Jonathan Montenegro
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Montenegro is a well known Venezuela
n actor
and singer
. Montenegro was a member of popular boy band
Menudo
.
.
In 1985, Montenegro made three theater plays
and he debuted in film
, making two Venezuelan movies. In addition to that, Montenegro obtained a second place in the prestigious "Festimagico Infantil" ("Magic Children's Festival") talent show
, which was held by Venevision
.
By 1986, Montenegro would embark in a modeling career, making some television
commercials and appearing on some catalogs. He made three telenovelas and one film that year. One of the telenovelas he made that year was "La Intrusa", considered a classic by Latin American critics.
In 1987, Montenegro began exploring his singing abilities, as he was cast on three musicals. He also became active in a national campaign against brain stroke that year.
1988 was a year of firsts for Montenegro, as he debuted on radio
with a talk show
named "Tren Fantasia" ("Fantasy Train"), and also as a show host, on Radio Caracas Television's "Festival Fantastico Infantil" ("Children's Fantastic Festival"). Montenegro's popularity in Venezuela helped for the directors of Miami
's annual "Festival de la Calle 8", a very popular festival among Hispanics, to invite him for the festival's 1989 version.
That same year, Montenegro participated in a television comedy
show, a game show
, a mini-series and another soap opera
. He was also discovered by Edgardo Diaz
, who saw the eleven year old actor participate alongside Menudo in "Los Ultimos Heroes", a soap opera based on Menudo's latest album, "Los Ultimos Heroes
".
In 1990, Montenegro acted alongside Antonio Banderas
in a film named Terranova. On December 10 of that year, Montenegro signed with Menudo, becoming the first South America
n member of the band. He joined Mexico
's Adrian Olivares, who had previously become the first non-Puerto Rican
member of Menudo.
In 1991 Montenegro left the group. He has never mentioned any specific reasons as to why he left, but by the time he did, he had already become a teen idol across Latin America and in Spain
, where he toured and had to schedule a special autograph
and photo session with his Madrid fans before leaving the Europe
an country.
Montenegro spent two years in Venezuela after that, recording four telenovelas. In 1993 he was cast in telenovela Dulce Ilusión. From 1994 to 1995, Montenegro left show business periodically, concentrating on getting his high school
diploma and taking English
classes in the United States
.
Montenegro returned to acting in 1996, by participating in "Sol de Tentacion". He participated in two television shows that year.
By 1997, Montenegro was a full fledged member of the Venevision roster. He participated in two Venevision soap operas between then and 1998, including "Samantha", where he played a drug addict. That characterization earned him an award as Venezuela's "Best young television actor".
In 1999, Montenegro left acting to become a producer
, once again, on radio. He began to produce "Tu Generacion", a radio show geared towards Venezuelan Heavy Metal music
fans. The show has been on the air since.
In 2000, Montenegro resumed acting in television series Mis 3 hermanas.
In 2002, Montenegro was in telenovela Juana la virgen.
In 2003, Montenegro was in television series La Cuaima.
In 2005, Montenegro was in television series Dueña y Señora in Puerto Rico.
In 2006, Montenegro was in television series Voltea pa' que te enamores.
Jonathan Montenegro later embarked on a solo singing career, releasing a total of two CD's. Combined with his one CD as a member of Menudo and another with a group of former Menudo members (not El Reencuentro
), Montenegro has participated in a total of four CDs. He continues on with his career as a solo singer.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n actor
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
and singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
. Montenegro was a member of popular boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
Menudo
Menudo (band)
Menudo was a Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era....
.
Biography
Jonathan Montenegro has been involved in show business since he was a small child, being chosen 1984 to act in two Radio Caracas Television telenovelas, "El Analisis" and "La Ciudad Muerta" ("Ghost Town"), both of which had been written by the well known Venezuelan writer and politician, Romulo GallegosRómulo Gallegos
Rómulo Ángel del Monte Carmelo Gallegos Freire was a Venezuelan novelist and politician. For a period of some nine months during 1948, he was the first cleanly elected president in his country's history....
.
In 1985, Montenegro made three theater plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
and he debuted in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, making two Venezuelan movies. In addition to that, Montenegro obtained a second place in the prestigious "Festimagico Infantil" ("Magic Children's Festival") talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
, which was held by Venevision
Venevisión
Venevisión is one of Venezuela's largest television networks and a Venezuelan cable and terrestrial television network, which is owned and presided over by Gustavo Cisneros...
.
By 1986, Montenegro would embark in a modeling career, making some television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
commercials and appearing on some catalogs. He made three telenovelas and one film that year. One of the telenovelas he made that year was "La Intrusa", considered a classic by Latin American critics.
In 1987, Montenegro began exploring his singing abilities, as he was cast on three musicals. He also became active in a national campaign against brain stroke that year.
1988 was a year of firsts for Montenegro, as he debuted on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
with a talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
named "Tren Fantasia" ("Fantasy Train"), and also as a show host, on Radio Caracas Television's "Festival Fantastico Infantil" ("Children's Fantastic Festival"). Montenegro's popularity in Venezuela helped for the directors of Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
's annual "Festival de la Calle 8", a very popular festival among Hispanics, to invite him for the festival's 1989 version.
