Cecilia Villarreal
Cecilia Villarreal
Biography
Villarreal is the fifth of seven children.
After her mother's death when she was 9 years old, she moved with her family to Bogotá until, at 13, she made her stage debut in the play The Diary of Anne Frank. Her participation was so applauded that she was offered a scholarship to study acting in Madrid, which the young actress accepted, despite the fierce opposition of her father who did not look kindly on the artistic environment and never supported his daughter's career until several decades later.
Once settled in the Spanish capital, she studied at the Institute of Research and Cinematographic Experiences (now the Official Film School), while completing her high school studies. She took part in several films as well as various TV programs and plays, including the comedy Una chica en mi sopa, together with Concha Velasco. During her studies, Villarreal met her future husband, the Basque filmmaker Santiago San Miguel, whom she would marry in 1968 (although the couple, who did not manage to have any offspring, would divorce in early 1986).
The couple, now newly married, emigrated to Caracas in search of better job opportunities, and Villarreal made her debut on Venezuelan television on (the then private) Cadena Venezolana de Televisión. She signed a contract to work on RCTV[3] in 1973 and her career took off when she played a double role in the soap opera Raquel. Villarreal would work in the so-called Bárcenas television station for the next 23 years where, almost always, she would play the role of a "baddie" or antagonist in various soap operas and series of that channel.
In 1997, after participating in the very successful Venezuelan soap opera A todo corazón, Villarreal would return to Spain for a role in the series Al salir de clase on the Telecinco channel and then in the TVE soap opera Calle nueva.
Villarreal is currently retired from acting and lives in Madrid.
Filmography
Short films
El retrato (1961)
Sin amanecer (1962)
Un día más (1963)
El parque de juegos (1963)
El aire de la tarde (1963)
Feature films
Las hijas de Helena (1963)
La chica del trébol (1964)
El juego de la oca (1965) as Bar tourist
Zampo y yo (1965) as Casilda
Nueve cartas a Berta (1966) as Naty, the hostess
Hoy como ayer (1966)
Adiós, Alicia (1977) as Raquel, mother of Alicia / Madre Charity
What Max Said (1978)
Television
Soap Operas
Venezuelan Television Network
Simplemente María (1970-1971)
El Amo (1971)
El secreto (1972)
Mily (1973) as Ana Clara
RCTV
Valentina (1975-1976) as Magaly Zambrano
Angélica (1976)
La señora de Cárdenas (1977) as Iliana
TV Confidencial (1978)
La fiera (1978) as Elena Fajardo
Mabel Valdez, periodista (1979) as Eunice
Estefanía (1979)
Natalia de 8 a 9 (1980)
Luisana mía (1981) as Cecilia
Leonela (1984) as Selenia
Topacio (1985) as Blanca Sandoval
Cristal (1985-1986) as Vivian Marshall
Roberta (1987) as Morella
Alma mía (1988-1989) as Carmela Monasterios
El engaño (1989) as Ivana Urbaneja
Gardenia (1990) as Fernanda Galdós
El desprecio (1991-1992) as Melina De Lima
Kassandra (1992) as Gema Salazar
Por estas calles (1992-1994) as Dra. Victoria Manzanares
Alejandra (1994) as Morella Antúnez
Venevision
A todo corazón (1997) as María Cristina de Aristiguieta
Telecinco
Al salir de clase (1997) as Charo Díaz de la Vega
TVE
Calle nueva (1997-2000)
Series and Mini series
TVE
Primera fila (1962-1965)
La vida en un bloc (17 March 1965)
RCTV
La comadre (1979) as Magdalena
El asesinato de Delgado Chalbaud (1980) as Lucía de Delgado Chalbaud
Gómez II (1981) as Ismenia de Villalba
Juanito y Él (1982)
Other Programs
TVE
Escala en hi-fi (1961-1967) as Various Characters
RCTV
El muerto cobra la deuda (1978)
El jeque sin fondo (1982)
El fantasma de la otra (1982)
La noche de los tres disparos (1982)
Residencias 33 (1986)
Theatre
El diario de Ana Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank)
Una chica en mi sopa (A girl in my soup)
Falta de pruebas (Lack of evidence)
La pequeña comedia (The little comedy)