A telenovela (Spanish: [telenoˈβela], Portuguese: [telenoˈvɛlɐ], English pronunciation: /ˌtɛlənoʊˈvɛlə, ˌtɛlənəˈvɛlə/^[1]) 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 (Spanish and Portuguese words for television), and novela, a Spanish word for "novel".^[2] Telenovelas are a distinct genre different from soap operas, for telenovelas have an ending and come to an end after a long run (generally less than one year). The telenovela combines drama with the 19th century feuilleton and the Latin American radionovela. The medium has been used repeatedly to transmit sociocultural messages by incorporating them into storylines.^[3]

Recent telenovelas have evolved in the structure of their plots and in the themes they address. Couples who kiss each other in the first minutes of the first episode sometimes stay together for many episodes before the scriptwriter splits them up. Moreover, previously taboo themes like urban violence, racism, and homosexuality have begun to appear in the newest telenovelas.

Due to the similarities between the telenovela and the American soap opera, the telenovela format is also colloquially known as a "Spanish soap opera" in the United States. While most English language soap operas can continue indefinitely, almost all telenovelas run for a predetermined duration. They are usually shown five or six days a week and run for an average of 120 episodes.^[4]

Evolution[link]

The Mexican star Thalia has been known as the "Queen of Telenovelas"».^[5][6]

Telenovelas, which are sometimes called "tassels" or "comedias", are produced primarily in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries and are usually shown during prime time. The first telenovelas were produced in Brazil, Cuba and Mexico: Sua vida me pertence ("Your Life Belongs to Me", Brazil, 1950) was shown twice a week, and Senderos de amor ("Paths of Love", Cuba, 1951) and Ángeles de la calle ("Angels of the Street", Mexico 1951) were shown once a week. Between 1957 and 1958 Mexico produced its first drama serial in the modern telenovela format of Monday to Friday slots, Senda prohibida ("Forbidden Path"), written by Fernanda Villeli.

The first global telenovela was Los ricos también lloran ("The Rich Also Cry", Mexico, 1979), which was exported to Russia, China, the United States and other countries. Currently, the best-known telenovelas come from Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Venezuela. In Spain they are also called culebrones ("long snakes") because of the convoluted plots.

Telenovelas tend to fall within these six categories:

Working class melodrama, which is easy to understand and contains less explicit content. They typically feature a poor woman who falls in love with a rich man whose family spurns her, such as Maria la del barrio (1995).

Historical romance, is set in the past, such as the colonial period (Martín Garatuza, 1986), the restoration of the Republic (El carruaje, 1972), the late 19th Century (El vuelo del águila, 1994) and the revolution (Bodas de odio, 1982)

Teen drama, which portrays the lives of high school teenagers and their issues with sex, drugs, and other coming-of-age topics. It started with Quinceañera in 1987.

Mystery/Thriller, is more cold hearted than the other sub-genres. It may portray a mysterious death or disappearance, which may tear couples, even families apart, such as Cuna de Lobos or La Casa al Final de la Calle.

Romantic comedy, which portrays love stories with some or lots of comedy such as Las tontas no van al cielo o Yo soy Betty La Fea (the most successful soap opera in history).^[7]

Pop band story, portrays the lives of aspiring musicians such as in Alcanzar una estrella (1990) and it's sequel Alcanzar una estrella II (1991), as well as Rebelde (2004), which spawned a multi-platinum pop group, RBD.

Telenovelas are not only immensely popular in Hispanic America, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, and in Hispanic communities in the United States, but also have a wide following in Russia, Eastern Europe, France, Greece, Italy, the Philippines, Israel, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, and Japan.^[8] In the Arab world, telenovelas are incredibly popular with families stopping their day from midday onward to watch these shows whose contents often reflect many of the moral and social questions faced in cultures like Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt.^[9] The medium has been used repeatedly to transmit sociocultural messages by incorporating them into storylines.^[10]

In Argentina, telenovelas are usually produced by Telefe, Artear, Ideas del Sur and Pol-Ka; in Brazil, by TV Globo, TV Record, SBT, TV Bandeirantes, or the extinct Rede Manchete and TV Tupi; in Chile by TVN and Canal 13; in Colombia by Caracol TV, RTI Colombia, or RCN TV; in Venezuela by Venevisión or RCTV; in Spain by Telecinco, Antena3, EiTB (in Basque), or TV3 (in Catalan); in Portugal by RTP, TVI, or SIC; and in Puerto Rico by WAPA-TV or WKAQ-TV. In the United States, Telemundo and Univision, mostly importers of Latin American telenovelas, have started producing telenovelas with Latin American casts and casts of American stars of Hispanic descent and, in the case of Telemundo, Mexican producer Argos Comunicación and Colombian producer RTI, and, in the case of Univision, Televisa and Venevisión (being the owners of Univision).^{[citation needed]}

Telenovelas by country[link]

Argentina[link]

Advertising for the Argentinian telenovela El cuarteador (1977)

See: Telefe, Canal 9, Artear, Ideas del Sur, and Pol-Ka

Argentina's telenovelas focus on melodramatic twists of traditional middle class life, with touches of comedy. Telenovelas are broadcast by the main television networks, Artear and Telefe. Many popular "youth telenovelas", aimed primarily at children and teenagers, are produced in Argentina. Several youth telenovelas have become hits in other countries, where they have been remade or shown in their original Argentine versions. Some well known youth telenovelas are Chiquititas ("Little Angels"), Rebelde Way ("Rebel's Way"), Floricienta, Muñeca Brava ("Brave Doll") and Patito Feo ("Ugly Duckling"). Because Argentinian television broadcasts many American- or European-style situation comedies and dramedies, the telenovela is less pervasive in Argentina than in many other Latin American countries.

Brazil[link]

See: Rede Globo, Rede Record and Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão

See: Extinct companies - Rede Manchete, and Rede Tupi

Brazil's telenovelas (more often novelas) are both more realistic and apt to broach controversial subjects—many Brazilians can relate because of the telenovelas' realistic depiction of the middle class, working class and upper class^{[citation needed]}. Brazilian productions are the most expensively produced in Latin America.^[11] Escrava Isaura (1976) was a major hit in South America, the Eastern Bloc, Africa and China.^[12] A teenage telenovela, Malhação ("Working Out") is one of the longest-running telenovelas in Brazil. Novelas usually last eight months at most in Brazil, but Malhação has been on the air since 1995; as such, it is commonly classified as an American-format soap opera instead.

