Norma Daniela Candal Penedo (April 10, 1927 – February 5, 2006), was a Puerto Rican

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

who was best known for her role as Petunia on ''La criada malcriada''.

Early years

Norma Daniela Candal Penedo was born in 1927 in

Fajardo, Puerto Rico Fajardo () is a town and a municipality part of the San Juan-Caguas-Fajardo Combined Statistical Area in Puerto Rico. Fajardo is the hub of much of the recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and ...

to Eladio José Candal and María Isabel Penedo.Profile
familysearch.org; accessed March 19, 2015. She lived with her family on the Fajardo Sugar Company's sugar plantation, where her father was an accountant. She attended the Colegio del Sagrado Corazon (Sacred Heart School) in her hometown, where she obtained her primary and secondary education. When she was 9 years old, she participated in her first

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

school play. Candal enrolled in the

Universidad del Sagrado Corazón Universidad del Sagrado Corazón (English: University of the Sacred Heart), abbreviated "USC" and often called simply Sagrado, is a private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is one of the oldest and larg ...

, where she earned a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in Humanities. She was planning on a political career and was going to study

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

s, however after she was granted a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily ...

(CUA) in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, she changed her goals and went on to earn her

Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in Theater. Candal returned to Puerto Rico upon her graduation. Candal was also a literature and acting teacher.

"Petunia"

In 1965, she was hired by Rafael Perez Perry as the host of the

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

show ''En Alas de la Imaginacion'' (On the Wings of the Imagination) which aired on WKVM TV Channel 11. Shortly thereafter, she joined

Tommy Muñiz Lucas Tomás Muñiz Ramírez (4 February 1922 – 15 January 2009), better known as Tommy Muñiz, was a Puerto Rican comedy and drama actor, media producer, businessman and network owner. He is considered to be one of the pioneering figures of ...

Productions in Channel 4 WAPA TV.Puerto Rico Popular Culture
/ref> It was during this period of time that Candal garnered fame in Puerto Rico. She worked in the shows ''Aquí con Norma'' (''Here with Norma''); ''El Show del Mediodía'' (''The Midday Show''), and ''La Criada Malcriada'' (''The Rude Maid''), in which she played the comical role of Petunia, a simple-minded maid. This is the role which garnered her the most fame of her career. She also hosted or co-hosted talk shows. In 1970, there was a strike against Tommy Muñiz Productions, which forced Candal to leave the show and join ASTRA Productions, for which she did a couple of shows. Candal stopped working in television for several years after undergoing open heart surgery in which she had a valve replacement. In 1980, Candal went to work for Cardinal Luis Aponte Martínez at the Cathedral of

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

. In 1985, she returned to television and starred as Doña Tere in ''La Pensión de Doña Tere'' (Mrs. Tere's Boarding House). She participated in the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

-language version of the play ''

Steel Magnolias ''Steel Magnolias'' is a 1989 American comedy drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts. The screenplay by Robert Harling is based on hi ...

''; ''The Letters of Mozart''; ''The Old Maids of San Sebastian Street'', and ''Kisses on the Forehead''.

Later years

She played different roles in the films '' Díos los Cría 1'' and its sequel, (''God Creates Them, parts 1 & 2''). The first part was filmed and released in 1979, the second in 2004. In between she also appeared in '' La Guagua Aérea'' (''Flight of Dreams'') in 1993.

Death

On Friday, February 3, 2006, Candal suffered a fall in her home in Trujillo Alto, hitting her head on the floor. She was hospitalized at the Pavia Hospital in San Juan where she suffered additional complications from the loss of blood. Candal died on Sunday, February 5, 2006, aged 78. She was buried alongside her mother at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico Old San Juan () is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the islet of San Juan in San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, San Cristóbal, and San Francisco sub-barrios (sub-dis ...

. Candal was survived by her two children, Norma and Andres Jr.Norma Candal profile
, prpop.org; accessed March 18, 2015.

References

External links