That same year, Montenegro participated in a television comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
show, a game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, a mini-series and another soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
. He was also discovered by Edgardo Diaz
Edgardo Díaz
Edgardo Díaz born in Panama City, Panama, is the creator of the "boy band" Menudo. The son of Puerto Ricans, Díaz grew up in Caguas, Puerto Rico....
, who saw the eleven year old actor participate alongside Menudo in "Los Ultimos Heroes", a soap opera based on Menudo's latest album, "Los Ultimos Heroes
Los Ultimos Heroes
Los Ultimos Heroes is Menudo's 26th album .It features Sergio Gonzalez, Ruben Gomez, Angelo Garcia, Robert Avellanet, and new member Rawy Torres replacing Ricky Martin...
".
In 1990, Montenegro acted alongside Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
in a film named Terranova. On December 10 of that year, Montenegro signed with Menudo, becoming the first South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n member of the band. He joined Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
's Adrian Olivares, who had previously become the first non-Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
member of Menudo.
In 1991 Montenegro left the group. He has never mentioned any specific reasons as to why he left, but by the time he did, he had already become a teen idol across Latin America and in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where he toured and had to schedule a special autograph
Autograph
An autograph is a document transcribed entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by an amanuensis or a copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph.Autograph also refers to a person's artistic signature...
and photo session with his Madrid fans before leaving the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an country.
Montenegro spent two years in Venezuela after that, recording four telenovelas. In 1993 he was cast in telenovela Dulce Ilusión. From 1994 to 1995, Montenegro left show business periodically, concentrating on getting his high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
diploma and taking English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
classes in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Montenegro returned to acting in 1996, by participating in "Sol de Tentacion". He participated in two television shows that year.
By 1997, Montenegro was a full fledged member of the Venevision roster. He participated in two Venevision soap operas between then and 1998, including "Samantha", where he played a drug addict. That characterization earned him an award as Venezuela's "Best young television actor".
In 1999, Montenegro left acting to become a producer
Radio producer
A radio producer oversees the making of a radio show. There are two main types of producer. An audio or creative producer and a content producer. Audio producers create sounds and audio specifically, content producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature...
, once again, on radio. He began to produce "Tu Generacion", a radio show geared towards Venezuelan Heavy Metal music
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
fans. The show has been on the air since.
In 2000, Montenegro resumed acting in television series Mis 3 hermanas.
In 2002, Montenegro was in telenovela Juana la virgen.
In 2003, Montenegro was in television series La Cuaima.
In 2005, Montenegro was in television series Dueña y Señora in Puerto Rico.
In 2006, Montenegro was in television series Voltea pa' que te enamores.
Jonathan Montenegro later embarked on a solo singing career, releasing a total of two CD's. Combined with his one CD as a member of Menudo and another with a group of former Menudo members (not El Reencuentro
El Reencuentro
El Reencuentro was the name that six ex-members of famous group Menudo used for their comeback concert remembering Menudo's Golden Era. Ricky Melendez, Rene Farrait, Miguel Cancel, Johnny Lozada, Ray Reyes and Charlie Masso re-joined to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of their success in Latin...
), Montenegro has participated in a total of four CDs. He continues on with his career as a solo singer.
Telenovela
- 2006: Dueña y SeñoraDueña y SeñoraDueña y Señora is a Puerto Rican telenovela based on La Dueña . It is produced by Telemundo Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico Vibra Inc., which intends to market it to the United States' Spanish-speaking residents as well.-History making:Dueña y Señora , made Puerto Rican television history when...
as Carlos Alberto Peña - 2006: Voltea pa' que te enamores as Luis Fernando García Malavé
- 2006: Mujer de mundo
- 2003: La Cuaima as Simón Alvarenga
- 2002: Juana la virgenJuana la virgenJuana la Virgen is Venezuelan telenovela written by Perla Farias and Irene Calcaño Cristina Policastro Basilio Alvarez , German Aponte and Julio Cesar Marmol Jr. and directed by Perla Farias and Tony Rodrigues...
as David - 2000: Mis 3 hermanas as Francisco Moreno
- 1999: SamanthaSamantha (telenovela)Samantha was a Venezuelan telenovela that was produced by and seen on Venevisión. This telenovela lasted 120 episodes and was distributed internationally by Venevisión International.This telenovela was sold to 6 countries around the world.-Synopsis:...
as Alexánder Hernández - 1997: Contra viento y marea as Ignacio
- 1996: Sol de tentacion Luis Alejandro Romero
- 1993: Dulce ilusión as Lalo
- 1991: Terra Nova as Gaspare
- 1989: El Engaño as Pablo
- 1989: Cuchillos de fuego as David
- 1988: Alma mía as Leonardo
- 1987: La Intrusa as Andrés
- 1986: La Dama de rosa as Diego Suárez
- 1986: De mujer a mujer
- 1985: Rebeca as Luisito