Brazilian telenovelas often have convoluted subplots involving three or four different settings. Usually there is a rich setting, a poor setting and one or more settings in which the characters of both settings can interact. There is no black-and-white cut between good and evil characters, with the protagonists often displaying weaknesses like promiscuity, drinking, stupidity, excessive ambition, etc. and the antagonists showing features or motivations that attract sympathy, like abuses suffered in the past, family problems, poverty, etc. It is not uncommon for a villain to attract the sympathy of the public, or even to end well. In 2006, for instance, the evil Bia Falcão, played by Fernanda Montenegro in Belíssima (Pretty Beautiful) managed to escape a police siege and flee the country to France, where she resettled with a handsome boyfriend living on a secret bank account in Switzerland, which she had kept over the years. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for a hero to be relegated to a secondary role due to the actor's lack of charisma. Besides the convoluted plots, Brazilian telenovelas also approach sensitive social issues and try to present a bit of the country's actual culture, sometimes in an idealized way.

Another important difference with telenovelas from other countries is that Brazilian telenovelas rely much less on individual stars than other Latin American works. A Brazilian telenovela may have a permanent cast of more than 40 actors, of which some 7 or 8 are central. The chief reason for this is that telenovelas are not shot in advance (instead chapters are shot only fifteen days before being shown) so that they can respond to public reaction. Under this scheme, the eventual death or bad performance of the actor playing the main character may turn the production into a flop (which happened to Sol de Verão in 1982 after the death of Jardel Filho).

Rede Globo is the main producer of telenovelas in Brazil. Its productions are split into three different categories, according to the airtime:

• at 6PM (novela das seis), stories are romantic and family-oriented (like Cabocla or Sinhá Moça). No violence, sex or bad language (with a few exceptions) and plenty of historic and religious themes.
• at 7PM (novela das sete) they broadcast comedy plots, filled with action, humour and romance (with a considerable amount of implicit sex). This is the schedule in which new writers are tested. Plots tend to be more experimental but themes are usually repetitive.
• at 9PM (known as novela das oito, or 8PM soap, but never broadcast at 8PM, the earliest known time was 8:30PM) plots tend to be more formulaic, but a wider range of themes are explored (like Roque Santeiro, O Clone, Senhora do Destino or Caminho das Índias). These productions include action, romantism and humour and usually last longer than the others. These are the productions with the highest ratings. These categories became widely adopted by most television companies in Brazil.

Four telenovelas are shown on Globo, Brazil's leading channel: "Malhação", "Novela das 6, das 7 e das 8 horas" [6, 7 and 8 o'clock novelas (although they don't necessarily begin exactly at those times)], showing television news between them. Also, in the afternoon is shown "Vale a Pena Ver de Novo" (approximately "it's worth watching again"), where they show a repeat of an old novela.Rede Record, SBT, and Rede Bandeirantes also produce their own telenovelas. Rede Record telenovelas are either original stories or remakes of old telenovelas from their rival Rede Globo. SBT telenovelas are usually remakes of old telenovelas from their former Mexican partner, Televisa (now partner of Record).Rede Manchete, a channel that ceased its operations in May 1999, produced its own telenovelas. The most famous telenovelas were Xica da Silva, success abroad, and Pantanal, which peaked on audience ratings, the first telenovela outside Globo to do so since Rede Tupi was closed in 1980. It was recently broadcast on SBT, repeating its original success. Rede Tupi, extinct in 1980, was the pioneer of Brazilian soap operas.

Bolivia[link]

See Red ATB, Bolivisión, Unitel Bolivia, Safipro and TeleArte.

Safipro's La Virgen de las 7 calles ("The Virgin of the 7 Streets"), the first Bolivian telenovela based on a 1920s society novel.

In Bolivia, telenovelas contain drama, love, music, natural landscapes, remote situations and adventures, some are based on novels, historical and real facts. Some melodramas produced in Bolivia include Las Tres Perfectas Solteras, Indira, Tierra Adentro, La Virgen de las 7 calles, Luna de Locos and Tres de Nosotras . The country has made over 15 telenovelas so far, most of the productions take place in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Most of the mania has been made into much of prosperity for much of the country. Not many telenovelas made in the country. The exhibition on the television networks is international productions (from Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico). The Bolivian telenovelas are produced by independent producers, many producers are more dedicated to the movies.

Canada[link]

See Culture of Quebec, Television of Quebec, Television in Canada

In Canada, telenovelas are known as téléromans in French and are a part of the culture of the Francophone province of Quebec. Nearly all French-language TV stations carry téléromans. The first téléroman was La famille Plouffe ("The Plouffe Family"), which was broadcast on Radio-Canada in the 1950s.

The téléroman was created during the earliest days of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's television network, when the CBC was the only television network in Canada (as per the 1949 Massey Commission). Whereas theoretically the CBC's main English-language television network could broadcast English-language shows from American stations (and also was forced to compete with US TV networks), CBC's Radio-Canada network had to develop its own programmes for French-Canadian viewers. As a consequence, Francophone television in Canada developed differently from Anglophone television.

In 2003, the French-language public TV station of Ontario, TFO, began broadcasting the first Franco-Ontarian téléroman, Francoeur.

Chile[link]

See: TVN, and Canal 13

Chilean telenovelas focus on both traditional drama and middle class life, with some touches of comedy. Often, they show life outside of the capital, like in TVN's Iorana (which took place on Easter Island). They are usually produced and broadcast by the Canal 13 and TVN channels, who launch their main telenovelas in March each year with a few days between them, which have led marketing to a "telenovela war" of sorts. Lately, other Chilean TV channels such as Mega and Chilevisión are joining the so-called telenovela war. Many of the most successful telenovels in Chile are set in a historic epoch such as Pampa Ilusión" (1935), "El Señor de la Querencia" (1920) and "Los Pincheira" (1918).

Colombia[link]

See: Caracol TV, RTI Colombia, and RCN TV

Colombian telenovelas such as Betty la fea ("Ugly Betty") often focus on comedy. However, some are in a more realistic vein, or are adaptations of novels. Telenovelas produced by RTI Colombia and Telemundo are usually shown on Caracol, while Televideo and Telecolombia produce some of RCN's telenovelas. Caracol and RCN also produce and broadcast their own shows. Currently, four or five Colombian telenovelas are usually broadcast from 6 PM until around 11 PM on those networks.

It is notable that many novelas designed and written by Colombians sell outside their country well, as a prime export. Then other countries "nationalize" them by creating novels based on the same story, barely changing names, settings and, more often than not, mixing the cast with Colombian actors to respect ownership/property agreements and copyright laws. One fine example is Betty la Fea (adapted in the USA as Ugly Betty) in which the franchise for the storyline was translated and adapted by over 30 networks around the world.

Over the years a new style of Novelas/series have been produced by Caracol and RCN dubbed Narco-novelas, including "El Cartel" and "El Capo", which have been a great succes in the American market with high ratings.

