Norma Candal was an actress and comedian

Comedian

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...

 who was best known for her role as "Petunia".

Early years

Candal was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico

Fajardo, Puerto Rico

Fajardo is a small city in Puerto Rico located in the east region of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Ceiba and east of Luquillo.Fajardo is spread over 7 wards and Downtown Fajardo , which serves as the administrative center of the city...

 and lived with her family in the Fajardo Sugar Co. sugar

Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

 plantation

Plantation

A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...

 where her father was an accountant. She went to the "Colegio del Sagrado Corazon" (Sacred Heart School) in her hometown, where she obtained her primary and secondary education. When she was 9 years old, she participated in her first Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 school play.

Candal enrolled in the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, where she earned a Bachelors Degree in Humanities. She was planning on a political career and was going to study political science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

s, however after she was granted a scholarship

Scholarship

A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...

 to The Catholic University of America

The Catholic University of America

The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...

 (CUA) in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, she changed her goals and went on to earn her Masters Degree in Theater. Candal returned to Puerto Rico upon her graduation.

"Petunia"

In 1965, she was hired by Rafael Perez Perry

Rafael Perez Perry

Rafael Pérez Perry , was a businessman and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's radio and television broadcasting industry. He owned one of the most successful radio stations on the island and in 1954 founded Puerto Rico's television Channel 11, which now is known as Tele Once and owned and operated by...

 as the host of the television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 show "En Alas de la Imaginacion" (On the Wings of the Imagination) which aired on "WIPR TV" Channel 11. Shortly thereafter, she joined Tommy Muñiz

Tommy Muñiz

Lucas Tomás Muñiz Ramírez , better known as Tommy Muñiz, was a Puerto Rican comedy and drama actor, media producer, businessman and network owner...

 Productions in Channel 4 WAPA TV.

It was during this period of time that Candal gained fame in Puerto Rico. She worked in the shows "Aquí con Norma" (Here with Norma); El Show del Mediodía (The Midday Show) and La Criada Malcriada (The Rude Maid) where she played the comical role of "Petunia", a "simple minded" maid, a role that would give her fame. She also hosted talk shows, either alone or with other co-hosts (including Sunshine Logroño

Sunshine Logroño

Emmanuel Logroño , better known as Sunshine Logroño is a Puerto Rican actor, radio announcer, television show host, singer, comedy writer, entrepreneur and comedian...

)

In 1970, there was a strike against Tommy Muñiz Productions, which forced Candal to leave the show and join "ASTRA Productions" for which she did a couple of shows. Candal stopped working in television for several years after undergoing an open heart surgery in which she had a valve replacement.

In 1980, Candal went to work for Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez at the Cathedral of San Juan

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...

. In 1985, she returned to television and starred as Doña Tere in La Pensión de Doña Tere (Mrs. Tere's Boarding House).
Norma Candal also participated in the 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...

 version of the play Steel Magnolias

Steel Magnolias

Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross that stars Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts....

; The Letters of Mozart; The Old Maids of San Sebastian Street, and Kisses on the Forehead.

Later years

In 2004, she had a role in the movie Díos los Cría

...And God Created Them

...And God Created Them is a 1979 Puerto Rican comedy film directed by Jacobo Morales. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival.- Synopsis :The film actually consists of five vignettes:...

(God Creates Them) alongside Alicia Moreda

Alicia Moreda

Alicia Moreda Tuya , was a soap opera actress, a natural comedian, and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television.-Early years:...

, Esther Sandoval

Esther Sandoval

Esther Sandoval was an actress and a pioneer in Puerto Rico's television.-Early years:Sandoval was born Esther Maria Gonzalez in Ponce where she received her primary and secondary education...

 and directed by Jacobo Morales

Jacobo Morales

Jacobo Morales is an auteur, whom many consider to be the most influential film director in Puerto Rico's history.-Life and career:...

.

On Friday, February 3, 2006, Candal suffered a fall in her house hitting her head on the floor. She was hospitalized at the Pavia Hospital in San Juan where she suffered additional complications from the loss of blood. Candal died on Sunday, February 5, 2006. She was buried in her mother's grave at Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery is a colonial-era cemetery located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. Construction began in 1863 under the auspices of Ignacio Mascaro. The cemetery is located outside...

located in Old San Juan. She is survived by her two children, Norma and Andres Jr., whom she had with her late husband, Andres Sr.

External links