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(CNN) - Shelley Morrison, actress best known for playing the energetic maid Rosario Salazar in "Will & Grace," said publicist Lori DeWaal told CNN.
Morrison died Sunday at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of heart failure at the age of 83, DeWaal said.
The character of Morrison, Rosario, was the Salvadoran maid of the socialite Karen Walker, played by Megan Mullally, in the original version of "Will & Grace" on NBC from 1999 to 2006. Karen was a friend of the lawyer, Will, and the designer of interiors, Grace, who shared an apartment in New York.
"Rosario is one of my favorite characters of all time," Morrison said in a biography published by his agent. "It reminds me a lot of my own mother, who loved animals and children, but couldn't stand nonsense."
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"It is very significant for me that we could show an older Hispanic woman who is bright and intelligent and can defend herself," he said.
She was born as Rachel Mitrani on October 26, 1936 in the Bronx of Spanish Jewish parents, according to the biography. Spanish was his first language.
He worked for more than six decades, guest protagonist in more than 150 television series, according to IMDd.com. In addition to his role in "Will and Grace," Morrison was probably best known for playing Sister Sister in "The Flying Nun" alongside Sally Field in the 1960s.
Some of his roles included a Native American woman in "Mackenna's Gold" in 1969, as well as minor Hispanic roles in films such as "Man and Boy" in 1971 and "Troop Beverly Hills" in 1989.
In 1973 he met Walter Dominguez, a writer, with whom he married. Through Dominguez, he became interested in Native American traditions, specifically in the Lakota Sioux, according to the biography. The couple adopted six children through a traditional Native American ceremony, according to the biography. Dominguez, children and numerous grandchildren survive it.
She had fought health problems over the years and was a survivor of breast and lung cancer.
A statement issued by DeWaal said: “Shelley's greatest pride as an actress was to play the indomitable Rosario, in a comedy series that promoted the cause of social equity and equality for LGBTQ people. He also prided himself on portraying a strong, loving person and yet a struggling Latin character. She believed that the best way to change hearts and minds was through comedy. ”
Will and grace