Dominican Republic[link]

The Dominican Republic has started to produce its own novelas thanks to Venevision International, Iguana Productions and Antena Latina Productions. The first Dominican telenovela, María José, oficios del hogar ("María José, Housewife"), was produced by Venevision and the TV station Color Visión, which formed the first Dominican telenovela company (now inactive), in 1986. Comedy-drama series such as Catalino el Dichoso and sequel En La Boca de los Tiburones were also considered telenovelas, during the early 1990s. The telenovela Tropico was made by Venevision International, Iguana Productions, and Antena Latina Productions, in 2007 with mostly Dominican actors and a few from Venezuela and Peru. It is being shown by Antena Latina 7 in the Dominican Republic and on Univision in United States. There are currently plans for more telenovelas made, filmed, and produced in the Dominican Republic.

Germany[link]

See: Bavaria Film Studios, and Grundy UFA

In 2004 Germany started to produce its own telenovelas. All German telenovelas are melodramatic love stories. Except Sturm der Liebe ("Storm of Love"), which is produced by Bavaria Film Studios, every German telenovela is produced by Grundy UFA. The most successful ones, Bianca - Wege zum Glück ("Bianca: Paths to Happiness"), Wege zum Glück ("Paths to Happiness"), Verliebt in Berlin ("In Love in Berlin/In Love with Berlin") and Sturm der Liebe, were also released in Italy, France and other European countries. Verliebt in Berlin was also shown in Canada. German television channels ARD, ZDF, Sat. 1 and ProSieben all include telenovelas in their programme schedules.

Indonesia[link]

Indonesia has Sinetron, which follow the same format as telenovelas.

The word is a portmanteau of Sine, short for cinema, and Tron, short for electronic. Sinetron are essentially soap operas in miniseries format. While most English language soap operas can continue indefinitely, almost all Sinetron have a predetermined duration. They usually go out five,six or seven days a week and run for more than 120 episodes.

The sinetron productions are usually made by production house such as Sinemart, MD Entertainment, etc. It is usually shown by national TV Network during peak time (6.00 pm to 11.00 pm) and becoming a priority programme since it has significant ratings that attract advertisers to buy commercial space during such broadcasting.

Mexico[link]

See: Televisa, TV Azteca, and Argos Comunicación

In Mexico, telenovelas usually has a love couple that encounter many problems throughout the telenovela, a villain and end with a wedding. One common ending archetype, consists a wedding, and with the villain dying, going to jail, becoming permanently injured or disabled, or losing his/her mind.

In Mexico, Televisa and TV Azteca are the largest producers and exporters of telenovelas. The independent company Argos Comunicación is their main competition. The American telenovelas produced by Telemundo tend to follow the Mexican model. Traditionally, telenovelas were often thought to be used as a government tool to distract citizens from national issues. Starting around 1990, Televisa found an enormous market for its telenovelas in Eastern Europe, as well as in Vietnam and other Asian countries. For example, Veronica Castro became an international star when the novela she had starred in many years ago, Los Ricos Tambien Lloran (1979), became a huge hit in Russia. By the late 1990s, the company claimed telenovelas were Mexico's leading export product. Many consider 1958 until 2004 to be Televisa's Golden Age of telenovelas.

At the same time, as the Mexican government loosened its control over television, telenovelas, primarily those produced by Argos Comunicacion, addressed new themes, including poverty, political corruption, immigration and drug smuggling. However, as long as the American drama and comedy series are taking space in the Mexican audience through cable or satellite TV and the growing of piracy, the television companies opted to adapt stories from Argentina, Colombia or Brazil and use veteran actors in order to decrease expenses in a industry that is decaying, at least, for both Televisa and TV Azteca.

Currently the most successful telenovelas are being created by Argos and Telemundo and are retransmitted (or adapted) by the main companies, the most successful one, La Reina del Sur based on the book of Arturo Perez Reverte, is based on a true story over a drug queen in Sinaloa. Even that, it got some censorship due to the Drug War and it was transmitted in a low rating channel. Despite this, the telenovela got more rating that another programs in their timeframe.

Philippines[link]

Philippine telenovelas emerged into Philippine television in the 1960s. The first Filipino TV soap opera produced was Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato by ABS-CBN. The format of Philippine telenovelas is almost the same as Spanish and Mexican telenovelas, as they have borrowed many elements. The usual telenovela clichés also appear in Philippine telenovelas.

Classical Philippine telenovelas mainly focus on the miserable life of the protagonist, with a plot mainly focusing on either their love life, the search for their broken family, or both. Meanwhile the antagonists, or villains, usually have a plan to kill or kidnap the protagonists in return for money. Antagonists in the old telenovelas were very greedy, rude and violent. Philippine telenovelas usually begin with the protagonists' past, then moves on to their future, while some telenovelas have a few flashbacks. Twists are also popular, mainly focusing on the protagonists' acquaintances who find out that they were actually siblings or relatives, or love triangles. The story usually ends with the antagonist being killed painfully mainly by a shot or bomb, while the protagonist getting injured, then sent to the hospital (usually ending up safe) and get married and having children in the future. Endings became very obvious and predictable amongst viewers. Casting was also tiresome with the same actor acting as protagonist/antagonist in different series. Example of classical Philippine telenovelas were Anna Liza, Villa Quintana, Mara Clara, Valiente, Kung Mawawala Ka, and Pangako Sa 'Yo.

Modern Philippine telenovelas also focus on the life of the protagonist, but expands to the lives of the characters they meet during the series. Antagonists are also on every telenovelas, but less violent compared to the classical telenovelas, also, the lives and the "humane" persona of the antagonists were also beginning to be adapted into the mainstream Philippine telenovela. New twists are also added to expand the series, which usually lasts 6–8 months. Directors also hire successful reality TV winners or runner-ups, regardless whether they can act or not, as minor characters or sometimes even major characters. The ending too is very different. Unlike the old telenovelas, antagonists have a room for forgiveness and reconciliation between the main characters, and nowadays do not die in the end. There are even different themes such as suspense, comedic, political, fantasy, and others.

Billboard advertising a TVI telenovela in Portugal

Portugal[link]

The first Portuguese telenovela was Vila Faia, in 1982. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s almost all Portuguese telenovelas were broadcast by RTP. However, since the turn of the 20th to 21st century, TVI has emerged as the most prolific broadcaster of Portuguese telenovelas. Morangos com Açúcar, one of its most successful telenovelas, is currently in its ninth season.

SIC, which usually imported telenovelas from Brazil's Rede Globo, has also started to produce its own telenovelas.

