Sonia Martínez
Encyclopedia
Sonia Martínez was a Spanish actress and TV introducer, known by her role in the Spanish version of American educational TV broadcast 3-2-1 Contact
aimed to spread Science through 12-14 year old audiences. After this children-oriented TV career, Sonia also played some characters in films of the mid-1980s period, but was mainly known for being one of the earlier Spanish famous people to die as a victim of AIDS
, as Rock Hudson
was in the Anglo-speaking countries.
, the central tableland region of Spain. Her sister, Irene Martinez, was also a shining sportwoman, participating in 1980 and 1984 editions of the Summer Olympic Games
as a gymnast. Sonia worked in 3-2-1 Contact from 1982 to 1983, when Spanish airings of the program ceased (Televisión Española
, or TVE, the state-owned network, was then the only authorised TV broadcaster). Sonia worked from 1983 to 1984 for her second TVE show, called "Dabadabadá", another children-oriented broadcast.
´s "Epílogo". But her career was put an end in 1986, when Sonia was in Ibiza
filming an episode of the German TV series Großstadtrevier
, in what she played the role of a police woman. During a break in the filming days a photographer took -without her permission- some images of a semi-nude Sonia, images that were published in the gossip
magazine Interviu
. As a result of the photos, Sonia was dismissed from TVE, where she was presenting "En la naturaleza", an environmental-themed broadcast. Despite a successful attempt to recover her place in the TVE staff by the courts, Sonia's projected reentré in "La Bola de Cristal
" show (a pop-music and semi-underground broadcast linked to the Movida madrileña) was truncated when "La Bola de Cristal" itself was eliminated of the TVE airing schedules in 1988.
victim in 1990. Some people, as the pop composer José María Cano
, tried to help Sonia with detoxification treatments, and Sonia played her last cinema role in 1994, but her health was too damaged by the virus, and she died September 4, 1994, after becoming an easy and vulnerable target for gossip
and sensationalist media, including the new TV networks that broke the TVE's national monopoly in 1989-1990)
José María Cano
, after his music career, started a new life as a London
-based painter, and is the author of Take a walk on the wild side, a painting inspired by Sonia. The artwork was introduced in 2007 during an anti-drug campaign.
3-2-1 Contact
3-2-1 Contact is an American science educational television show that aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988, and an adjoining children's magazine. The show, a production of the Children's Television Workshop, teaches scientific principles and their applications. Dr. Edward G...
aimed to spread Science through 12-14 year old audiences. After this children-oriented TV career, Sonia also played some characters in films of the mid-1980s period, but was mainly known for being one of the earlier Spanish famous people to die as a victim of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, as Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
was in the Anglo-speaking countries.
First years in TV
Sonia became a TV introducer after successful years as a teenage swimmer, winning a second prize in the championship of CastileCastile (historical region)
A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...
, the central tableland region of Spain. Her sister, Irene Martinez, was also a shining sportwoman, participating in 1980 and 1984 editions of the Summer Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
as a gymnast. Sonia worked in 3-2-1 Contact from 1982 to 1983, when Spanish airings of the program ceased (Televisión Española
Televisión Española
Televisión Española is the national state-owned public-service television broadcaster in Spain. TVE's activities were previously financed by a combination of advertising revenue and subsidies from the national government, but since it's been supported by subsidies only.TVE belongs to the RTVE...
, or TVE, the state-owned network, was then the only authorised TV broadcaster). Sonia worked from 1983 to 1984 for her second TVE show, called "Dabadabadá", another children-oriented broadcast.
As a cinema actress
After these shows, Sonia Martinez started a new period, looking for more mature audiences as a cinema actress. She played some characters in films like Gonzalo SuárezGonzalo Suárez
Gonzalo Suárez Morilla is a Spanish writer, screenwriter and film director.-Career:In 1963 he published his first novel De cuerpo presente....
´s "Epílogo". But her career was put an end in 1986, when Sonia was in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
filming an episode of the German TV series Großstadtrevier
Großstadtrevier
Großstadtrevier is a German television series....
, in what she played the role of a police woman. During a break in the filming days a photographer took -without her permission- some images of a semi-nude Sonia, images that were published in the gossip
Gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
magazine Interviu
Interviu
Interviú is a Spanish magazine published by Grupo Zeta that is famous for publishing semi-nude and nude photographs of the rich and famous, sometimes using paparazzi photoshoots or posed pictorials .It also publishes articles on political and economic scandals, and features opinion pieces by...
. As a result of the photos, Sonia was dismissed from TVE, where she was presenting "En la naturaleza", an environmental-themed broadcast. Despite a successful attempt to recover her place in the TVE staff by the courts, Sonia's projected reentré in "La Bola de Cristal
La Bola de Cristal
La Bola de Cristal was a Spanish TV Show that aired on TVE from 1984 to 1988. The show was the brainchild of Spanish writer Dolores Rico Oliver and was conducted by pop singer Alaska...
" show (a pop-music and semi-underground broadcast linked to the Movida madrileña) was truncated when "La Bola de Cristal" itself was eliminated of the TVE airing schedules in 1988.
Decline and death
As a consequence of these problems, linked with some personal crises, Sonia became an Heroin addict (Social impact of this drug was extremely wide in Madrid in those years) and was diagnosed as an AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
victim in 1990. Some people, as the pop composer José María Cano
José María Cano
José María Cano is a Spanish composer, once a member of the Spanish pop group Mecano, and more recently a conceptual artist.-Biography as a musician:...
, tried to help Sonia with detoxification treatments, and Sonia played her last cinema role in 1994, but her health was too damaged by the virus, and she died September 4, 1994, after becoming an easy and vulnerable target for gossip
Gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
and sensationalist media, including the new TV networks that broke the TVE's national monopoly in 1989-1990)
José María Cano
José María Cano
José María Cano is a Spanish composer, once a member of the Spanish pop group Mecano, and more recently a conceptual artist.-Biography as a musician:...
, after his music career, started a new life as a London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based painter, and is the author of Take a walk on the wild side, a painting inspired by Sonia. The artwork was introduced in 2007 during an anti-drug campaign.
External links
- Sonia´s memorial page in Findagrave
- More biographical info in Spanish Wikipedia
- Facebook group about Sonia
- Another Sonia´s biography (in Spanish)