José Antonio Rodríguez, best known by the stage name Toñizonte, also known as Toño Rodríguez, is a Peruvian drag queen, dancer, and reporter.
Toñizonte | |
|---|---|
 Toñizontte in Lima Pride - 2022 | |
| Born | José Antonio Rodríguez |
| Occupations | |
Biography
editRodríguez grew up in the Bellavista District, of Callao in a family with five siblings, in which he was the fourth. He began university studies in accounting, but opted for theater.[1][2]
A coincidence led him to an audition to be part of the company of Efraín Aguilar, he accompanied a friend to a casting, where they gave him a brief script and told him to learn some dance steps, since everyone present They had to audition. No one should be excluded. Within a few days he was called to be one of the replacement dancers, a position he never fulfilled.[2]
In a night of changes and accidents, he ended up replacing Analí Cabrera, who could not get on the stage due to an incident shortly before the show began. This was the first time Toño Rodríguez debuted as a drag queen, he left his job as a nightclub dancer to focus on shows as a drag queen, including lip sync.[2]
She worked with other vedettes and drag queens, such as Naamin Timoyco, Paco Ferrer and Coco Marusix, in venues such as the Perseo, Ático, or Studio One nightclubs, even as a headliner. He also worked in café-theater, alongside artists such as Alicia Andrade or Esmeralda Checa. On the recommendation of the actresses with whom she shared the stage, she enrolled in the Lima Theater Club, directed by Reynaldo Arenas.[2]
Subsequently, he became part of the pool of artists at the Valetodo Downtown nightclub since its foundation in 2000.[2][3] where she is considered one of the "mothers" of transformism.[2]
Career
editThanks to a casting, he entered the comedy program Risas y salsa as a dancer. Some time later, in Amor, amor, amor her popularity grew after she won a costume contest for Halloween. It is in this program where he earns the nickname Toñizonte. After a contest of Amor, amor, amor, Toño Rodríguez returned to the small screen, which is why he had a section called Al estilo Toñizonte, where he made reports on different topics.[4] In 2016, he participated in the talent contest Los reyes del playback where he imitated Yahaira Plasencia.[5] He also participated in the program Combate, as a jury in the Combate a bailar section.[6] However, after a while, he moved away from television.[1][4]
He later returned, and in 2023 he was part of the cast of the program Jirón del humor, broadcast by Latina Televisión.[7]
Personal life
editToñizonte confessed on the Julián Zucchi and Yiddá Eslava program that one of the reasons why he left the media was his fight against cancer. However, she focused entirely on her work as drag queen at the nightclub Valetodo Downtown, located in the Miraflores District, Lima, where she has worked for approximately 20 years.[4]
Toño Rodríguez, in Carlos Orozco's online program, revealed that he has a son who lives in Colombia and that he has not been to Peru since he was very little.[8]
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Title | Role |
|---|---|
| Risas y salsa | Dancer |
| Amor, amor, amor | Reporter |
| Combate | Guest |
| La noche es mía | Guest |
| Amor y fuego | Reporter |
| Los reyes del playback | Contestant |
| Jirón del humor | Guest |
Web Series
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Por Dios y por la Plata [9] | Guest |
| Carlos Orozco [10] | Guest | |
| Soy Gianotti [11] | Guest | |
| Las Washas [12] | Guest | |
| Caldo de Gallina [13] | Guest | |
| La Molleja [14] | Guest | |
| Qué ha pasao [15] | Guest | |
| 2024 | Embichadxs [16] | Guest |
References
edit- ^ a b "Qué ha sido de Toñizonte antes de reaparecer con Néstor y por qué se alejó de la TV [VIDEO]". elpopular.pe (in Spanish). 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ a b c d e f Elizalde, Paula (2023-06-19). "Toñizonte, la 'madre' del Valetodo Downtown: cómo halló el arte de la vida a través del transformismo". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ "El 19° aniversario de "Valetodo Dowtown": La espectacular alfombra rosa de los artistas". Ojo (in Spanish). 2019-07-20. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ a b c "¿Qué fue de la vida de Toño Rodríguez, el popular 'Toñizonte', tras alejarse de la televisión?". larepublica.pe (in Spanish). 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ "Los Reyes del Playback: 'Toñizonte' imita a Yahaira Plasencia [VIDEO] | OJO-SHOW". Ojo (in Spanish). 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ "Combate: Toño Rodríguez comparó a Diana Sánchez con Drag Queen". rpp.pe (in Spanish). 2015-08-25. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ "Toñizonte regresa a la pantalla chica con Jirón del Humor". Latina.pe (in Spanish). 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ "'Toñizonte' tiene un hijo en Colombia: "Me dijeron que solo necesitaban mi firma y ya"". larepublica.pe (in Spanish). 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ "Toñizonte en Por Dios Y Por La Plata - Jueves 24 de Noviembre". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ "TOÑIZONTE: ENTRE LA PERSONA Y EL PERSONAJE". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRMWuOHUWBw
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLlZ_kHFf9M
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoLlddr6q4s
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RSaat_CZCo
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gao0h8WwXM0
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so53p5BL6ko