Linda Dangcil
Encyclopedia
Linda Dangcil was an American
actress and dancer best known for her roles as Sister Ana in the ABC
television series The Flying Nun
and Carmen 'Raya' Alonso in the animated series Jem.
Dangcil was a native of San Francisco, California
. She graduated from Immaculate Heart High School
in Los Angeles. She returned to the high school throughout her career to choreograph and assist the school's theater productions.
when she was a teenager in the 1950s in Peter Pan
opposite Mary Martin
, as well as in the show's television production. As a result of her work in Peter Pan, the show's co-director, Jerome Robbins
, selected Dangcil as one of the main dancers in the 1961 film adaptation of West Side Story
.
She was cast as Sister Ana in the The Flying Nun
, which ran on ABC from 1967 until 1970. The series was set at the Convent San Tanco located near San Juan, Puerto Rico
. Dangcil appeared as Sister Ana in 37 episodes of the show.
Dangcil's television guest appearances included roles on The Judge
, The Bold Ones
, Maverick
, The Rifleman
, Stagecoach West
and
Rawhide
. She also appeared in Here Come the Brides
opposite actor Bruce Lee
. Dangcil also starred as Elena in the 1970s PBS children's series Villa Alegre, which was created for a bilingual (English
and Spanish
-speaking) audience. Dangcil also worked as a voiceover actress on several animated productions. Her most recognized role was voicing the character of Carmen 'Raya' Alonso in the 1980s animated series Jem
.
Dangcil also appeared in many productions of the First National Tour of A Chorus Line
at the Shubert Theater in Los Angeles
. Her last theater role before her death was in the East West Players
production of Follies
, in which she played Sally.
Additionally, Dangcil directed several productions for the Los Angeles Play Festivals. She sat on several Screen Actors Guild
(SAG) committees.
in Los Angeles
on May 7, 2009, following an eight-year battle with throat cancer
at the age of 67. She was survived by her husband, jazz musician Dick Hamilton, and their children, Linda Michele and Sky Hamilton, as well as a granddaughter and a brother,
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and dancer best known for her roles as Sister Ana in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television series The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun is an American sitcom produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios, which starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille...
and Carmen 'Raya' Alonso in the animated series Jem.
Dangcil was a native of San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. She graduated from Immaculate Heart High School
Immaculate Heart High School (Los Angeles)
Immaculate Heart High School is a Catholic, all-girl, college preparatory school located in the Los Feliz neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and Western Avenue. There are 200 students in the middle school and 521 in the high school . It is located in...
in Los Angeles. She returned to the high school throughout her career to choreograph and assist the school's theater productions.
Career
She appeared on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
when she was a teenager in the 1950s in Peter Pan
Peter Pan (1954 musical)
Peter Pan is a musical adaptation of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and Barrie's own novelization of it, Peter and Wendy. The music is mostly by Mark "Moose" Charlap, with additional music by Jule Styne, and most of the lyrics were written by Carolyn Leigh, with additional lyrics by Betty...
opposite Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
, as well as in the show's television production. As a result of her work in Peter Pan, the show's co-director, Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins was an American theater producer, director, and choreographer known primarily for Broadway Theater and Ballet/Dance, but who also occasionally directed films and directed/produced for television. His work has included everything from classical ballet to contemporary musical theater...
, selected Dangcil as one of the main dancers in the 1961 film adaptation of West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
.
She was cast as Sister Ana in the The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun is an American sitcom produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios, which starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille...
, which ran on ABC from 1967 until 1970. The series was set at the Convent San Tanco located near San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. Dangcil appeared as Sister Ana in 37 episodes of the show.
Dangcil's television guest appearances included roles on The Judge
The Judge
Judge was a weekly magazine published in the United States between 1881 and 1947. It was formed in 1881 by artists who had seceded from Puck Magazine. The founders included:*James Albert Wales, a cartoonist*Frank Tousey, publisher of dime novels...
, The Bold Ones
The Bold Ones
The Bold Ones is the umbrella title for several television series. It was produced by Universal Television and broadcast on NBC from 1969 to 1973...
, Maverick
Maverick (TV series)
Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
, The Rifleman
The Rifleman
The Rifleman is an American Western television program that starred Chuck Connors as homesteader Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show, filmed in black-and-white with a half hour running time, ran...
, Stagecoach West
Stagecoach West (TV series)
Stagecoach West is a highly-acclaimed Western drama television series which ran for thirty-eight episodes on the ABC network from October 4, 1960, until June 27, 1961. Characters Luke Perry and Simon Kane operate the Timberland Stage Line from Missouri to San Francisco...
and
Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
. She also appeared in Here Come the Brides
Here Come the Brides
Here Come the Brides is an American comedy Western series from Screen Gems that aired on the ABC television network from September 25, 1968 to April 3, 1970...
opposite actor Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
. Dangcil also starred as Elena in the 1970s PBS children's series Villa Alegre, which was created for a bilingual (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-speaking) audience. Dangcil also worked as a voiceover actress on several animated productions. Her most recognized role was voicing the character of Carmen 'Raya' Alonso in the 1980s animated series Jem
Jem (TV series)
Jem, also known as Jem and the Holograms, is an American animated television series that ran from 1985 to 1988 in U.S. first-run syndication...
.
Dangcil also appeared in many productions of the First National Tour of A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
at the Shubert Theater in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Her last theater role before her death was in the East West Players
East West Players
East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation's first Asian American theatre organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American...
production of Follies
Follies
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
, in which she played Sally.
Additionally, Dangcil directed several productions for the Los Angeles Play Festivals. She sat on several Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
(SAG) committees.
Death
Linda Dangcil died at Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterCedars-Sinai Medical Center
Originally established as Kaspare Cohn Hospital in 1902, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, tertiary 958-bed hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre located in Los Angeles, California, US. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on May 7, 2009, following an eight-year battle with throat cancer
Head and neck cancer
Head and neck cancer refers to a group of biologically similar cancers that start in the upper aerodigestive tract, including the lip, oral cavity , nasal cavity , paranasal sinuses, pharynx, and larynx. 90% of head and neck cancers are squamous cell carcinomas , originating from the mucosal lining...
at the age of 67. She was survived by her husband, jazz musician Dick Hamilton, and their children, Linda Michele and Sky Hamilton, as well as a granddaughter and a brother,