जीवनी
Lourdes Reynolds, also known as Lourdes Colon, is an award-winning actress and filmmaker born in Puerto Rico and raised in Waukegan, Illinois. The daughter of a stay-at-home mother and an American Motors mechanic father, she has one brother and three sisters. A natural performer, Lourdes spent her childhood watching re-runs of classic American TV shows like Sydney Sheldon's I Dream of Jeannie. Using her modest living room as a stage, she created original comedy skits for family and neighbors. Her performances soon expanded to the streets, where she discovered her ability to transport audiences to a magical place, providing a brief escape from their troubles.
Lourdes attended North School Elementary and Clearview School in Waukegan, Illinois. After her family moved, she went to Jack Benny Junior High School and later graduated from Waukegan West High School. She then enrolled at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, where she developed a passion for Shakespeare.
At eighteen, while working in a factory, Lourdes bought her first car, a Camaro. A trip to Chicago with her younger sister and a friend unexpectedly changed her life. After dropping them off in a neighborhood, they told her to wait in the car, promising to return shortly, but they didn’t come back until the next day. Left alone with a friendly gang member until morning, Lourdes returned to Waukegan upset and went straight to work. Upon returning home, she found her belongings packed and a note telling her to leave, never having the chance to explain what had happened to her mother.
Lourdes returned to Chicago and reconnected with an actor friend. With no place to stay other than her car, she initially lived in abandoned buildings before moving into the attic of her friend’s parents' apartment. Soon after, they visited his agent to discuss his TV movie Night of Courage—a fitting title for Lourdes’ situation. The agent signed her for representation in Chicago, marking a major milestone. She soon booked numerous national commercials, including one for Ford, and landed her first independent film role in Time Served, alongside Academy Award® winner Louise Fletcher, Catherine Oxenberg, and Jeff Fahey. The film was produced by John D. Crededio (Risky Business, Ordinary People, The Omen) and Ron De Rosa (Resurrection, The Watcher), who encouraged Lourdes to move to Hollywood after witnessing her dynamic talent and presence.
Her big break in Hollywood came after auditioning for a CBS diversity showcase. Casting director Fern Orenstein was impressed and sent her to audition for the role of Anna Rodriguez on the hit TV series Without a Trace. Without a theatrical agent and unfamiliar with the industry, Lourdes secured the role and was granted an exclusive holding deal with CBS, a rare achievement at the time.
In 2013, Lourdes received the Latina of Influence Award from Hispanic Lifestyle.
Her television credits include Without a Trace, The District, Mercer (TV Pilot), The Journeys, Encounters, Chocolate News, Amor Sin Fronteras (Spanish TV), Early Edition, and The Women of Brewster Place.
Her theater experience includes Much Ado About Nothing at the College of Lake County Theater, where she also worked as a prop mistress and stage designer.
Film credits feature Create Option C, My Journey with Cancer—her award-winning documentary about her personal battle with cancer and triumph over it—The Kiss, Time Served, Blood Oranges, A Fine Line, and The Killer Within. Her upcoming film, Crave the Fast Life, was set for release in September 2015.
Lourdes aspires to work with directors Steven Spielberg, Steve McQueen, and Alejandro González Iñárritu.
In her free time, Lourdes enjoys roller skating, a sport she has practiced since age five. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, director Chris Lavoy, and their two daughters.
"Follow through with your intentions on what you truly want to do with your life. Everything else will follow." — Lourdes Colon
