Ángela Meyer
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Angela Maurano better known as Angela Meyer (born August 2, 1947 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is an actress, comedian and producer of television and theatrical works.
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[edit] Early years
Meyer was born "Angela Maurano" in the Pavia Hospital of Santurce, a section of San Juan. She later adopted her first husband's surname "Meyer" (he died in an airplane crash) which she was to use as her stagename. Meyer's parents were Margot Deben, a Peruvian-born actress and Don Maurano from Argentina. When Meyer was 18 months old, she traveled to Colombia with her mother and uncle, the magician Richardini (her parents had divorced). Meyer made her debut on the stage before she was two years old in one of her uncle's presentations. Her mother remarried and returned to Puerto Rico leaving her daughter behind in her uncle's care. She continued to perform with her uncle in South America until 1968 when she returned to the island to live with her mother and stepfather. In Puerto Rico, she received her secondary education.[1]
[edit] Television debut
In 1973, she traveled throughout Europe and the Middle East performing with her uncle. In 1978 she returned to the island, where her comic talent was recognized by Puerto Rican comedian Jose Miguel Agrelot. He invited her to participate in his show Ja, ja, ji, ji, jo, jo con Agrelot. She also auditioned and was cast in minor roles in the soap operas Marcelo y Marcelino and Mujeres sin hombre (Women without men). Meyer's talent as an actress was soon recognized and she was cast in the lead roles of Tomiko, El Ultimo Adios (The Last Good-bye), Rebelde (Rebel) and Un Amante al rojo vivo (A red-hot lover)..[1]
[edit] Soap operas
In the soap opera El hijo de Angela Maria (The son of Angela Maria) Meyer was cast (in blackface) in the role of "Chianita", a poor black country girl who, despite the fact that she never attended school, was a very wise person with a sense of humor. The character of Chianita was to change the life of Meyer forever. The character was so loved by the Puerto Rican public that Meyer continued to make public presentations in various television shows such as Luis Vigoreaux's El Show del Mediodia. As Chianita, Meyer recorded three albums, including "Chianita Gobernadora" in 1973, which sold over 100,000 copies. People even wanted Chianita to run for governor, becoming a part of Puerto Rican folklore. However, the black makeup she used provoked an allergy on Meyer's face and in 1984 Chianita made her last public appearance..[1]
Meyer participated as actress and assistant producer in the soap operas Primera Fila (First Row) and El Regreso (The Return), but the "golden era" of the Puerto Rican soap operas was coming to an end. The crisis which the Puerto Rican artistic class was to face was because the local television stations were importing soap operas from Mexico and Venezuela which were more cost efficient. Meyer and her friend and fellow actress Camille Carrion founded Meca Productions with the idea of producing theater and television productions. Their first theater production was Casa de Mujeres (House of Women), which went on for 105 presentations. They also produced for Tele-Once the show Ellas al Mediodia and the soap operas La Isla (The Island) , Ave de paso and Yara Prohibida..[1]
[edit] Meyer de Jesus Productions
In 1990, Meyer founded "Meyer de Jesus Productions" (Jesus is her second husband's surname), after Meca Productions was dissolved. She joined Telemundo and produced three series based on historical events: Mission Cumplida (Mission Accomplished) based on the events which took place at the Cerro Maravilla, Gaviota de Esperanza based on the life of Sandra Zaiter and Hasta el fondo del dolor based on the life of Sylvia Rexach, portrayed by Sylvia's own daughter, Puerto Rican actress & singer, Sharon Riley and Adamari Lopez, as Sharon. During this decade she became very active in theatrical presentations. One of her most acclaimed works was the monologue: Tengamos Sexo en Paz (Let's make love in peace). She served in the Department of Puerto Rican Culture for the city of San Juan (1995–96) and as advisor for cultural and educational events in 2000, for the city of Bayamon..[1]
In 2004, Meyer produced Tres Noches tropicales y una vida de infierno (Three tropical nights and a life in hell), which was presented in Puerto Rico, Orlando, Florida and Washington, D.C.. On November 2005, Meyer participated with Johnatan Dwayne in Calderon de la Barca's La dama duende, presented at the Warehouse Theater in Washington, D.C.[2]
