Eva Tamargo

As a star of both English- and Spanish-language television programming, Eva Tamargo has carved out two unique spaces within which her career can be categorized: as a Hispanic icon, and as a prominent example of the rich multiculturalism that exists within the United States and continues to play an expanding role in American television. Born in Brooklyn to Cuban journalist Augustin Tamargo and Rosalba Nápoles, the actress honed her craft studying under Sam Waterston, William Hickey and Dorothy Dorff and would go on to work in television, radio, commercials and theatre- most notably with New York's Repertorio Español- in both English and Spanish. Although Tamargo is an accomplished actress across a variety of entertainment mediums, she is unquestionably best known as a star of daytime television, where she has been a mainstay for Hispanic representation for nearly three decades. In 1999 the actress would go on to star in one of her biggest roles with the quirky NBC soap Passions.

Premiering on July 5, 1999, Passions is like most telenovelas with its focus on a large ensemble cast of characters, which in this case is divided into a set of diverse families residing in New England. Tamargo was still able to rack up two ALMA Award nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama, first in 2002 and again in 2008, the final year that the soap was on the air.

Tamargo's character on OWN's The Haves and the Have Nots may be the role that best fits the categorization of the femme fatale. As Celine Gonzales. While the actress will always be best known for her work in scripted programming, especially on daytime television, her brief work with unscripted content is monumental in meaning within the broader scope of the portrayal of Hispanic women on television. As the host of Telemundo's 2003 unscripted dating show La Cenicienta, Tamargo brought attention to the cultural nuances of dating for Hispanic women, as the series followed the experience of Minerva Ruvalcaba, a single mother in search of love. Across various Hispanic cultures, there is a high value placed on women remaining abstinent until marriage. Tamargo's involvement bolstered the show's credibility. Speaking of the show and its premise, Tamargo emphasized the importance of such a program in showing young Hispanic women that "there is a second chance in life." La Cenicienta showed a willingness to explore the breaking of cultural taboos without a sense of judgment, furthering the importance of Tamargo's career in what it has meant for diverse representation of Hispanic women in both fictional and non-fictional contexts. Throughout her career, Eva Tamargo has been a mainstay for Hispanic representation on daytime television. Through small roles and iconic ones, as a strongly hated character and as the host of a groundbreaking reality series, the actress has consistently demonstrated her range as a performer. As the industry continues to push for more Hispanic representation onscreen, it can already look back at Eva Tamargo as one of its early trailblazers.