Actress. A regular presence in her country’s media for 35 years, she is remembered for her numerous appearances on Venezuelan television soaps. Born Mayra Alejandra Rodriguez Lezema to a show business family, she finished high school at 17 and made her professional bow in the 1975 “Valentina”, a series written by her mother, Ligia Lezema. Mayra was seen in “Angelica” and other television fare of the day and made her silver screen debut as a teenage Carmen in the 1978 musical drama “Carmen la que 16 anos”, one of many versions of the tale made famous by Georges Bizet . Gaining an international reputation with 1983’s “Leonela”, she starred in the 1986 feature “Manon”, kept up a full schedule of small screen work, and made occasional stage appearances. Mayra earned her final credit in 2010’s “Harina de otro costal” (“Another Matter”), a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliette”, lived out her days in her native city, and died of cancer. A number of her performances are preserved on DVD. (bio by: Bob Hufford)