Portuguese telenovelas began to find expression in the world. In 2008 Portugal won the first Emmy for a Telenovela, with Meu Amor (My Love). In 2011, Portugal won its second consecutive International Emmy for the category Telenovela with Laços de Sangue (Blood Ties). Portugal also sells Telenovelas to Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Puerto Rico[link]

List of some Telenovelas filmed and produced in Puerto Rico:

• 1968: Recordar
• 1978: Cristina Bazán
• 1982: Yo Sé Que Mentía
• 1983: Coralito
• 1983: Vivir para ti
• 1984: Diana Carolina
• 1985: Tanairi
• 2006: Dueña y Señora
• 2008: Al Borde del Deseo (miniseries/Telenovela)

Russia[link]

Telenovelas were first introduced to Soviet viewers in 1988, when a stripped-down version (only 15 episodes) of Escrava Isaura was shown on the central TV. The series made was very popular with Soviet viewers. An even bigger success was Los Ricos También Lloran, shown shortly after. People were actively discussing the plot in stores and buses. Since that time Russian channels broadcast telenovelas (usually Brazilian) on a regular basis. Starting in the early 2000s (decade), Latin American telenovelas were replaced by Russian-made ones. Many modern Russian telenovolas are adaptations of the successful foreign ones (primarily Latin American).

South Korea[link]

There are two main genres of Korean telenovelas, generally speaking. The first genre is similar to soap operas but without the never ending plot and frank sexual content. These dramas typically involve conflicts such as single and marital relationships, money bargaining, relationships between in-laws (usually between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law), and often complicated love triangles while the heroine usually falls in love with the main character who may treat her badly since the beginning, instead of the one who always cares for her. These telenovelas last anywhere from 16 episodes to over 100 (most often not exceeding 200). The main broadcasters and producers of telenovelas are KBS, SBS, and MBC. Korean telenovelas export to the rest of world and have contributed to the general phenomenon of the Korean wave, known as "Hallyu".

Spain[link]

Spanish telenovelas are known in the nation as culebrones (Spanish of "long snakes") because of their convoluted plots. The broadcasters of telenovelas are Telecinco, Antena3, and La 1; there are regional telenovelas produced in Basque and Catalan languages and are produced by EITB (in Basque) and TV3 (in Catalan). However, Spain isn't a telenovela maker as much as a telenovela importer.

United States[link]

See: MyNetworkTV, NBC Universal, Telemundo, and Univision

For listings or sources see:

See MyNetworkTV telenovelas

In the United States, the telenovela concept has been adapted into English. The first telenovela was the soap opera Port Charles, which, although it began as a traditional soap opera, adopted a 13-week telenovela format beginning in 2000 and continued with the format until the show's cancellation in 2003. MyNetworkTV, an upstart network launched by News Corporation, launched two with nightly serials on September 5, 2006. After the moderate success of Desire and Fashion House, ratings began to decline. The second pair of telenovels, Wicked Wicked Games and Watch Over Me had decent ratings but not as successful as the debut telenovels. By the time the third batch, American Heiress and Saints and Sinners were shown, the ratings were disastrous and the format is being phased out. On the other hand, Ugly Betty has already proven to be a success story on ABC, although the network dropped the idea of the show as a telenovela and developed it as a standard weekly series. NBC developed an adaptation of the racy Colombian telenovela Sin tetas no hay paraíso called Without Breasts There Is No Paradise, but it was cancelled before being aired.

In 2001, when Telemundo was purchased by NBC-Universal, Telemundo decided to stop importing telenovelas from Latin America and to start producing its own telenovelas. In order to produce its own telenovelas, Telemundo allowed the Colombian production company RTI Colombia and the Mexican production company Argos Comunicación to co-produce the telenovelas with Telemundo. Telemundo's telenovelas follow the Mexican model. To have its telenovelas recognized by the audiences of the US and Latin America, Telemundo hired famous actors and actresses from Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, and Puerto Rico, Telemundo now also hire US-born Hispanic actors and actresses. Telemundo's first co-produced telenovelas was Amantes del Desierto, with RTI. The first co-production with Argos was Cara o Cruz in 2001. Another co-production made with Globo from Brasil in 2002 Vale Todo that didn't do well in the ratings. In 2003 Telemundo produced for the first time in Miami with RTI Amor Descarado. Telemundo's telenovelas have become successful, Telemundo began to export its telenovelas where it also became successful in Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Argentina. As of December 31, 2006, Argos no longer co-produces any new projects with Telemundo. The last co-produced telenovela with Argos was Marina. Telemundo continues to co-produce telenovelas with RTI, but Telemundo has also started to produce telenovelas by itself. In 2005, Telemundo created the Telemundo Television Studios in Miami to produce telenovelas, and Telemundo's first fully produced telenovela was Dame Chocolate. In 2006, Telemundo broadcast two telenovelas not created by themselves or its partners, the programmes are Amor Mío (Televisa/Telefe) and La Esclava Isaura (Rede Record). It is unknown if Telemundo will import more telenovelas in the near future, or it will continue with its production. Venevisión International also produced their own telenovelas here in United States and its telenovelas follow the Venezuelan model, Venevisión telenovelas filmed in the United States were aired by another US-based Spanish television network Univision aside from being aired by main Venevisión network in Venezuela and its telenovelas portray the lives of Venezuelan Americans in the United States.

Some Spanish-language telenovelas are now translated directly into English for USA viewers. Novelas on Telemundo are all closed-captioned in English because there is a small, but influential number of English speaking Americans who watch the Latin American telenovelas. Xenon Pictures also adds English subtitles to its DVD versions of Mexican serials, including Amor Real, La Madrastra, and Rubí.

The sudden interest in English telenovelas can be attributed to the appeal and successful ratings of the genre. Producers also see this as a way to attract the fast-growing Hispanic population, most notably the female sector of this demographic. In addition, telenovelas break the traditional United States television format, where a show runs for 20-25 episodes a season, once a week.

Venezuela[link]

See: RCTV, and Venevisión

Telenovelas in Venezuela are mainly produced by RCTV and Venevisión. Like Televisa in Mexico, Venevision controls a large portion of all show business in that country. Some of Venevision's telenovelas also broadcast on Univision in the United States. Some major telenovelas produced in Venevision include Amor Comprado, Dulce Enemiga, Cara Sucia, Bellisima, and Pecado de Amor.

Venezuela is one of the largest producers of telenovelas in the world, with up to 279 serials of this style shown to date. Many of the major productions have been exported to countries like Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, the USA (on Univision) and many others.

Paloma[link]

See: Way TV!, I-Tv Latino EX and Mundo Fiction

In Paloma, the telenovela is known as musical drama by its thematics related with music. These dramas usually are produced for the youth audience, although some are directed for any public.

