Silvio Horta
Encyclopedia
Silvio Horta is an American
writer
and producer
most notable for adapting the hit Colombia
n telenovela
Yo Soy Betty La Fea into the ABC
series, Ugly Betty
. Horta serves as head writer and executive producer on the series.
Horta, a Cuban American
, was born in Miami, Florida
. He was a popular performer and playwright in high school, attending both International Baccalaureate Theater, and Experimental Theater programs at Coral Gables Senior in Miami. He graduated in 1992.
He has written many unproduced screenplays including "Even Exchange" and "The Furies" (with Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy). Prior to Ugly Betty, Horta wrote the screenplay for the 1998 teen satirical hit slasher film Urban Legend
and he can be heard on the DVD commentary. Before Legend, he was working as a perfume spritzer.
Horta was also creator of two short lived sci-fi television shows Jake 2.0
(starring Christopher Gorham
, who would later join the cast of Ugly Betty,) and The Chronicle: News From The Edge
. In 2007, he accepted the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series "Ugly Betty", stating "Like most of us up here, Betty is an immigrant and The American Dream is alive and well and in reach of anybody who wants it".
Horta started the production company "Silent H Productions", so named because he found that people in the United States always pronounced the silent H at the start of his last name.
Horta is openly gay
; he came out
to his family at nineteen.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
most notable for adapting the hit Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n 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"...
Yo Soy Betty La Fea into 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...
series, Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
. Horta serves as head writer and executive producer on the series.
Horta, a Cuban American
Cuban American
A Cuban American is a United States citizen who traces his or her "national origin" to Cuba. Cuban Americans are also considered native born Americans with Cuban parents or Cuban-born persons who were raised and educated in US...
, was born in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. He was a popular performer and playwright in high school, attending both International Baccalaureate Theater, and Experimental Theater programs at Coral Gables Senior in Miami. He graduated in 1992.
He has written many unproduced screenplays including "Even Exchange" and "The Furies" (with Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy). Prior to Ugly Betty, Horta wrote the screenplay for the 1998 teen satirical hit slasher film Urban Legend
Urban Legend (film)
Urban Legend is a 1998 horror film starring Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, Jared Leto, Michael Rosenbaum, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Loretta Devine, Robert Englund, John Neville, Joshua Jackson, Regina King, and Tara Reid...
and he can be heard on the DVD commentary. Before Legend, he was working as a perfume spritzer.
Horta was also creator of two short lived sci-fi television shows Jake 2.0
Jake 2.0
Jake 2.0 is an American science fiction television series originally broadcast on UPN in 2003. The series was canceled on January 14, 2004 due to low ratings, leaving four episodes unaired in the United States. In the United Kingdom, all the episodes aired on Sky1...
(starring Christopher Gorham
Christopher Gorham
Christopher David Gorham is an American actor.- Early life :Gorham was born in Fresno, California to David Gorham, a certified public accountant and Cathryn Gorham, a school nurse. He attended high school at Roosevelt School of the Arts and graduated from UCLA with a BA in Film & Theater Arts...
, who would later join the cast of Ugly Betty,) and The Chronicle: News From The Edge
The Chronicle (TV series)
The Chronicle is the name of a science fiction television series on SCI FI . The series is based on the "News from the Edge" series of novels by Mark Sumner, a St. Louis, Missouri based author. The show was originally sold to NBC, which shot the pilot, then later found a home with The Sci-Fi...
. In 2007, he accepted the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series "Ugly Betty", stating "Like most of us up here, Betty is an immigrant and The American Dream is alive and well and in reach of anybody who wants it".
Horta started the production company "Silent H Productions", so named because he found that people in the United States always pronounced the silent H at the start of his last name.
Horta is openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
; he came out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
to his family at nineteen.