María Luisa Merlo

María Luisa Merlo Colomina (born 6 September 1941) is a Spanish film, theatre and television actress.

Merlo, with more than 60 years of artistic career, has received the prestigious Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts from the Spanish Ministry of Culture.

She is the mother of actors Luis Merlo and .

Early life Merlo was born in Valencia in 1941. She is the daughter of actors Ismael Merlo Piquer and María Luisa Colomina Domingo.

She was raised following her parents' theatre company; as a result, she was able to attend school for less than two years.

Career

Merlo made her debut as a dancer in the 1957 show Te espero en el Eslava by Luis Escobar Kirkpatrick.

She made her cinema debut in 1959 with José María Forqué in the film De espaldas a la puerta.

In 1973, she starred alongside her then-husband Carlos Larrañaga in the TVE comedy Compañera te doy. 13 years later, she played alongside her daughter, Amparo Larrañaga, in the series Media naranja; in 2006, she did the same with her son, Luis Merlo, in Aquí no hay quien viva.

She has also appeared in the series Aquí hay negocio (1995), Luna negra (2003), Mis adorable vecinos (2004), Supervillanos (2006), Los Serrano (2008) and Somos cómplices (2009).

At the end of 2007, she participated in the sixth edition of the television contest ¡Mira quién baila!

In July 2013, she starred in the short film Betiko, directed by Arantza Ibarra, together with the actor Javier Pradera in the caves of Zugarramurdi.

Personal life

Merlo was married to the actor Carlos Larrañaga for 15 years; they separated in 1975 and obtained a divorce in November 1983. Besides a son, Juan Carlos, from Carlos previous marriage, they had three children: Amparo Larrañaga, Luis Merlo and Pedro.

In 1992, she married university professor Michael Kenton, whom she divorced five years later.

An authoritative biography of Merlo, María Luisa Merlo: Más allá del teatro, was published in 2003 by playwright Pedro Víllora.

Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNote 2017 Es ley de vida Esperanza Short film 2008 Proyecto Dos 2003 El dolor y la lluvia Short film 1982 En septiembre Ana 1981 ¿Por qué no hacemos el amor? Laura Battoni 1975 El adúltero Marta 1975 Un lujo a su alcance Olga 1974 Tocata y fuga de Lolita Olga 1972 Ligue Story Dr. Somontes 1967 De cuerpo presente just-married woman 1965 Más bonita que ninguna 1961 Cuidado con las personas formales 1961 Siempre es domingo Dorotea / Doris 1961 Armas contra la ley 1961 Mi noche de bodas Ivonne 1960 091 Policía al habla Teresa Jiménez 1960 El cerro de los locos 1959 De espaldas a la puerta Lucky

Television YearTitleNotes 2009 Somos cómplices 2008 Aída Episode: "" 2008 Hospital Central Episode: "" 2008 Los Serrano Episode: "" 2006 Con dos tacones Episode: "" 2006 Supervillanos 2006 7 vidas Episode: "" 2004-2006 Aquí no hay quien viva 2004 Mis adorables vecinos 2003 Luna negra 1995 Aquí hay negocio 1989 Primera función 2 episodes 1986 La comedia dramática española Episode: "" 1986 Media naranja 1978 Teatro estudio Episode: "" 1977 Mujeres insólitas Episode: "" 1975 Cuentos y leyendas Episode: "" 1966–1981 Estudio 1 24 episodes 1974 Telecomedia Episode: "" 1974 El teatro Episode: "" 1974 Noche de teatro Episode: "" 1973 Compañera te doy episodes 1972 Siete piezas cortas Episode: "" 1968 La pequeña comedia Episode: "" 1966–1981 Teatro breve 3 episodes 1966 Hermenegildo Pérez, para servirle Episode: "" 1966 El tercer rombo 3 episodes 1965 Tiempo y hora 2 episodes 1965 Confidencias Episode: "" 1964 Escuela de maridos Episode: "" 1964 Tras la puerta cerrada Episode: "" 1964–1965 Primera fila 7 episodes 1963–1977 Novela 13 episodes

Theatre Her career on the stage is marked by the performance of works of all genres, from drama to comedy, including musicals. In 1986 she joined the Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico.

Awards

In 1967, Merlo was awarded with the Antena de Oro de Televisión Prize. She was awarded the Ercilla Theatre Prize in 2009 for her career in theatre. In 2013, she was awarded the Distinction of the Generalitat Valenciana for Cultural Merit. The Spanish Ministry of Culture awarded Merlo the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts in 2017.