Sandra Silvana Gallardo (January 13, 1953 – January 2, 2012) was an American film and television actress.
Born in
New York City, Gallardo's television credits include episodes of ''
Starsky & Hutch
''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a ''Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired by th ...
'', ''
Lou Grant'', ''
Quincy'', ''
Hill Street Blues'', ''
Cagney & Lacey'', ''
Kojak'', ''
Falcon Crest
''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...
'', ''
Trapper John, M.D.'', ''
The Golden Girls
''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White ...
'', ''
Knots Landing
''Knots Landing'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially centered on the lives of ...
'', ''
MacGyver'', ''
L.A. Law'', ''
Babylon 5'', ''
ER'' and ''
NYPD Blue
''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...
''. She also appeared in films including ''
Windwalker'', ''
Death Wish II'', and ''
Silence of the Heart
''Silence of the Heart'' is a 1984 American made-for-television drama film starring Charlie Sheen, Chad Lowe, Mariette Hartley, Dana Hill, Howard Hesseman and Silvana Gallardo, directed by Richard Michaels and written by Phil Penningroth.
The f ...
''. She was also an acting coach and writer.
Personal life
Sandra Silvana Gallardo was the creator of the "Gallardo Method," a method of acting where "there are no boundaries, there are no limits, there simply is The Art of the Infinite Possibility." Gallardo was told at an early age, "You can't change the world". 'Perhaps not," She said. "But I sure can try." This message was carried throughout her life in her teachings.
Silvana grew up on Fox Street in the
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...
- a street where 90% of the residents there died of other than natural causes (from New York Times article). She was of Venezuelan, Sicilian and Cuban descent and proud of her Native American ancestry. She attended
Morris High School and was taught by Herbert Fein, then Chairman of the Music Department, who became a formative figure in her acting career. Silvana entered a drama school, the
HB Studio in
Greenwich Village. There she studied with
James Patterson, a Tony Award-winning actor. Her life and work were forever changed. She was also aware of Walter Lott, another student of
Stanislavski's system
Stanislavski's system is a systematic approach to training actors that the Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski developed in the first half of the twentieth century. His system cultivates what he calls the "art of experiencing" ...
. Although she had never studied with Lott, she was inspired by his teachings.
Silvana began her teaching career in NYC, and was also a track star - running and winning NYC Championship for the relay. She was coached by Sunny Pomales, a man who demanded the best from her. In Silvana's first film, ''Windwalker'', she had to do a scene where she had to run full out. After several takes she was told to slow down. The camera was having a hard time recording her speed. Gallardo taught and coached some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including
Angelina Jolie,
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...
,
Billy Drago and
Peta Wilson.
She moved to Paris after having directed ''Fading To Zero'', a feature docudrama based on the life and work of the late Brooklyn Poet Laureate Ken Siegelman.
While residing in
Paris, Kentucky, Gallardo died on January 2, 2012, eleven days before her 59th birthday, at Jewish Hospital,
Louisville. A cause of death was not released.
Kentucky.com obituary
/ref>
Filmography
References
Further reading
*Talbot, Paul
Cinema Retro. January 2007.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallardo, Silvana
1953 births
2012 deaths
American film actresses
American television actresses
Actresses from New York City
American people of Venezuelan descent
American people of Cuban descent
American people of Italian descent
Deaths from cancer in Kentucky
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
People from Paris, Kentucky