Liz Torres

Spunky actress, singer and comedienne all rolled up into one, Puerto Rican-American 'Liz Torres' (qv) was born on September 27, 1947, a native of the Bronx. She began her stand-up/singing career as a regular performing in various small NYC niteries. It wasn't until she received an invite to appear on _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)_ (qv) that her comic career started blooming on TV and in film.Liz has been a broadly familiar ethnic face on the sitcom circuit, having had regular or recurring parts in numerous series. In addition to regular roles on 70s TV variety shows for 'Melba Moore' (qv), 'Clifton Davis' (qv) and 'Ben Vereen' (qv), she replaced the late 'Barbara Colby' (qv) in the 'Mary Tyler Moore' (qv) spinoff _Phyllis (1975)_ (qv) starring 'Cloris Leachman' (qv) following Colby's tragic murder. A year later she joined the _All in the Family (1971)_ (qv) cast for a season. Liz co-starred in a number of short-lived series such as _Checking In (1981)_ (qv), _The New Odd Couple (1982)_ (qv) and _City (1990)_ (qv) before hitting paydirt and scoring multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her prime role of Mahalia on _The John Larroquette Show (1993)_ (qv). She has continued to make the guest rounds on such popular series as _Ally McBeal (1997)_ (qv), _The Nanny (1993)_ (qv), _Quantum Leap (1989)_ (qv), _The Wonder Years (1988)_ (qv) and _L.A. Law (1986)_ (qv), often providing some necessary comedy relief amid the drama, and she is a veteran of many mini-movies, both comedic and dramatic.On Broadway, Torres replaced Tony-winning 'Rita Moreno' (qv) as men's bathhouse entertainer Googie Gomez in the wacky comedy "The Ritz" and portrayed the bizarre character of Bunny in "House of Blue Leaves." The musical part of her has recorded for RCA and appeared in a number of stage roles that have ranged from Aldonza/Dulcinea in "Man of La Mancha" to lightweight roles in "Bye Bye Birdie" and "See Saw."She has provided amusing vignettes in such film comedies as _The Odd Couple II (1998)_ (qv) starring the late 'Jack Lemmon' (qv) and 'Walter Matthau' (qv), _Sunset (1988)_ (qv) with 'Bruce Willis' (qv) and _Permanent Midnight (1998)_ (qv) showcasing 'Ben Stiller' (qv). She was nominated for her theAlthough comedy has been Liz's primary career outlet, her millennium film credits have leaned toward heavier material with featured parts in the romantic drama _Gabriela (2001)_ (qv), the urban drama _King Rikki (2002)_ (qv), the social drama _Taylor (2005)_ (qv) and the dramedy _West of Brooklyn (2008)_ (qv). Outside the recurring roles on the law series _First Monday (2002)_ (qv) and the Latino family drama _American Family (2002)_ (qv), TV has proven a different story where she is best remembered for her series role as "Miss Patty" in the long-running sitcom _Gilmore Girls (2000)_ (qv), and made numerous amusing appearances on such regular comedies as "The Fighting Fitzgeralds," "The Brothers Garcia," "Ugly Betty," "Desperate Housewives," "Devious Maids" and the Cuban-American sitcom "One Day at a Time."Long married to producer 'Peter Locke' (qv), the couple resides in Los Angeles.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net