her cousin, Tommy Muñiz. [4] She also participated in various theater productions for the first time. Among them were La Casa de las Hojas Azules (The House with the Blue Leaves) and La Verdadera Historia de Pedro Navaja (The True Story of Pedro Navaja). In 1980, Hurst wrote and produced a stage show which she presented at the Condado Beach Hotel in San Juan. [2]
Hurst went to New York City where she worked for a short time on some Off-Broadway productions. In 1989, she moved to Los Angeles, California. She also enrolled at Santa Monica College and majored in psychology. Hurst was able to work in both Spanish and English language productions. She landed a role as "Mrs. Maris" in Windows (1991), which was presented at the Taper Forum Theater, and as "Lola" in La Balada de Tina Juarez (The Ballad of Tina Juarez; 1992). She founded an acting school for Hispanic children. [5]
Hurst has participated in twenty movies, including the 2005 film English as a Second Language . She has also made over thirty television guest appearances in programs such as JAG , NYPD Blue , The King of Queens , The X-Files , ER , Lost , True Blood and a recurring role in Dharma & Greg , where she played the role of "Celia" in sixteen episodes. [6] She also appeared in the Ugly Betty episode "A Tree Grows in Guadalajara" as Yolanda Salazar, the grandmother of Betty Suarez. In 2009, she appeared on Nip/Tuck as Liz Cruz's mother, Mariela. [2] [7]
In 2016, she returned to Los Angeles and appeared in The Comeback and Fear the Walking Dead . [8]
In March 2023 she joined the production of Getting Lost, an upcoming documentary about the TV show Lost.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Romance in Puerto Rico | Celia | |
| 1985 | Amigos | Mirta | |
| 1991 | The Doctor | Mrs. Maris | |
| 1994 | A Million to Juan | Nosey Neighbor | |
| 1995 | Private Obsession | Estella | |
| 1995 | Sleepstalker | Old Woman | |
| 1996 | Brittle Glory | Mrs. Bell | |
| 1998 | Folle d'elle | Gradiosa | |
| 1998 | Melting Pot | Grandma Álvarez | |
| 1999 | Things I Forgot to Remember | Consuelo | |
| 1999 | Candyman 3: Day of the Dead | Flower Woman | |
| 2000 | Bread and Roses | Anna | |
| 2001 | Shooting LA | Grandma | |
| 2002 | Orange County | Lupe | |
| 2002 | Nightstalker | Thelma Martinez | |
| 2004 | Criminal | Mrs. Ochoa | |
| 2005 | English as a Second Language | Juanita | |
| 2009 | Not Forgotten | Hotel Manager | |
| 2012 | I Am a Director | Lillian | |
| 2016 | Yo Soy Un Político | Eneida |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Fue sin querer | Fue sin querer | 3 episodes |
| 1988 | Sesame Street | Mrs. Figueroa | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | The Summer My Father Grew Up | Mrs. Gonzales | Television film |
| 1992 | From the Files of Joseph Wambaugh: A Jury of One | Mrs. Madrid | |
| 1993 | Nurses | Mother | Episode: "Bring Me, the Head of Hank Kaplan" |
| 1995 | JAG | Sra. Escamilla | Episode: "War Crimes" |
| 1996 | NYPD Blue | Mrs. Marquez | Episode: "Hollie and the Blowfish" |
| 1996 | The Pretender | Bartender | Episode: "The Fly" |
| 1997 | The X-Files | Flakita | Episode: "El Mundo Gira" |
| 1997 | ER | Mrs. Landeta | Episode: "When the Bough Breaks" |
| 1997–2001 | Dharma & Greg | Celia | 18 episodes |
| 1999 | Profiler | Mrs. Alvarez | Episode: "Heads, You Lose" |
| 1999 | L.A. Doctors | Maria Sandoval | Episode: "Immaculate Deception" |
| 1999 | Cracker | Housekeeper | Episode: "The Club" |
| 1999 | Mad About You | Phyllis | Episode: "The Final Frontier" |
| 1999 | The King of Queens | Maria | Episode: "Assaulted Nuts" |
| 1999 | My Little Assassin | Distraught Woman | Television film |
| 2000 | Seven Days | Teo's Mom | Episode: "The Cuban Missile" |
| 2000 | Ready to Run | Lourdes Ortiz | Television film |
| 2001 | Spyder Games | Grandmother | Episode #1.49 |
| 2002 | George Lopez | Mrs. Cardenas | Episode: "Who's Your Daddy?" |
| 2003 | Cold Case | Bonita Rafael | Episode: "Look Again" |
| 2003 | Dragnet | Maria Ramos | Episode: "Coyote" |
| 2003 | Arrested Development | Luz | Episode: "Top Banana" |
| 2004 | Cracking Up | Dorsa | 4 episodes |
| 2005 | Girlfriends | Concepcion Immaculata | 2 episodes |
| 2005–2010 | Lost | Carmen Reyes | 6 episodes |
| 2005–2015 | The Comeback | Esperanza | 11 episodes |
| 2006 | Huff | Fellata | Episode: "Sweet Release" |
| 2006 | The Unit | Senora Berenguer | Episode: "Report by Exception" |
| 2006–2007 | The Nine | Consuela Hernandez | 4 episodes |
