Rene Monclova
Encyclopedia
René Monclova is a Puerto Rican
actor. Monclova has been popular both with theater and television
audiences. Mainly a comedian
, Monclova has also played serious characters, a fact that might escape the minds of many Puerto Ricans, since he has become better known for his role as "Lolo", a womanizing handyman, in "El Condominio
", a television show produced by Sunshine Logroño
.
. His brother, Eugenio Monclova, is also a well known actor.
Monclova spent his early childhood visiting Puerto Rico's television studios along with his family. Since he was a young child, Monclova knew he wanted to follow in his parents' footsteps someday.
Early on, Monclova participated in multiple high school
plays. As the son of two legendary public figures, however, pressure was on him, as many among the general public wondered if he would ever become as famous as his parents. The fact that Monclova was not being hired during the late 1970s and early 1980s by any local television stations also proved to be somewhat troublesome for him as far as how he, as a "famous son", looked like in other people's minds.
Not being able to find television work, Monclova then became a professional theater actor, and he went on to act in countless theater plays, many of them at Teatro Tapia
. Since Teatro Tapia was considered to be the best theater in Puerto Rico (and the hardest one where to act at) both by critics and play fans alike, Monclova impressed many with his performances there.
In 1989, Monclova made his television debut, at a well known but shortly lived comedy section of "El Show del Mediodia
", at WAPA-TV
. "El Show del Mediodia" during that period had different sections which were hosted by many Puerto Rican show business legends, so Monclova had the opportunity to work with Luisito Vigoreaux
, "Yoyo Boing", Jose Miguel Agrelot
and others.
The section in which he participated was a popular one, putting pressure on channel 2
's rival show, "El Show de las 12". Soon after "El Show de las 12" responded by adding other sections in order to compete, Monclova's first television experience was over, as his comedy section on "El show del Mediodia" was closed. Since "El Show del Mediodia" is shown live, Monclova had a goodbye message for his fans on the section's final day, saying the words "It was good while it lasted!".
Monclova returned to theater soon after, working at a prolific rate until his second shot at television stardom came: In 1992, producer Tony Mojena created a comedy named "Los Apartamentos", which was shown on Telemundo. Monclova was cast as "Lolo".
The show became an instant hit, and Monclova finally found the television stardom that he had sought for such a long time. "Los Apartamentos" was such a hit that Monclova's name became a household one in Puerto Rico for the first time. Meanwhile, he also continued his theater acting career.
Around 1994, Mojena decided to cancel the show, and Sunshine Logroño took all the actors on the show and moved them to Televicentro, creating "El Condominio" ("The Condominium"). This move would later on prove to be very controversial.
Each of the actors got to reprise their old characters from "Los Apartamentos" at "El Condominio". Meanwhile, "El Condominio" became such a hit that Logroño went on to produce a theatrical play of the same name, and Monclova and company visited most of Puerto Rico, taking their comedy to be seen live by residents of large cities and small towns alike.
By 2004, Monclova was one of the best known show business figures in Puerto Rico. His fame expanded to include Hispanic
viewers in the United States
when Televicentro debuted on DirecTV
, including "El Condominio" among their programming to be sent by satellite
to viewers in the United States.
Not long after "El Condominio" began to be seen in the United States, Mojena returned, taking Logroño to court
, claiming that Logrono owed him money for allegedly stealing his show and his characters and making a profit with them. That situation erupted in a wide media controversy in Puerto Rico, with rumors that the show would eventually be cancelled. However, a judge decided that the show will be kept on the air for as far as a decision hasn't been reached. The case, as of Ffebruary 2009, is now in the working stage in the appellate courts in Boston, Massachusetts.
Monclova quickly defended Logrono, becoming sorts of a leader for the group of actors that have been working for more than a decade alongside him on television. In a 2005 television interview between "El Condominio"s cast and Luis Francisco Ojeda
, Monclova publicly showed disappointment at Mojena's alleged claims that the show's characters belonged to him. Monclova told Ojeda that "a character belongs to an actor, not to a producer".
Monclova can now be seen reprising "Lolo" in "Club Sunshine" and formerly was in a show called "Por El Casco De San Juan," which also features a couple of familiar faces from the long-running, yet canceled series "El Condominio".
Monclova is an active stage actor in the San Juan theater scene. He's currently performing in the Puerto Rican premiere of God of Carnage
at the Tapia Theater
in Old San Juan
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...
actor. Monclova has been popular both with theater and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
audiences. Mainly a comedian
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, Monclova has also played serious characters, a fact that might escape the minds of many Puerto Ricans, since he has become better known for his role as "Lolo", a womanizing handyman, in "El Condominio
El Condominio
El Condominio was a Puerto Rican television show produced by Sunshine Logrono for Televicentro Puerto Rico.-Production details:El Condominio came to be as a result of a Tony Mojena produced show, Los Apartamentos, which first appeared on Puerto Rican television on Telemundo Puerto Rico in 1993...
", a television show produced by 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...
.
Biography
Many Puerto Ricans would use the popular phrase "he was born with an actor's pedigree" in Monclova's case, because both of his parents were acting legends in Puerto RicoPuerto 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...
. His brother, Eugenio Monclova, is also a well known actor.
Monclova spent his early childhood visiting Puerto Rico's television studios along with his family. Since he was a young child, Monclova knew he wanted to follow in his parents' footsteps someday.
Early on, Monclova participated in multiple high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
plays. As the son of two legendary public figures, however, pressure was on him, as many among the general public wondered if he would ever become as famous as his parents. The fact that Monclova was not being hired during the late 1970s and early 1980s by any local television stations also proved to be somewhat troublesome for him as far as how he, as a "famous son", looked like in other people's minds.
