Luis José Santander
Encyclopedia
Luis Jose Santander born April 8, 1965 is a Venezuela
n actor. Santander was born in the United States
and raised in Venezuela.
Santander was not an instant sensation, as he had to work hard to become famous. He labored as an actor in small plays around Venezuela when his chance to become famous arrived in 1987. That year, he made his television
debut in "Y la Luna Tambien" ("And the Moon
Too"), which became a major international hit, reaching important numbers in Puerto Rico
, Mexico
and Ecuador
, among others. It wasn't until 1988, however, when, at the age of 28, he became a teen idol following the smash success of "Niña Bonita" ("Pretty Girl"). This production, which was produced by Venevision
and had nothing in common storywise with the latter Hollywood hit "Pretty Woman
", was a major hit all over Latin America
propelling Sabntander and his female
co-star, Ruddy Rodríguez
, into super-stardom in the area. The telenovela
's title song "Tan Enamorados" also propelled singer Ricardo Montaner
into international fame.
"Niña Bonita"'s success raised both Santander and Rodriguez's rentability in the high-paying Hispanic
soap opera
world. In Santander's case, he followed "Niña Bonita" with "Maribel" in 1989. While not as successful as "Niña Bonita", "Maribel" was also a large hit for the Venezuelan actor.
In 1991, he participated in "Mundo de Fieras", which was another large success on the Venezuelan and United States
Latino television viewer's ratings.
By then, his telenovelas had caused so much interest, that Santander became well known in Europe
as well, with many of his soap operas being shown in places like Russia
and Hungary
.
In 1993, Santander participated in "Macarena". Whether the title of this song had anything to do with the latter hit, "Macarena
", is unknown.
In 1994, he participated in "Morena Clara" ("Brown Girl"), which, again, would prove that he was among Venezuelans' favorite actors.
In a surprise move, he went to Mexico in 1996, contracted by that country's largest network, Televisa
, to film Lazos de Amor
, ("Love Ties") alongside Mexican superstar Lucero. Odd as it might sound to many, at the age of 37, Santander recovered his status as a teen idol, at least in Mexico, where that soap opera became a classic of Mexican television, due in part to the following he generated among Mexican Teenaged girl. Afterward, he starred in "Te sigo amando" ("I will still love you") (1996) with Claudia Ramirez and Sergio Goyri.
After filming "Vidas Prestadas" ("Borrowed Lives") in 2000, Santander has lived in semi-retirement, often flying between Mexico and Venezuela for interviews and special occasions, including appearing in "Inocente de ti" alongside Camila Sodi and Valentino Lanus.
In 2006 Santander returns to Venezuela to star the telenovela "Silvia Rivas, divorciada".
In 2007 Santander appears in the telenovela "Voltea pa' que te enamores".
In 2007 he was also invited to participate in the Telenovela "Pasión
" which is produced by Carla Estrada
in México
and is being shown in several Countries around the world. She is the one that also produced "Lazos de Amor
" (Love Ties) which has been mentioned before. His character is "Foreman" a British Pirate and the story is situated around 1780 in what used to be the "Nueva España" (New Spain).
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n actor. Santander was born in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and raised in Venezuela.
Santander was not an instant sensation, as he had to work hard to become famous. He labored as an actor in small plays around Venezuela when his chance to become famous arrived in 1987. That year, he made his television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
debut in "Y la Luna Tambien" ("And the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
Too"), which became a major international hit, reaching important numbers in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, among others. It wasn't until 1988, however, when, at the age of 28, he became a teen idol following the smash success of "Niña Bonita" ("Pretty Girl"). This production, which was produced by Venevision
Venevisión
Venevisión is one of Venezuela's largest television networks and a Venezuelan cable and terrestrial television network, which is owned and presided over by Gustavo Cisneros...
and had nothing in common storywise with the latter Hollywood hit "Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film set in Los Angeles, California. Written by J.F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, this motion picture features Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and also Hector Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy, and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. Roberts played the only...