| 2007 | Ugly Betty | Yolanda Salazar | Episode: "A Tree Grows in Guadalajara" |
| 2007 | Side Order of Life | Mathilda | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Reaper | Ben's Grandmother | Episode: "Ashes to Ashes" |
| 2008 | Azucar Morena | Mima | Television film |
| 2009 | Nip/Tuck | Mariela Cruz | Episode: "Allegra Caldarello" |
| 2009 | Lost: The Story of the Oceanic 6 | Carmen Reyes | Television film |
| 2010 | True Blood | Great Aunt Cecilia | Episode: "I Smell a Rat" |
Carmita Jiménez was a Puerto Rican singer who was considered a diva in Puerto Rico. She was born in San Lorenzo. Carmita Jiménez started her singing career at the young age of six, on the radio show named El Abuelito Welch with another legendary Puerto Rican show business legend, José Miguel Agrelot. This show, as its name suggested, was sponsored by the Welch's grape juice brand.
Luis Vigoreaux Rivera was a Puerto Rican radio and television show host, announcer, comedian and producer. Vigoreaux was considered a pioneer in the television business in Puerto Rico, and enjoyed success with several radio and television shows throughout his career.
Anna Santisteban was a Puerto Rican businesswoman and beauty entrepreneur who presided the Miss Puerto Rico beauty pageant. This beauty contest was in charge of selecting the Puerto Rican delegate to compete for the title of Miss Universe, though other of its participants represented the Caribbean Island in many other beauty competitions as well.
Raquel Johanna Rosaly Guillermety is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, and television host.
Braulio Castillo Jr. is a Puerto Rican actor and radio host. He is the son of Braulio Castillo, an actor across Latin America, and the brother of the lesser known Jorge Castillo, also a television and theater actor.
The Ateneo Puertorriqueño is a cultural institution in Puerto Rico. Founded on April 30, 1876, it has been called Puerto Rico's oldest cultural institution, however, it is actually its third oldest overall and second culturally, after the Bar Association of Puerto Rico and the Casino of Mayagüez.
Carmen Belén Richardson was a Puerto Rican actress and comedian.
Alicia Moreda Tuya, was a soap opera actress, comedian, and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television industry.
Gladys Rodríguez is a Puerto Rican actress, comedian, and television host. She is also a Christian pastor and a priest at an Episcopalian church in Oviedo, Florida, near Orlando, United States.
Íngrid Marie Rivera Santos is a Puerto Rican actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico 2005 and represented her country at Miss World 2005. She later won Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2008 and represented her country at Miss Universe 2008.
Alba Nydia Díaz is a Puerto Rican actress who has worked in Puerto Rico and Mexico.
Daniela Droz is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, and television host.
Awilda "Wiwi" Carbia was a Puerto Rican actress, comedian, and impersonator.
Abdiel Colberg is a Puerto Rican television producer and movie director. Among the movies which he directed and co-wrote is Los Díaz de Doris (1999), a drama starring Cordelia González, Braulio Castillo, Jr., Raul Davila and Alba Raquel Barros.
Gilda Galán was a Puerto Rican actress, comedian, writer, composer, scriptwriter and poet. The veteran actress, whose career spanned decades, enjoyed one of the longest careers in the history of the Puerto Rican entertainment industry.
Marisol Calero is a Puerto Rican actress and singer.
Marilyn Pupo is a Cuban-born Puerto Rican actress, singer and television show host. She is known for her stint as a television show host at Telemundo Puerto Rico's Noche de Gala alongside Eddie Miro, and for starring in the telenovela "El Idolo", also on that channel, alongside Jose Luis Rodriguez, during 1980 and 1981, as well as in other soap operas, such as "Maria Eugenia" and "Ambicion de Poder", where she starred alongside Martin Lantigua.
Myraida Chaves Carbia was a Puerto Rican show host, actress and television and theater producer. Chaves was the daughter of the well-known Puerto Rican actress, Awilda Carbia.
Cary Oliver is a Cuban–Puerto Rican film and television actress and show host.
Mercedes Sicardo was a Spaniard-Puerto Rican actress of film, theater and television. She was best known for her participation in many telenovelas in Puerto Rico.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
