Ivonne Coll

Appearing in the title role of "Mother Courage" at the La Jolla Playhouse. [July 2006]

She was nominated for a 2004 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play for "Electricidad" at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

In 1987 Ms. Coll starred in Cuqui a Woman Like Youa half an hour sitcom produced by WAPA TV in Puerto Rico. She would be flown weekly from NYC to Puerto Rico to be on set. She was a member of the Joseph Papp's NY Shakespeare Festival Players performing at the Public Theater, Shakespeare in the Park and The Belasco Theater on Broadway playing Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Rosalind in As you Like It and the nurse in Romeo & Juliet, directed by Estelle Parsons. Other Broadway credits include the Tony Award-nominated Gabriel Garcia Marquez' Chronicle of a Death Foretold produced by The Lincoln Centerdirected by Graciela Daniele. Regional Theater performances include playing the title role in Mother Courage at Berkley Repertory Theater and La Jolla Playhouse. Other regional work include Chicago's Goodman Theater, Princeton's McCarter Theater, Mark Tapper Forum, San Diego Rep, Arizona Theater Company and San Jose Rep Theater.

In 1980 The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater gave her first Union job. That same year she made her Broadway debut with the play Goodbye Fidel starring Jane Alexander.

In 1975 she relocated to Los Angeles to study at The Academy of Stage and Cinema Arts with David Alexander and Bob Ellenstein. She also trained in Musical Theater with David Craig and Comedy with Lucille Ball. Ms. Coll moved to New York City to continue her training at HB Studios and with Lee Strasberg and as a working observer at The ActorsStudio.

In 1972 she was the first Puerto Rican singer to perform in Vietnam as part of the USO TourPuerto Rico Sings.

From 1972 to 1974 she starred in a one hour Variety show called Una Chica Llamada Ivonne Coll (A Girl named Ivonne Coll) produced by Telecadena Perez-Perry on Channel 11. In it, she hosted stars such as Celia Cruz, Armando Manzanero and Mauricio Garces among many others.

In 1967 she won the title of Ms. Puerto Rico to represent the island in the Miss Universe contest. The early 70's were the beginning of her singing and dancing career performing at such iconic places as The Ocho Puertas and the Puerto Rico Sheraton among others.

"A formidable actress as she continues to deliver breakthrough performances on television, film and theater" -Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune Ivonne Coll is a Theater, Television, and Film award-winning actress born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico where as a child she trained in classical ballet and flamenco dance with Walter Mercado. This marked her artistic debut at age six with Mercado's Baby Ballet company for the American soldiers in the Roosevelt Roads Naval Base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. Ms. Coll's first film was The Godfather Part II. Director Francis Ford Coppola was looking for a night club act for the film while looking for locations in Puerto Rico. After meeting Ivonne Coll he decided to create the role of the Red Headed Yolanda so she could have her first film credit. In the 1960's while she was a psychology student at The University of Puerto Rico she was working part time as a Haute Couture runway fashion model for top designers in the island such as Carlota Alfaro, Fernando Martin, Rafael Mojena and Fernando Pena.