DEBORAH MAGDALENA

TO PRINT OUT HEADSHOT
http://www.deborahmagdalena.com/DeborahMagdalenaPix.pdf

TO PRINT OUT RESUME
http://www.deborahmagdalena.com/DeborahMagdalenaResume.pdf

TO VIEW FULL PRESS BINDER AND FOR WRITING SAMPLES
http://www.deborahmagdalena.com/PressBinder3.pdf

FULL BIOGRAPHY


Whether she's hosting a spoken word event, music festival, or playing the role of a santera, a deputy, comedic characters, or a vixen, Deborah Magdalena brings authenticity and panache to the stage and screen. After touring for the last four years with her infamous poetic live performances and special appearances, the diverse Deborah sets up to launch her second spoken word CD "Deborah Magdalena LIVE" and her one hour bilingual variety show "Todo Urbano con Deborah Magdalena"

After fourteen years of successfully starring, and co-staring in television shows and feature films such as Sesame Street (CTW), Apollo Comedy Hour (Turner), The Newz (Columbia TriStar), Safe Harbor (WB), Sons of Thunder (CBS), Billboard Latino (Azteca Anerica), Striptease (Castle Rock), Holy Man (Caravan) and For Love or Country (HBO) to name a few, Deborah decided it was time
"To really practice my art … living poetry"

The Puerto Rican actress/poet - who calls Miami home - began amusing friends and family at an early age with her spontaneous comedic sketches and dance numbers.

Raised in New York, Deborah is a Puerto Rican native who returned to her homeland at the rebellious age of 16. "At the time, I had purposefully forgotten how to speak Spanish," says Deborah. "It was only then that I embraced being Latin -- and fell in love with the island. That being Latin is hip right now doesn't impress me. You either are Latin, or you aren't. Whether it's in style or not."

Deborah left Puerto Rico to study fashion at the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising in New York, and continued that education in Paris. But her penchant for dancing, acting, and writing lured her back into entertainment -- and her on-screen career was born.

Ever since her childhood impromptu shows, the industry and critics adore Deborah. Hollywood legend Andy Garcia when asked what was it like to work with Deborah, he replied - "She carries with her a warm heart and refreshing vitality that is always a pleasure to be associated with." Of her work in the three-act play A Criminal Sorority, a theater writer had this to say: "Of the cast, Deborah Magdalena as Maria is a knockout -- Rosie Perez with deeper, darker Latin soul. She makes every line funny, and every emotion super-real."

Wanting to nurture that "dark Latin soul" and keeping "every emotion super-real" Deborah decided to indulge herself in writing and living life to the fullest. "The Artists Way by Julia Cameron saved my life. The book and my writing mentor's voice, - famed screenwriter Rafael Lima - made me realize that I can actually practice my art without a casting director's permission. Writing has freed me - she says".

Coming from an elite musical family - brother is famed Latin GRAMMY winning Jazz Flutist Nestor Torres - it was a natural evolution for her to combine music with her very personal writing and acting skills. Deborah spent one full year honing her spoken word craft in various poetry venues in Los Angeles and Miami, where she finally joined forces with producers of the likes of Brandon K. Olmos, son of Edward James Olmos. "Deborah is soul, everything she does has soul. When I heard her poetry for the first time it was spoken soul. It was something I had never heard or witnessed before - says Brandon". The CD "Spoken Soul: A Survival Kit of Poetry" was born. It received rave reviews and her live performances bloomed.

In July of 2004 Deborah, along side her impressive band and special guests stormed the stage at the famed Marlin Hotel on South Beach Florida. She gave a packed house an unforgettable, impromptu performance which had the press speaking of for weeks afterwards. Guests such as Showtime at the Apollo winner & soulful singer Big Brooklyn Red, performed an unrehearsed, 10 minute rendition of "I am Harlem". On the piano, the audience was blessed with the grace of the master pianist of her father – Don Nestor, on "Dear Daddy". The biggest surprise to Deborah and her audience was the closing jam of "Que Rico" with her brother Nestor Torres. Recently coming across the recording of this magical show, Deborah felt a responsibility to her audience, family, guest artists and musicians to share this magic with the world.

This LIVE CD not only captures Deborah's deep passion for music and the spoken word but her unique and sultry hosting skills.

"The more I toured, the more I performed, I found myself connecting more and more with my audience, loving more and more turning the spotlight on them". Hence she has hosted various events such as Latin America NBA All-Star weekend Latin Night 2006, elHood.com World Launch Party 2006, The Florida Room Documentary Film Festival 2005-2006, Martin Luther King – Miami Gardens Festival 2006, Miami Light Project's Project Hip-Hop 2006, VIP Party for the Latin Grammys 2003-2004 and Soulfrito's Urban Latin Music Festival 2003-2005. Audiences and executives always seem to explode with adulates, "Deborah's dynamic energy was the perfect blend of multiethnic rhythm and rhyme that gave our Latin night event a true feeling of artistic diversity." says Arturo Nuñez, VP and Managing Director, NBA LA/US Hispanic.

With all of her acting credentials, musical heritage, writing technique, poetic passion and hosting talents "Todo Urbano con Deborah Magdalena" is slated to explore, entertain and education all that is urban.

Now with her LIVE CD in one hand, her variety show on the other, one can only expect Deborah Magdalena to continue on surprising and entertaining us.


HOSTING & ACTING RESUME

sag / aftra

TV ROLE PROD. COMP.

billboard latino (presently) co-host azteca america

safe harbor series regular wb network/spelling entertainment

love thy neighbor(pilot) series regular garage group

the newz series regular columbia pictures

apollo comedy hour series regular tribune entertainment

sons of thunder series regular cbs

sins of the city co-star usa network

sesame street cousin carmen ctw

hard-core tv flygirl/guppy hbo

you bet your life ms. puerto rico ny carsey-werner

volleypalooza host silver king prods.

south beach with luke co-host bet network

FILM

for love or country rosalina hbo
holy man deborah caravn pictures
striptease featured castle rock entertainment
plato's run constancia hbo / minefield prods.

THEATER

a criminal sorority maria mondo miami prods.
brenda & jerry brenda hb studios ny
dolores dolores hb studios ny
strange snow martha hb studios ny
the girl on the via flamina -lisa hb studios ny

LIVE EVENT HOST - LIST AVAIL UPON REQUEST

TRAINING

technique / scene study - michael beckett, william hickey,
herbert berghof
speech / voice virginia becraft, pat adams
scene study / screenwriting rafael lima

SPECIAL SKILLS

mambo, salsa, cha-cha dancer (some jazz & hip-hop), small firearms, comedic improve, spoken word performer, slam poet
2003 slam lte – champion
3rd place winner - the aretha franlin/nikki giovanni poetry contest (florida region final)
fluent in spanish