Not being able to find television work, Monclova then became a professional theater actor, and he went on to act in countless theater plays, many of them at Teatro Tapia
Teatro Tapia
The Teatro Tapia, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is presumed to be the oldest free-standing drama stage building still in use in the United States. It is named after the poet and dramatist Alejandro Tapia y Rivera .-Location:...
. Since Teatro Tapia was considered to be the best theater in Puerto Rico (and the hardest one where to act at) both by critics and play fans alike, Monclova impressed many with his performances there.
In 1989, Monclova made his television debut, at a well known but shortly lived comedy section of "El Show del Mediodia
El show del mediodía
El show del mediodía is the name of a Uruguayan tv show that has been on the air for over 40 years on channel 12. It was originally hosted by Cacho De La Cruz and Alejandro Trotta. In 1992, Trotta died of a heart attack and De La Cruz continued hosting the show.- References :...
", at WAPA-TV
Televicentro
Televicentro may refer to the following:*Televicentro 4 Former name of WAPA-TV, a television station in Puerto Rico*Televicentro , a television station in Honduras*Televicentro , a television station in Nicaragua...
. "El Show del Mediodia" during that period had different sections which were hosted by many Puerto Rican show business legends, so Monclova had the opportunity to work with Luisito Vigoreaux
Luisito Vigoreaux
Luis Vigoreaux Lorenzana is a Puerto Rican actor and producer. He is the son of Luis Vigoreaux, a legendary Puerto Rican media personality and Rosaura Lorenzana Vilches...
, "Yoyo Boing", Jose Miguel Agrelot
José Miguel Agrelot
Giuseppe Michael Agrelot , better known as José Miguel Agrelot, was a comedian, radio and television host and media icon in Puerto Rico...
and others.
The section in which he participated was a popular one, putting pressure on channel 2
Telemundo Puerto Rico
The name Telemundo Puerto Rico may represent:* WKAQ-TV, a Telemundo station in San Juan, Puerto Rico* Telemundo Puerto Rico , a former Spanish-language cable network...
's rival show, "El Show de las 12". Soon after "El Show de las 12" responded by adding other sections in order to compete, Monclova's first television experience was over, as his comedy section on "El show del Mediodia" was closed. Since "El Show del Mediodia" is shown live, Monclova had a goodbye message for his fans on the section's final day, saying the words "It was good while it lasted!".
Monclova returned to theater soon after, working at a prolific rate until his second shot at television stardom came: In 1992, producer Tony Mojena created a comedy named "Los Apartamentos", which was shown on Telemundo. Monclova was cast as "Lolo".
The show became an instant hit, and Monclova finally found the television stardom that he had sought for such a long time. "Los Apartamentos" was such a hit that Monclova's name became a household one in Puerto Rico for the first time. Meanwhile, he also continued his theater acting career.
Around 1994, Mojena decided to cancel the show, and Sunshine Logroño took all the actors on the show and moved them to Televicentro, creating "El Condominio" ("The Condominium"). This move would later on prove to be very controversial.
Each of the actors got to reprise their old characters from "Los Apartamentos" at "El Condominio". Meanwhile, "El Condominio" became such a hit that Logroño went on to produce a theatrical play of the same name, and Monclova and company visited most of Puerto Rico, taking their comedy to be seen live by residents of large cities and small towns alike.
By 2004, Monclova was one of the best known show business figures in Puerto Rico. His fame expanded to include 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 ...
viewers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
when Televicentro debuted on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
, including "El Condominio" among their programming to be sent by satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
to viewers in the United States.
Not long after "El Condominio" began to be seen in the United States, Mojena returned, taking Logroño to court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
, claiming that Logrono owed him money for allegedly stealing his show and his characters and making a profit with them. That situation erupted in a wide media controversy in Puerto Rico, with rumors that the show would eventually be cancelled. However, a judge decided that the show will be kept on the air for as far as a decision hasn't been reached. The case, as of Ffebruary 2009, is now in the working stage in the appellate courts in Boston, Massachusetts.
Monclova quickly defended Logrono, becoming sorts of a leader for the group of actors that have been working for more than a decade alongside him on television. In a 2005 television interview between "El Condominio"s cast and Luis Francisco Ojeda
Luis Francisco Ojeda
Luis Francisco Ojeda is a well known Puerto Rican television, radio reporter and host, noted for his aggressive, uncompromising questioning and commenting style.-Early years:...
, Monclova publicly showed disappointment at Mojena's alleged claims that the show's characters belonged to him. Monclova told Ojeda that "a character belongs to an actor, not to a producer".
Monclova can now be seen reprising "Lolo" in "Club Sunshine" and formerly was in a show called "Por El Casco De San Juan," which also features a couple of familiar faces from the long-running, yet canceled series "El Condominio".
Monclova is an active stage actor in the San Juan theater scene. He's currently performing in the Puerto Rican premiere of God of Carnage
God of Carnage
God of Carnage is a play by Yasmina Reza. It is about two pairs of parents, one of whose child has hurt the other at a public park, who meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish, resulting in the evening devolving...
at the Tapia Theater
Teatro Tapia
The Teatro Tapia, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is presumed to be the oldest free-standing drama stage building still in use in the United States. It is named after the poet and dramatist Alejandro Tapia y Rivera .-Location:...
in Old San Juan
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- French immigration to Puerto RicoFrench immigration to Puerto RicoThe French immigration to Puerto Rico came about as a result of the economic and political situations which occurred in various places such as Louisiana , Saint-Domingue and in Europe....