A synonym of musical dramas is the soap opera or television series, since both have many features in common. To cite some, the episodes of a drama musical seasons are divided into at least six months and annual maximum, as happens with the TV series, but what differentiates the two is that the latter premiered an episode every week while the premiere musical dramas from Monday to Friday and allowing faster completion. Are also related to the soaps for the topics covered, romance, tragedy, the emotions of the characters, the existence of an antagonist and in some cases the predictable end, including the premieres of episodes Monday through Friday, but also there is something that sets them apart is that the characters in the musical drama always have the appearance of young college student with aspirations to grow into a pop idol (sometimes already are but focuses on his life and those around you) and the two main characters, although at first not well liked or is separated by an antagonist, their relationship ends up in friendship and then love. Note that in this type of series never makes references to sexuality.

Some of these dramatized have been Mi Vida es Cantar, Selena, Un engaño frente al amor, Antique Amor!, La Nueva Empleada, If We Were, Chica Inocente, ¡Mi Príncipe!, inter.

Awards[link]

The most important Telenovela award shows are the Mexican TVyNovelas Award, hosted by the Televisa TVyNovelas magazine, and the one presented by Contigo in Brazil. TVyNovelas also has editions in Colombia, Chile, Puerto Rico, United States and Contigo has an edition in Chile. In 2008, The International Emmy Awards created a category for best Telenovelas.

Comparison with soap operas[link]

The standard American, British, or Australian soap opera is invariably designed to theoretically continue indefinitely, and indeed sometimes do endure for decades, with an ever-rotating cast of players and characters. However, most Latin American telenovelas have an average run of six months up to a year. The show's duration is pre-planned at the show's inception, with the overall story-arc and conclusion also known by the show's makers at its inception. Mundo de Juguete is one exception to the rule, with a total of 605 chapters (1974–1977), and a few cast changes during the course of the serial. Some earlier Argentine telenovelas (most of them penned by Alberto Migré) also ran for a few years.

Telenovelas also have a different type of story from English-language soaps, the typical telenovela story being focused on a rivalry between two people or families in romance or business.

Telenovelas comprise the great majority of the dramatic productions by South American television networks whereas in the USA other formats like sitcoms or TV dramas are more popular.

Accusations of white ethnocentrism[link]

Some American media outlets object to telenovelas of Latin American and U.S. Hispanic media on grounds that they are not representative of the racial makeup of the countries where they are produced, as they tend to have white, blond, blue-eyed stars.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]}

See also[link]

• Taiwanese Drama
• Fantaserye – a genre of teleserye
• MyNetworkTV telenovelas
• List of famous telenovelas
• Téléroman – The French-Canadian equivalent
• Fotonovela – The magazine equivalent, a sort of photo-comic book usually with a romantic theme.
• Soap opera – The English-language counterpart

Notes[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

Books[link]

• Castellot de Ballin, Laura (1993). Historia de la televisión en México. Narrada por sus protagonistas. México: Alpe.

• Covarrubias, Karla; Angélica, Bautista y Ana B. Uribe (1994). Cuéntame en qué se quedó. La telenovela como fenómeno social. México: Trillas.

• Roura, Assumpta (1993). Telenovelas, pasiones de mujer. El sexo en el culebrón. España: Gedisa.

• Trejo Silva, Marcia (2011). La telenovela mexicana. Orígenes, características, análisis y perspectivas. México: Trillas. ISBN 978-6071709141

• Varios autores (2007). El gran libro de las telenovelas. 50 años de historia. México: Editorial Televisa.

• Verón, Eliseo y Lucrecia Escudero Chauvel (comp.) (1997). Telenovela, ficción popular y mutaciones culturales. España: Gedisa.

• Villanueva Solorio, Mario (1997). Para una tipología de villanos telenoveleros en México. Tesis profesional. México: ENEP (FES) Acatlán. Mención Honorífica.

External links[link]

• 10 of the most evil villains in telenovela history on mun2

This disambiguation page is currently linked from a large number of articles. Please help direct these ambiguous links to articles dealing with the specific meaning intended. (March 2012)

William Levy is the name of:

• William Levy (author) (b. 1939), American writer
• William Levy (actor) (b. 1980), Cuban actor
• William Alexander Levy (d. 1997), American architect and interior designer
• William Auerbach-Levy (1889-1964), Russian-American painter and artist
• William M. Levy (1827–1882), U.S. Representative from Louisiana

This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Maite Perroni
Maite Perroni
Born	Maite Perroni Beorlegui (1983-03-09) March 9, 1983 (age 29) Mexico City, Mexico
Occupation	Actress, Singer
Years active	2004–present
Relatives	Adolfo and Francisco Perroni (siblings)
Website
http://www.maite-perroni.com/

Maite Perroni Beorlegui (born March 9, 1983)^[1] is a Mexican actress and singer/songwriter, who is best known for starring in Rebelde, Cuidado con el Ángel, Mi Pecado with Triunfo del Amor and Cachito de Cielo. She gained international fame as a member of the Latin Grammy nominated pop group RBD. Univision named Maite Perroni as the new Queen of the Telenovelas in 2009.^[2]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Maite Perroni Beorlegui was born in Mexico City but she grew up in Guadalajara, until the age of 12,when her family moved back again in Mexico City.^[3] She has two siblings, Adolfo and Francisco, who are three and nine years younger than she is.^[4]

Perroni studied acting at Televisa's Centro de Educación Artistica (CEA) in the year 2000, completing two years of a three year course.

Career[link]

Acting career[link]

Perroni made her acting debut in Rebelde, a remake of the acclaimed Argentinean novela Rebelde Way. She portrayed Guadalupe "Lupita" Fernández, a teenage girl from a lower class family who gets the opportunity to study at the fictitious Elite Way School. Rebelde ran from 2004 to 2006, filming 440 episodes.

Following the success of Rebelde, in 2007, Televisa released RBD: La Familia, which starred the members of RBD. The characters of the sitcom were not based on the band's characters in Rebelde, but intended to be similar to the actors' real personalities. RBD: La Familia was the first Mexican show shot entirely in high definition and ran from March 14, 2007 to June 13, 2007, and only lasted 13 episodes.

In 2008, Maite starred as the lead character in Cuidado con el Ángel, opposite William Levy. The show had great success around the world. She starred in her second leading role in Mi Pecado opposite Eugenio Siller. She was part of the third season of Mujeres Asesinas in the sixth episode called Las Blanco, Viudas along with Diana Bracho, Luz Maria Aguilar, and Mark Tacher.

In 2010, Perroni was confirmed to star with her previous co-star, William Levy, in Triunfo del Amor, a remake of the Venezuelan classic Cristal.

Maite was nominated for best actress in History.

In 2012, Perroni was confirmed to star with Pedro Fernandez in Cachito de Cielo.

