Shelley Morrison
Encyclopedia
Shelley Morrison is an American
actress. Early in her career, she was sometimes credited as Rachel Domínguez. Morrison has been a theater and television actress since the early 1960s, predominantly as a character actress in ethnic roles. Her most recognizable role has been as the maid
Rosario Salazar
in the NBC comedy television series Will & Grace
, which she played from 1999 to 2006. She was a regular performer on the sitcom The Flying Nun
playing Sister Sixto, a nun known mostly for mangling the English language; and she continued in television guest roles until securing a recurring role in the soap opera General Hospital
in 1982. She has been called a non-Hispanic
but is actually a Sephardic Jew of Spanish
descent.
, the only daughter of Sephardic Jewish
parents originally surnamed Mitrani. She was raised in the Bronx, New York. Her father, Maurice Morris, was a clothing manufacturer. Morrison moved to California with her parents in 1946.
and landed early film roles in Divorce American Style
and How to Save a Marriage (And Ruin Your Life).
Her most widely recognizable recent role has been as the Salvadoran
maid Rosario Inez Consuelo Yolanda Salazar
in the NBC
comedy
television series Will & Grace
, which she played from 1999 to 2006 and which she appeared in 68 episodes. The role was originally created for a brief one-episode appearance, but Rosario was so popular with viewers that the character became a regular. In addition to sparring with her libertine
and very spoiled employer, Karen Walker
(Megan Mullally
), Rosario married Karen's gay friend Jack McFarland
(Sean Hayes
) to prevent her impending deportation
.
In approximately 25 film appearances and 200 television appearances, Morrison has portrayed a maid or housekeeper on 32 separate occasions. Morrison had just informed her agent
not to offer her any more "maid parts" when the call for Will & Grace came in.
in 1988 forced her to undergo a lumpectomy
, and when the cancer recurred in 1998 she underwent a full mastectomy
. She has had lung cancer
and underwent surgery to remove the upper third of her right lung
. She lives with her husband of many years, Walter Domínguez, a Mexican-American, in a three-story apartment in Los Angeles
- the same apartment in which her father had settled the family five decades earlier. Morrison and Dominguez have no children.
Morrison revealed that she was diagnosed with lung cancer
in recent years, but that she is now in remission. Her breast cancer
, for which she was treated in 1988 and 1998, has returned.
She endorsed U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich
for President in 2008, actively fundraising, contributing to his campaign, and seeking votes for him.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress. Early in her career, she was sometimes credited as Rachel Domínguez. Morrison has been a theater and television actress since the early 1960s, predominantly as a character actress in ethnic roles. Her most recognizable role has been as the maid
Domestic worker
A domestic worker is a man, woman or child who works within the employer's household. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing care for children and elderly dependents to cleaning and household maintenance, known as housekeeping...
Rosario Salazar
Rosario Salazar
Rosario Inés Consuelo Yolanda Salazar McFarland is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace. She is played by actress Shelley Morrison...
in the NBC comedy television series Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
, which she played from 1999 to 2006. She was a regular performer on the sitcom 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...
playing Sister Sixto, a nun known mostly for mangling the English language; and she continued in television guest roles until securing a recurring role in the soap opera General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
in 1982. She has been called a non-Hispanic
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
but is actually a Sephardic Jew of Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
descent.
Early life
Morrison was born Rachel Mitrani in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the only daughter of Sephardic Jewish
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
parents originally surnamed Mitrani. She was raised in the Bronx, New York. Her father, Maurice Morris, was a clothing manufacturer. Morrison moved to California with her parents in 1946.
Career
Morrison went on to study acting at Los Angeles City CollegeLos Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard...
and landed early film roles in Divorce American Style
Divorce American Style
Divorce American Style is a 1967 American satirical comedy film directed by Bud Yorkin.Norman Lear produced the film and wrote the script based on a story by Robert Kaufman...
and How to Save a Marriage (And Ruin Your Life).
Her most widely recognizable recent role has been as the Salvadoran
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
maid Rosario Inez Consuelo Yolanda Salazar
Rosario Salazar
Rosario Inés Consuelo Yolanda Salazar McFarland is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace. She is played by actress Shelley Morrison...
in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
comedy
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...
television series Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
, which she played from 1999 to 2006 and which she appeared in 68 episodes. The role was originally created for a brief one-episode appearance, but Rosario was so popular with viewers that the character became a regular. In addition to sparring with her libertine
Libertine
A libertine is one devoid of most moral restraints, which are seen as unnecessary or undesirable, especially one who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behavior sanctified by the larger society. Libertines, also known as rakes, placed value on physical pleasures, meaning those...
and very spoiled employer, Karen Walker
Karen Walker (character)
Karen Walker is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace . She was portrayed by actress and singer Megan Mullally...
(Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...
), Rosario married Karen's gay friend Jack McFarland
Jack McFarland
John Philip "Jack" McFarland was a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace, played by Sean Hayes.-Character personality:...
(Sean Hayes
Sean Hayes (actor)
Sean Patrick Hayes is an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Jack McFarland in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which he won an Emmy Award, four SAG Awards, one American Comedy Award, and six Golden Globes nominations.He also portrayed comedian Jerry Lewis in the...
) to prevent her impending deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
.
In approximately 25 film appearances and 200 television appearances, Morrison has portrayed a maid or housekeeper on 32 separate occasions. Morrison had just informed her agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
not to offer her any more "maid parts" when the call for Will & Grace came in.
Battle with cancer
A bout with breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in 1988 forced her to undergo a lumpectomy
Lumpectomy
Lumpectomy is a common surgical procedure designed to remove a discrete lump, usually a benign tumor or breast cancer, from an affected man or woman's breast...
, and when the cancer recurred in 1998 she underwent a full mastectomy
Mastectomy
Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer; in some cases, women and some men believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operation prophylactically, that is, to prevent cancer...
. She has had lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
and underwent surgery to remove the upper third of her right lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
. She lives with her husband of many years, Walter Domínguez, a Mexican-American, in a three-story apartment 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...
- the same apartment in which her father had settled the family five decades earlier. Morrison and Dominguez have no children.
Morrison revealed that she was diagnosed with lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in recent years, but that she is now in remission. Her breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, for which she was treated in 1988 and 1998, has returned.
She endorsed U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
for President in 2008, actively fundraising, contributing to his campaign, and seeking votes for him.