", was a major hit all over Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
propelling Sabntander and his female
Woman
A woman , pl: women is a female human. The term woman is usually reserved for an adult, with the term girl being the usual term for a female child or adolescent...
co-star, Ruddy Rodríguez
Ruddy Rodríguez
Ruddy Rosario Rodríguez de Lucía is a Venezuelan actress, model and Businesswoman. Born in Anaco, Anzoátegui, daughter of Venezuelan Pedro José Rodríguez and Italian Rita de Lucía...
, into super-stardom in the area. The telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
's title song "Tan Enamorados" also propelled singer Ricardo Montaner
Ricardo Montaner
Ricardo Montaner is an Argentine-Venezuelan singer and songwriter. Starting his career in the early 80s, he has already released more than 15 albums with numerous successful singles and has sold over 22 million record worldwide.-Early years:Montaner was born as Héctor Eduardo Reglero Montaner, in...
into international fame.
"Niña Bonita"'s success raised both Santander and Rodriguez's rentability in the high-paying Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
world. In Santander's case, he followed "Niña Bonita" with "Maribel" in 1989. While not as successful as "Niña Bonita", "Maribel" was also a large hit for the Venezuelan actor.
In 1991, he participated in "Mundo de Fieras", which was another large success on the Venezuelan and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Latino television viewer's ratings.
By then, his telenovelas had caused so much interest, that Santander became well known in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as well, with many of his soap operas being shown in places like Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
In 1993, Santander participated in "Macarena". Whether the title of this song had anything to do with the latter hit, "Macarena
Macarena (song)
"Macarena" is a Spanish dance song by Los del Río about a woman of the same name. Appearing on the 1994 album A mí me gusta, it was an international hit between 1995 and 1996, and continues to have a cult following. It was ranked the "#1 Greatest One-Hit Wonder of all Time" by VH1 in 2002.The song...
", is unknown.
In 1994, he participated in "Morena Clara" ("Brown Girl"), which, again, would prove that he was among Venezuelans' favorite actors.
In a surprise move, he went to Mexico in 1996, contracted by that country's largest network, Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
, to film Lazos de Amor
Lazos de Amor
Lazos de Amor was a Mexican telenovela from 1995. It aired on Televisa, and starred actress and singer Lucero.-Plot:The story centers around María Guadalupe, María Paula and María Fernanda, identical triplets with non-identical, complex personalities. Their parents were killed in a car accident...
, ("Love Ties") alongside Mexican superstar Lucero. Odd as it might sound to many, at the age of 37, Santander recovered his status as a teen idol, at least in Mexico, where that soap opera became a classic of Mexican television, due in part to the following he generated among Mexican Teenaged girl. Afterward, he starred in "Te sigo amando" ("I will still love you") (1996) with Claudia Ramirez and Sergio Goyri.
After filming "Vidas Prestadas" ("Borrowed Lives") in 2000, Santander has lived in semi-retirement, often flying between Mexico and Venezuela for interviews and special occasions, including appearing in "Inocente de ti" alongside Camila Sodi and Valentino Lanus.
In 2006 Santander returns to Venezuela to star the telenovela "Silvia Rivas, divorciada".
In 2007 Santander appears in the telenovela "Voltea pa' que te enamores".
In 2007 he was also invited to participate in the Telenovela "Pasión
Pasion
Pasion was an ancient Greek slave from the 4th century BC. He was owned by the bankers Antisthenes and Archestratus, located at Piraeus, the harbor five miles out of Athens. During his slavery, he quickly rose to chief clerk in charge of a money-changing table at the port , and proved so valuable...
" which is produced by Carla Estrada
Carla Estrada
Carla Estrada is one of the foremost telenovela producers of Latin America.On 2005 the Mexican government decided to place a statue of the producer in one of Mexico City's most important parks and on January, 2007 she appeared on People En Españols list of The 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the...
in México
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and is being shown in several Countries around the world. She is the one that also produced "Lazos de Amor
Lazos de Amor
Lazos de Amor was a Mexican telenovela from 1995. It aired on Televisa, and starred actress and singer Lucero.-Plot:The story centers around María Guadalupe, María Paula and María Fernanda, identical triplets with non-identical, complex personalities. Their parents were killed in a car accident...
" (Love Ties) which has been mentioned before. His character is "Foreman" a British Pirate and the story is situated around 1780 in what used to be the "Nueva España" (New Spain).