Liz Torres
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Elizabeth "Liz" Torres (born on September 27, 1947, in New York City) is an actress, singer, and comedian of Puerto Rican descent.
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[edit] Early years
Torres' parents settled in the Bronx section of New York after emmigrating from Puerto Rico. She received her primary and secondary education there. Torres started her career as a comedian and singer working the city's night club circuit with her friend Bette Midler. In 1971, she was spotted doing one of her acts by the producer of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show and invited her to do a stand-up comedy skit on the show. After that, she appeared on other television comedy shows such as All In The Family. She also appeared as a regular on Cloris Leachman's spin-off series from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Phyllis, from 1975 to 1976, replacing Barbara Colby in the role of Julie Erskine.
[edit] Television roles
Liz Torres has made over a hundred television guest appearances on such shows as Ally McBeal and The Nanny; and has played recurring characters on a number of television series. In 1990 she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance as Angie in the 1989 television comedy series The Famous Teddy Z, and received a Bravo Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Comedy Series. After a guest star appearance as a deceased singer-turned-angel on the Donald P. Bellisario series Quantum Leap, Torres had a recurring role on another Bellisario show, Tequila and Bonetti, as a psychic who hears the dog Tequila's thoughts.
In 1993, she became a series regular when cast as Mahalia Sanchez in The John Larroquette Show, a role for which she received an Emmy and Golden Globe Award nomination. Torres also received two nominations for the American Comedy Award for the Best Television Performance.
Since 2000, she has been a semi-regular cast member of Gilmore Girls, on which she plays Stars Hollow's resident dance teacher, Miss Patty (real name Patricia LaCosta), a flamboyant former Broadway dancer who has been married four times and was acquainted with stars such as Bette Davis, but who now is more interested in town gossip.
In 2007 she became a recurring cast member on Ugly Betty, in which she plays Evelyn, Wilhelmina Slater's longtime housekeeper, whom Wilhelmina just met for the first time after having hired her in 1994.
[edit] Films and live appearances
She made her film debut in 1969 playing a prostitute in a low-budget movie titled Utterly Without Redeeming Social Value. She has had roles in over 50 films since then. She recently played "Mom" in the 2005 film West of Brooklyn.
On Broadway, she participated in The Ritz as Googie Gomez, Man of La Mancha as Aldonza, and in House of Blues as Bunny.
Torres performed for King Hassan II of Morocco, and was invited to the White House by President Jimmy Carter for America's first National Hispanic Week Celebration.
[edit] Personal
Torres resides in Los Angeles, California where she is a member of the Board of Directors of Write Act Repertory.
