Sandra Zaiter

Sandra Zaiter (November 21, 1943 – September 25, 2022)[2] was a Dominican-born Puerto Rican actress, children's television show host, singer, composer and athlete.

Sandra Zaiter
Born(1943-11-21)November 21, 1943
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
DiedSeptember 25, 2022(2022-09-25) (aged 78)[1]
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Occupations
  • Actress
  • children's television host
  • singer
  • composer
  • athlete

Early life and career

Zaiter was born in the Dominican Republic to Maronite Christians of Lebanese ancestry. Early in her life, she participated in church groups, and established her residence in Puerto Rico.

Zaiter participated in the Puerto Rican production of Arriba la Gente. Before she began her television career, Zaiter won the local OTI Festival as a composer. Soon started, her television career took off in the late 1970s, when she began recording children's albums as a singer, as well as hosting the Puerto Rican version of Romper Room on WRIK-TV, until the station closed temporarily.[3] She later moved to WKAQ-TV, where she starred, produced, wrote, and hosted, alongside Lou Briel and Dagmar, a children's show called Teatrimundo, and later Telecómicas. She was the spokesperson for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) in Puerto Rico, and a sponsor of the association's telethon. In the 1990s, Puerto Rican actress and producer Ángela Meyer wrote and produced a drama mini-series based on Zaiter's life, titled Gaviota de la Esperanza (Seagull of Hope) and broadcast by Telemundo.

Zaiter hosted a weekly show on WIPR-TV called Contra Viento y Marea (Against Wind and Tide), aimed to provide guidance and assistance to the disabled. Zaiter did many public appearances throughout her life, and participated in the yearly presentation of the Sandra Zaiter Award to those who have distinguished themselves helping the disabled. The studio where Día a Día con Raymond y Dagmar is broadcast at WKAQ-TV in Puerto Rico is named after Zaiter since the premiere of the mid-day show in 2007.

Paralyzed by accident

Zaiter was an experienced diver and swimmer until suffering a life-threatening accident in the 1970s after misjudging the depth of the water at night, hitting her head on a rock during a dive at a beach in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.[4] The accident paralyzed her, and she used a wheelchair since.

See also

References
  1. Sandra Zaiter Dies at the Age of 79 (in English)
  2. Fallece Sandra Zaiter a los 78 años (in Spanish)
  3. "Sandra Zaiter (bio)" (in Spanish). San Juan, Puerto Rico: National Foundation for Popular Culture. 11 May 2016.
  4. "Sandra Zaiter recuerda el accidente que le cambió la vida". Telemundo Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 September 2020.

Sources
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