Bertila Damas is an American television, film, and theater actress. She was born in Cuba to a Puerto Rican-American mother and a Cuban father. She is known for her no-nonsense approach to acting and life as well as her irreverent sense of humor, her compassion, and a straight-up, heart of gold, no crap kind of energy. She is the eldest of 3 children born to Maria and Francisco Damas. Along with her siblings, Nancy and Francisco, Bertila grew up in New York and Miami.
Her work has been consistently admired in publications like Variety, the LA Times, Curtain Up and more. Some notable quotes; “Damas simply radiates as Clemencia [in Electricidad at the Mark Taper Forum]”, “Damas — who has shades of the round-eyed but tough femininity of the original Nora, Helen Hayes — is just as stellar”, “Such lovely emotional resonance in the performances of Jorja Fox, and guest star Bertila Damas (Mrs. Santiago)”, “Bertila Damas has an impeccable charm as well as a regal allure which is most enchanting”, and “Damas’ sexual toughness lends electricity to the mother-daughter confrontations”. Her career spans stage, film, and television. She has also worked off-Broadway and in regional theater. Her Broadway debut was playing Juliet in Romeo & Juliet for Joseph Papp‘s NYSF on Broadway, directed by Academy Award-winning actress Estelle Parsons. In regional work she played the title character in a stage production of Federico García Lorca‘s Yerma at the Arena Stage. She received a Garland Award Honorable Mention in 2006.
Her love of acting began at an early age and as a teen she won numerous awards for her school Debate team in statewide and national Dramatic Interpretation competitions, garnering a 3rd place win nationally as a junior high student competing amongst high schools. She began her formal professional work in Miami working in Spanish speaking theater and television while attending college. She went on to study further in NYC. With the help of a dear friend, winning an audition and being accepted to attend the prestigious Circle in the Square Professional Theater School. She met Terry Hayden at Circle who introduced her to the work of the Actor’s Studio and Lee Strasberg, where she observed regularly until Strasberg’s death and beyond. Simultaneously she studied with Stella Adler as an advanced acting student and in Adler’s acclaimed Script Analysis classes.
She has a long list of TV credits, from The John Larroquette Show (1993) to King of the Hill, from NYPD Blue to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and from NCIS to Grimm (2011). It does look like Hollywood is trying to find a place for this talented enchantress and this writer hopes that happens sooner than later. On international Spanish television, Bertila is known for her role as the villainous Marta on Angélica, mi vida (1988) for Telemundo. She has been seen and heard in dozens of commercials and voice-overs in both English and Spanish.
The desire to make a difference coupled with her concern for the fair treatment of actors and better diversity on our screens and in our stories led Damas to serve on the Screen Actor’s Guild Board of Directors (2010-12) and also on the SAG-AFTRA Board (2012-15). She is currently the SAG-AFTRA National Chair of the Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee (2010-17).