| José Luis Rodríguez | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 14, 1943 Caracas, Venezuela |
José Luis Rodríguez González (born January 14, 1943 in Caracas), nicknamed El Puma (Cougar) is a Venezuelan singer and actor who has recorded many international super hits and participated in a handful of telenovelas.
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José Luis Rodríguez lost his father (who hailed from the Canary Islands) at the age of six, and was raised by his mother (an illiterate then, learned to read as an adult in order to read the Bible) along with 11 brothers and sisters. He grew up in very modest conditions, having to shine shoes, and pack bags in a supermarket for a living at an early age. Without an academic formation, he shaped himself as a singer and actor by empirical means.
As his mother participated in the revolt against Marcos Pérez Jiménez (holding weapons and hiding politicians in her home), Rodríguez lived in exile in Ecuador with her and his brother, for a couple of years.
Rodríguez surfaced in his homeland in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and was able to build a fan base there. He also participated in a famous commercial, along with his family during that time. Rodríguez went to Puerto Rico, where he participated in the Telenovela Cristina Bazán, alongside Johanna Rosaly and young Adamari López. It was whilst there that he received his nickname, El Puma. Later, he also made the Telenovela El ídolo, with Cuban actress Marylin Pupo, playing Omar Contreras (a.k.a. El Puma).
Rodríguez's main money revenue, however, was his singing career. His hits included Dueño de nada, Pavo real and Agárrense de las manos. With the second, he caused controversy at the 1982 contest of Miss Universe, which was being held in Atlanta, a city in the Southern United States; the song's main issue was mixed races matrimony.
Later, Rodríguez participated in the Spanish version of Meet the Robinsons ("La Familia del Futuro" - The Family of the Future) as Wilbur Robinson's dad. El Puma also starred in an advertising campaign for Wrigley's Eclipse gum,[1] with the spot drawing on his persona, using humor and kitsch to highlight the tagline, "Libera el Puma que hay en tí" (Free the puma within).