Sandra Zaiter
Sandra Zaiter | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 21, 1943 |
| Died | September 25, 2022 (aged 78)[1] |
| Occupations |
|
Sandra Zaiter (November 21, 1943 – September 25, 2022)[2] was a Dominican-born Puerto Rican actress, children's television show host, singer, composer and athlete.
Early life and career
[edit] |
Zaiter was born in the Dominican Republic to Maronite Christians of Lebanese ancestry. Early in her life she participated in church groups and established her residence in Puerto Rico.
Zaiter participated in the Puerto Rican production of Arriba la Gente. Before she began her television career, Zaiter won the local OTI Festival as a composer. Her television career took off in the late 1970s when she began recording children's albums as a singer. She hosted the Puerto Rican version of Romper Room on WRIK-TV until the station closed temporarily.[3] She later moved to WKAQ-TV where she starred, produced, wrote and hosted alongside Lou Briel and Dagmar. Together they hosted a children's show called Teatrimundo and later Telecómicas as well. She was the spokesperson for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) in Puerto Rico and a sponsor of the association's telethon. In the 1990s, Puerto Rican actress and producer Ángela Meyer wrote and produced a drama mini-series based on Zaiter's life titled Gaviota de la Esperanza (Seagull of Hope) which was broadcast by Telemundo.[citation needed]
Zaiter hosted a weekly show on WIPR-TV called Contra Viento y Marea (Against Wind and Tide). The show aimed to provide guidance and assistance to the disabled. Zaiter did many public appearances throughout her life and participated in the yearly presentation of the Sandra Zaiter Award to those who have distinguished themselves helping the disabled. The studio where Día a Día con Raymond y Dagmar is broadcast at WKAQ-TV in Puerto Rico is named after Zaiter ever since the premiere of the mid-day show in 2007.[citation needed]
Paralyzed by accident
[edit]Zaiter was an experienced diver and swimmer until suffering a life-threatening accident in the 1970s after misjudging the depth of the water at night. She hit her head on a rock during a dive at a beach in Cayo Icacos a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Fajardo, Puerto Rico.[4] She was paralyzed by the accident and was wheelchair-bound for the rest of her life.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Sandra Zaiter Dies at the Age of 79 (in English)
- ^ Fallece Sandra Zaiter a los 78 años (in Spanish)
- ^ "Sandra Zaiter (bio)" (in Spanish). San Juan, Puerto Rico: National Foundation for Popular Culture. 11 May 2016.
- ^ "Sandra Zaiter recuerda el accidente que le cambió la vida". Telemundo Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 September 2020.
Sources
[edit]- Zaiter, Sandra (2009). Gaviota en Vuelo... Con un ala rota. ISBN 978-1-59608-678-4.
External links
[edit]- Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular
- Sandra Zaiter at IMDb
- Sandra Zaiter discography at Discogs
- 1943 births
- 2022 deaths
- Puerto Rican Maronites
- 20th-century Puerto Rican actresses
- Puerto Rican women composers
- Puerto Rican composers
- 20th-century Puerto Rican women singers
- 20th-century Puerto Rican singers
- Puerto Rican people of Lebanese descent
- Puerto Rican television personalities
- Puerto Rican women singer-songwriters
- Dominican Republic emigrants to Puerto Rico
- Dominican Republic people of Lebanese descent