José Luis Rodríguez (born José Luis Rodríguez González 14.01.43)

José Luis Rodríguez is a Venezuelan singer and actor, known as 'El Puma' and for his work on telenovelas and his multiple worldwide chart-topping singles.

José Luis Rodríguez: Childhood

José Luis Rodríguez was born in Caracas, Venezuela. His mother was illiterate at the time of his birth, but learnt to read in order to read the Bible to José and his 11 siblings. When José was 6-years-old, his father passed away, he began to work as a shoe shiner and supermarket bag-packer in order to help support his family.

Rodriguez was unable to study due to, in part, his family's inability to pay for it, and his mother participating in the revolt against Marcos Pérez Jiménez, leading to his mother, brother and himself living in Ecuador for a number of years.

José Luis Rodriguez: Career

After returning to Venezuela in the late 1960s, his singing career began to gain a following in his home country and he soon found his way into Latin telenovelas in Puerto Rico after staring in a commercial with his family. His first telenovela appearance came in 'Cristina Bazán', and while there he earned the nickname 'El Puma' ('Cougar').

Rodriguez continued to make the majority of his money from singing, however, as he released hits like 'Dueño de nada, Pavo real' and 'Agárrense de las manos', with the second becoming a bit hit through it's controversial topic of interracial marriage. He also played a part in 'La Familia del Futuro', a Spanish version of the film 'Meet the Robinsons'. Furthermore, he used his 'El Puma' persona to help with the advertising for Wrigley's Eclipse gum, with a tagline saying "Libera el Puma que hay en tí" (Free the puma within).

In May, 2009, Rodriguez joined the cast of 'Gabriel', an American television series for Hispanic audiences based on Vampires and the Occult. In 2012, Rodriguez came on board with 'La Voz. Argentina' - an Argentinian version of 'The Voice', as both a judge and vocal trainer. The following year, he coached for 'La Voz Perú', a Peruvian version of the same show, for which his contestant won the competition. In 2013, Rodriguez revealed that he was no longer intending to produce records due to the prevalence of music piracy.

José Luis Rodriguez: Personal Life

José Luis Rodriguez is married to Lila Morillo - a Venezuelan telenovela actress - and the two have three daughters together: Lilibeth Morillo, Liliana Rodriguez, and Génesis Rodríguez.

Biography by Contactmusic.com