Liz Torres(I)
- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Spunky actress, singer and comedienne all rolled up into one, Puerto
Rican-American Liz Torres 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)
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,
Clifton Davis and
Ben Vereen, she replaced the late
Barbara Colby in the
Mary Tyler Moore spinoff
Phyllis (1975) starring
Cloris Leachman following Colby's tragic
murder. A year later she joined the
All in the Family (1971)
cast for a season. Liz co-starred in a number of short-lived series
such as Checking In (1981),
The New Odd Couple (1982)
and City (1990) before hitting paydirt
and scoring multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her prime
role of Mahalia on
The John Larroquette Show (1993).
She has continued to make the guest rounds on such popular series as
Ally McBeal (1997),
The Nanny (1993),
Quantum Leap (1989),
The Wonder Years (1988) and
L.A. Law (1986), 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 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)
starring the late Jack Lemmon and
Walter Matthau,
Sunset (1988) with
Bruce Willis and
Permanent Midnight (1998)
showcasing Ben Stiller. She was nominated for her the
Although 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), the urban drama King Rikki (2002), the social drama Taylor (2005) and the dramedy West of Brooklyn (2008). Outside the recurring roles on the law series First Monday (2002) and the Latino family drama American Family (2002), 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), 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, the couple resides in Los Angeles.
Rican-American Liz Torres 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)
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,
Clifton Davis and
Ben Vereen, she replaced the late
Barbara Colby in the
Mary Tyler Moore spinoff
Phyllis (1975) starring
Cloris Leachman following Colby's tragic
murder. A year later she joined the
All in the Family (1971)
cast for a season. Liz co-starred in a number of short-lived series
such as Checking In (1981),
The New Odd Couple (1982)
and City (1990) before hitting paydirt
and scoring multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her prime
role of Mahalia on
The John Larroquette Show (1993).
She has continued to make the guest rounds on such popular series as
Ally McBeal (1997),
The Nanny (1993),
Quantum Leap (1989),
The Wonder Years (1988) and
L.A. Law (1986), 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 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)
starring the late Jack Lemmon and
Walter Matthau,
Sunset (1988) with
Bruce Willis and
Permanent Midnight (1998)
showcasing Ben Stiller. She was nominated for her the
Although 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), the urban drama King Rikki (2002), the social drama Taylor (2005) and the dramedy West of Brooklyn (2008). Outside the recurring roles on the law series First Monday (2002) and the Latino family drama American Family (2002), 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), 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, the couple resides in Los Angeles.