Musical career[link]

Maite live in 2008.

Perroni was a member of the popular band RBD, which was launched off of the success of the telenovela most seen for years Rebelde. To date, RBD has made 9 studio albums, including albums in Spanish, Portuguese and English. They have sold over 15 million albums worldwide, and have embarked on various international tours including shows throughout Latin America and Europe.

Maite composed Tal Vez Mañana, for RBD's fourth Spanish language album, Empezar Desde Cero and sang solo on the title track for the album.

On August 8, 2008, RBD released a message telling fans that they had decided to split up. They went on one final tour, Gira Del Adios World Tour, which ended in early 2009. Perroni was absent part of the tour, due to her filming of Cuidado con el Ángel.^[5]

For her role in Cuidado con el Ángel, Perroni recorded three songs for the show called Esta Soledad, Separada de Ti, and Contigo.^[6]

She recorded a song with Reik, entitled Mi Pecado, which was used as the opening song for the telenovela, Mi Pecado.^[7]

On July 17, 2010, Perroni released her new single "No Vuelvas", which was featured on an EP she released for her Brazilian Pocket Show performances, on her website MaiteMVP.com.^[8]

She recorded a song with Marco di Mauro called "A Partir de Hoy" which forms part of the musical soundtrack of the telenovela Triunfo del Amor, her third lead role.^[9]

Personal life[link]

Perroni was engaged to Guido Laris, the musical director for RBD, but the pair split, in August 2008.^[10] On November 2010, she officially announced she was dating singer and composer Mane de la Parra.^[11][12]

Products and endorsements[link]

Maite is the Spokemodel for NYX Cosmetics.^[13] In 2007, a Barbie doll version of Perroni was released, based on her character in Rebelde.^[14]

In June 2009, Perroni announced her support for the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico.^[15] She has starred in several commercials promoting the party.

She started in commercials for Giraffas, Pepsi, Helato de Bonice, Asepxia, Teleton, Wal Mart, Ades Class, Hinds, Pantene.

Awards and honors[link]

In 2006, she won her first award at the Premios TVyNovelas, along with her RBD bandmates, for "Best Theme Song". In March 2009, Maite won "Best Young Actress in a Leading Role" for her performance in Cuidado con el Ángel.`\

She won Premio Juventud for most beautiful telenovela actress,`Chica que me quite el sueno`, in 2009 and 2011.

In 2009, she topped 5O Most Beautiful list from People en Español, sharing the front cover with Eva Longoria and Ana Bárbara. She was part of the same list in 2010 and 2011. Same magazine named her one of `Most Influential Women`in Latin America in 2011. She was named `Queen of telenovelas` by her fans and Univision channel.^[16]

Filmography[link]

Theatre[link]

Cine[link]

TVyNovelas Awards[link]

The TVyNovelas Awards, also known as the Premios TVyNovelas are presented annually by Televisa and the magazine TVyNovelas to honour the best Mexican television productions, especially telenovelas. Maite has received two awards from five nominations.

Premios Juventud[link]

Premios Juventud (Youthfulness Awards) is an awards show for Spanish-speaking celebrities in the areas of film, music, sports, fashion, and pop culture, presented by the Television Network Univision. Winners are determined by online vote at univision.com. Maite has received two awards from five nominations.

Solo Tour[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Maite Perroni

• Official Website
• Twitter Maite Perroni
• Official YouTube Channel
• Talent Agent's Official Mini-Site

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. It includes attribution to IMDb, which may not be a reliable source for biographical information. Please help by adding additional, reliable sources for verification. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2011)

Victoria Ruffo
Victoria Ruffo in Triunfo Del Amor
Born	Victoria Eugenia Guadalupe Martínez del Río Moreno-Ruffo (1961-05-31) May 31, 1961 (age 51) Mexico City, México
Spouse	Eugenio Derbez (1992-1997) Omar Fayad (2001-present)
Website
http://www.victoriaygabyruffo.com

Victoria Ruffo (born Victoria Eugenia Guadalupe Martínez del Río Moreno-Ruffo on May 31, 1961 in Mexico City) is a Mexican actress. Ruffo, the surname she uses professionally, is actually her maternal grandfather's surname.

Biography[link]

Victoria began her acting career in 1980 starring in the telenovela Conflictos de un Médico, under the direction of Ernesto Alonso, and continued her career acting in Al Rojo Vivo, in which shared credits with Alma Muriel, Silvia Pasquel, among other important actors. In 1983 Valentín Pimsteín gave her the opportunity to star as the protagonist of La Fiera.

After seeing her acting skills, Ernesto Alonso offered her lead roles in the telenovelas Victoria and Simplemente María, works which brought her fame. Her recent telenovelas, "Abrazame Muy Fuerte" and the 2005 telenovela, "La Madrastra," were smash hits.

Personal life[link]

In the 1990s, she was a close friend of comedian Eugenio Derbez, whom she later married; they have one son, José Eduardo. The two later divorced, citing irreconcilable differences.

In 2001, she married Mexican politician Omar Fayad, who is currently the municipal president of Pachuca, Hidalgo. Together, they have twin children: a boy, Anuar, and a girl, Victoria.Victoria is one of the best actrees .

She is the sister of actress Gabriela Ruffo and producer Marcela Ruffo. Her maternal grandfather was of Italian descent.

Television[link]

• 2010: Triunfo del Amor - Victoria Sandoval, Casa Victoria's head fashion designer
• 2009: La Rosa De Guadalupe - Carolina Lopez Hernandez
• 2008: En Nombre del Amor - Macarena Espinoza de los Monteros (dies by severe head injuries at her home)
• 2007: Victoria - Victoria Santiesteban de Mendoza (2007/08)
• 2005 and 2007: La Madrastra - Maria Frenandez Acuña de San Roman
• 2001: Mujer, casos de la vida real - Sarai
• 2000: Abrázame Muy Fuerte - Cristina Álvarez Rivas de Rivero (2000/01)
• 1998: Vivo por Elena - Elena
• 1995: Pobre niña rica - Consuelo Villagran Garcia-Mora
• 1993: Advertising of MMM
• 1993: Al derecho y al derbez
• 1992: Capricho - Cristina (1992/93)
• 1989: Simplemente María - María López (1989/90)
• 1987: Victoria - Victoria
• 1985: Juana Iris - Juana Iris
• 1983: La Fiera - Natalie
• 1982: En busca del paraíso - Grisel
• 1982: Quiéreme siempre - Julia
• 1980: Al rojo vivo - Pilar Álvarez
• 1980: Conflictos de un médico

Filmography[link]

