A Mexican-American comedian known for his accessible observations about Latino living in the USA, Rodriguez went on to work as an actor, writer, director and producer in TV and features. He first registered nationally as Paul 'Pablo' Rivera on "a.k.a. Pablo" (ABC. 1984), a short-lived sitcom from Norman Lear. Rodriguez convincingly portrayed a struggling Mexican-American comedian often in conflict with his disapproving father. He later hosted the "The Late Show" (Fox, 1986-88) post-Joan Rivers and syndicated "The All New Newlywed Game" (1988-89). The busy comic also headlined several cable and network specials, including "Paul Rodriguez: I Need the Couch" (1987) and "Paul Rodriguez: Crossing Gang Lines" (1991). His producing debut, "Paul Rodriguez: Behind Bars" (1991) had the comedian performing for the prisoners at San Quentin. Such socially conscious specials revealed that he took his position as a role model seriously, as do the amiable "family values" expressed in his comedy.
His first substantial film role was in Cheech Marin's "Born in East L.A." (1987). In 1994, Rodriguez crossed over, directing the feature "A Million to Juan", a good-natured comedy about an immigrant in East L.A. who receives a million dollars out of the blue. The film featured Rodriguez, Edward James Olmos and Ruben Blades.
Copyright © Baseline 2006.