• 1987: Yo el ejucutor
• 1986: Un Hombre violento - Susana
• 1982: De pulquero a millonario
• 1982: Una Sota y un caballo: Rancho Avandaro - Maricarmen Sierra
• 1980: El Hombre sin miedo - Laura Aparicio
• 1980: Perro callejero
• 1979: Angel del silencio
• 1979: Discoteca es amor

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mauricio Ochmann y Victoria Ruffo Fan Club Facebook -Recognized from Mauricio Ochmann
• Official Site (Spanish, English, Portuguese & Romanian)
• Russian unofficial site
• Telemundo Website
• Official "Victoria" Website
• Victoria Ruffo at the Internet Movie Database
• Russian unofficial site

Patrick Swayze
Swayze greeting fans after Guys and Dolls in 2006
Born	Patrick Wayne Swayze (1952-08-18)August 18, 1952 Houston, Texas, U.S.
Died	September 14, 2009(2009-09-14) (aged 57)[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Pancreatic cancer
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor, dancer, singer-songwriter
Years active	1978–2009
Spouse	Lisa Niemi (m. 1975–2009, his death)
Relatives	Don Swayze (brother)

Patrick Wayne Swayze ( /ˈsweɪziː/; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009)^[1] was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1991. His film and TV career spanned 30 years.

Diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in January 2008, Swayze told Barbara Walters a year later that he was "kicking it".^[2] However, he died from the disease on September 14, 2009.^[3] His last role was the lead in an ill-fated A&E TV series, The Beast, which premiered on January 15, 2009. Due to a prolonged decline in health, Swayze was unable to promote the series. On June 15, 2009, Entertainment Tonight announced the show's cancellation.^[4]

Early life[link]

Patrick Swayze was born on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas, the second child of Patsy Yvonne Helen (née Karnes; born 1927), a choreographer, dance instructor, and dancer, and Jesse Wayne Swayze (1925–1982), an engineering draftsman.^[5][6][7] He had two younger brothers, actor Don Swayze (born 1958) and Sean Kyle (born 1962), and two sisters, Vickie Lynn (1949–1994) and Bambi.^[5][8] He was a sixth cousin once removed of news commentator John Cameron Swayze, and a relative of noted Texas Revolution soldier Henry Karnes.^[9] Swayze was raised Roman Catholic.^[10]

Until the age of twenty, Swayze lived in the Oak Forest neighborhood of Houston, where he attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic School,^[11] Oak Forest Elementary School,^[12] Black Middle School,^[12][13] and Waltrip High School.^[12] During this time, he also pursued multiple artistic and athletic skills, such as ice skating, classical ballet, and acting in school plays. He played football for his high school and was hoping to receive a football scholarship for college until a knee injury ended his career. He studied gymnastics at nearby San Jacinto College for two years.^{[citation needed]}

In 1972, he moved to New York City to complete his formal dance training at the Harkness Ballet and Joffrey ballet schools.

Career[link]

Swayze's first professional appearance was as a dancer for Disney on Parade. He then starred as a replacement playing the role of Danny Zuko in the long-running Broadway production of Grease^[14] before his debut film role as "Ace" in Skatetown, U.S.A.. He appeared as Pvt. Sturgis in the M*A*S*H episode "Blood Brothers"^[15] and had a brief stint in 1982 on a short lived TV series The Renegades^[16] playing a gang leader named Bandit. Swayze became known to the film industry after appearing in The Outsiders as the older brother of C. Thomas Howell and Rob Lowe. Swayze, Howell, and Howell's friend Darren Dalton reunited in Red Dawn the next year, and Lowe and Swayze reunited in Youngblood. He was considered a member of the Brat Pack.^[17] His first major success was in the 1985 television miniseries North and South, which was set during the American Civil War.^[18]

Swayze and Paula Abdul at the 1990 Grammy Awards

Swayze's breakthrough role came with his performance as dance instructor Johnny Castle in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, alongside his Red Dawn co-star, Jennifer Grey. Dirty Dancing, a coming of age story, was a low-budget film that was intended to be shown in theaters for one weekend only and then go straight to video, but it became a surprise hit and achieved massive international success. It was the first film to sell one million copies on video, and as of 2009, it earned over $214 million worldwide and spawned several alternative versions, ranging from a television series to stage productions to a computer game. Swayze received a Golden Globe Award nomination for the role and also sang one of the songs on the soundtrack, "She's Like the Wind", which he had originally co-written with Stacy Widelitz for the film Grandview, U.S.A. The song became a top ten hit and has been covered by other artists.

After Dirty Dancing, Swayze found himself typecast and appeared in several flops, of which Road House was the most successful. His biggest hit came in 1990, when he starred in Ghost, with Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg.^[19] In 1991, he starred alongside Youngblood cast mate Keanu Reeves in another major action hit, Point Break, and was also chosen by People magazine as that year's "Sexiest Man Alive".

Swayze was seriously injured in 1998 while filming HBO's Letters from a Killer near Ione, California when he fell from a horse and hit a tree. Both of his legs were broken and he suffered four detached tendons in his shoulder. Filming was suspended for two months, but the film aired in 1999. Swayze recovered from his injuries, but he had trouble resuming his career until 2000, when he co-starred in Waking Up in Reno, with Billy Bob Thornton and Charlize Theron, and in Forever Lulu, with Melanie Griffith.

In 2001, he appeared in the cult classic Donnie Darko, where he played a famous motivational speaker revealed to be a closet pedophile, and in 2004, he played Allan Quartermain in King Solomon's Mines. He also had a cameo appearance in the Dirty Dancing sequel, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights as an unnamed dance instructor.

Swayze made his West End theatre début in the musical Guys and Dolls as Nathan Detroit on July 27, 2006,^[20][21][22] alongside Neil Jerzak, and remained in the role until November 25, 2006. His previous appearances on the Broadway stage had included productions of Goodtime Charley (1975)^[23] and Chicago.

Swayze also provided the voice for Cash the country music band dog in The Fox and the Hound 2 and in 2007 starred in the film Christmas in Wonderland. Swayze played an aging rock star in Powder Blue, co-starring his younger brother Don in their first film together. Swayze starred in the A&E FBI drama The Beast,^[24] filmed in Chicago, as FBI Agent Charles Barker.^[25]

Personal life[link]

Swayze and his wife, Lisa Niemi, arrive at the 1989 Academy Awards ceremony

Swayze was married to Lisa Niemi from June 12, 1975, until his death. The couple first met in 1970 when Swayze was 18 years old. Niemi, 14 years old at the time, was taking dance lessons from Swayze's mother. Swayze and Niemi had no children.^[26] In a 2008 interview, Swayze stated that Niemi was the inspiration for his 1987 hit song, "She's Like the Wind".^[27]

As a reaction to his father's death at age 57 from a heart attack in 1982, Swayze began to drink heavily.^[28] In 1989, Swayze said, "I've always felt there was something different in there (my personality), but I was scared to look for fear I wouldn't find anything. That's the reason I got into Buddhism, took est training, was into therapy, into Scientology, into Transcendental Meditation. I was trying to support that side of myself. But, you know, in Texas there isn't much support for that part of you."^[29] His sister Vicky committed suicide by drug overdose in 1994,^[28] leading him to seek treatment for alcoholism. After initial recovery, he temporarily withdrew from show business, retreating to his ranches in California and Las Vegas, New Mexico, to breed Arabian horses. His best-known horse was Tammen, a chestnut Arabian stallion.^[30]

Swayze, who was a certified pilot with an instrument rating, made the news on June 1, 2000, while flying with his dogs in his twin-engine Cessna from Van Nuys, California to Las Vegas. His plane developed a pressurization problem, causing Swayze to make a precautionary landing on a dirt road in a housing complex in Prescott Valley. The plane's right wing struck a light pole, but Swayze was unharmed. He locked the cockpit, left the aircraft in the subdivision, and obtained a ride—with his dogs—from a passing vehicle, allegedly in order to telephone the authorities. According to the police report, witnesses said that Swayze appeared to be extremely intoxicated and asked for help to remove evidence—an open bottle of wine and a 30-pack of beer—from the crash site.^[31] He made himself unavailable to police for several hours. It was later determined that the alcohol in question was not in the cabin, but stored in external storage compartments inaccessible in flight and that the probable cause of the accident was Swayze's physical impairment due to the cumulative effects of carbon monoxide from engine exhaust by-products, carbon monoxide from heavy tobacco use, and the loss of an undetermined amount of cabin pressurization.^[32]

Illness and death[link]

Wikinews has related news: American actor Patrick Swayze dies at age 57

In late January 2008, Swayze was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer (specifically, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm). He traveled to the Stanford University Medical Center for chemotherapy and treatment with the experimental drug Vatalanib, the latter of which doctors hoped would cut off the blood supply to the tumor.^[33] On March 5, 2008, a Reuters article reported that Swayze "has a very limited amount of disease, and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far."^[34] Swayze's doctor confirmed that the actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but insisted he was not as close to death as reports suggest. Despite repeated tabloid claims that his death was imminent, Swayze continued to actively pursue his career.^[35]

In early May 2008, it was widely reported in a number of tabloids that Swayze had undergone surgery to remove part of his stomach after the spread of the cancer and that he had rewritten his will, transferring his property to his wife.^[36][37] In a statement made on May 28, Swayze said that he continued to respond well to treatment at Stanford University Medical Center. In late May 2008, he was seen at a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game, his first public appearance since his diagnosis.^[38] In 2008 Swayze was treated with Cyberknife radiotherapy cancer treatment.^[39]

In late July 2008, six months after reportedly being given just weeks to live by medical experts, a healthy-appearing^[40] Swayze was asked by reporter in Los Angeles airport about this health. He replied, "I'm cooking. I'm a miracle dude. I don't know why".^[41]

Swayze appeared on the ABC, NBC, and CBS simulcast of Stand Up to Cancer in September 2008, to appeal to the general public for donations for the initiative. Swayze said to a standing ovation "I dream that the word 'cure' will no longer be followed by the words 'it's impossible'. Together, we can make a world where cancer no longer means living with fear, without hope, or worse".^[42] After the show ended, Swayze remained on-stage and talked to other cancer patients; executive producer Laura Ziskin said, "He said a beautiful thing: 'I'm just an individual living with cancer'. That's how he wants to be thought of. He's in a fight, but he's a fighter".^[42][43] In late 2008, Swayze denied claims made by tabloids that the cancer had spread to his liver.^[44] Swayze told Barbara Walters in January 2009 that he wanted the media to report that he was "kicking it".^[2]

When Barbara Walters asked him if he was using any holistic or alternative methods of treatment besides the chemotherapy, Swayze admitted to using some Chinese herbs, but not much. He then voiced his opposition to the unsupported claims made by proponents of alternative therapies, as noted by ABC News journalist Joseph Brownstein:

Because of the grim prognosis, many patients turn to alternative therapies without scientific evidence behind them. Swayze did not.

"That's one thing I'm not gonna do, is chase, is chase staying alive. I'm not, you know, you'll spend so much time chasing staying alive you won't live, you know? I wanna live. If anybody had that cure out there like so many people swear to me they do, you'd be two things: you'd be very rich, and you'd be very famous. Otherwise, shut up," he told Barbara Walters in an interview that aired in January [2009].^[45]

His last role was the lead in an A&E TV series, The Beast, which premiered on January 15, 2009. Owing to a prolonged decline in health, Swayze was unable to promote the series, and on June 15, 2009, Entertainment Tonight reported that the show had been cancelled.^[4] In an interview with Barbara Walters which aired in January 2009, Swayze admitted that he had a "tiny little mass" in his liver. On January 9, 2009, Swayze was hospitalized with pneumonia. The pneumonia was said to be a complication of chemotherapy treatments for Swayze's cancer.^[46] On January 16, he was released from the hospital to rest at home with his wife.^[47] On April 19, 2009, doctors informed Swayze that the cancer had again metastasized to his liver.^[48] Swayze stated that his chain smoking probably "had something to do with" the development of his disease. Photos taken of a gaunt Swayze in the months before his death showed him continuing to smoke.^[49][50]

Swayze died with family at his side on September 14, 2009, at age 57, 20 months after being diagnosed.^[51][52] Swayze's publicist, Annett Wolf, confirmed to CNN that he had died of pancreatic cancer.^[53] He was cremated and his ashes scattered over his New Mexico ranch. He is survived by his wife Lisa Niemi, along with his mother, both brothers and one sister.

Cultural impact[link]

Swayze's name has become a commonly used term in hip hop songs.^[54] Lyrics will use the phrase "...and I'm Swayze," meaning that the speaker has become "like a ghost", meaning he disappeared or is otherwise gone. This is a reference to the title character of Swayze's 1990 film Ghost. It is known to have begun in the early 1990s, by prominent rappers such as EPMD, Black Sheep, CL Smooth, and more recently by such rappers as The Notorious B.I.G. in 2Pac's song Runnin' (Dying to Live), Method Man, Aesop Rock, and in Mistah F.A.B.'s Ghost Ride It. The expression has become such a hip hop staple that it was even used in the Saturday Night Live hip hop parody, Lazy Sunday.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Houston portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Patrick Swayze

• Patrick Swayze at the Internet Movie Database
• Patrick Swayze at the Internet Broadway Database
• Remembering Patrick Swayze - slideshow by LIFE magazine
• Patrick Swayze at Find a Grave