Silvia Santelices

Silvia Elena Santelices Rojas (born 27 June 1940) is a Chilean theater, film, and television actress, a pioneer of telenovelas in her country. She currently serves as councilor for the commune of Rancagua.

Professional career
In 1960 Santelices entered the Catholic University of Chile to study theater. While still a student, she joined the nascent dramatic department of her alma mater's television station, Canal 13, where she initially participated in televised plays. In 1967 she was part of the cast of the first telenovela shot in Chile, Los días jóvenes, in which she shared the screen with actors such as Mirella Latorre, Mario Rodríguez, and Leonardo Perucci.

During the 1980s and 90s Santelices participated in numerous soap operas on Canal 13 and TVN, most notably La madrastra (1981), Los títeres (1984), and Fuera de control (telenovela) (1999). She also played Lucia Solar, mother of Teresa of the Andes (played by Paulina Urrutia) in TVN's miniseries Teresa de los Andes (miniseries) (1989).

After years of absence from television, in 2005 she participated in the television series Brujas, and has joined other dramatic productions such as Papi Ricky and Veinteañero a los 40.

She is known for having a great stage presence, characteristic smooth voice, and great interpretive power. Since the late 1990s she has lived in the city of Rancagua, where she is part of Casa del Arte Theater Company.

Political career
In the 1970s Santelices was a supporter of Popular Unity. The 1973 coup d'état took her by surprise in Venezuela, where she was exiled for five years.

She was elected councilor of Rancagua in the municipal elections of 2008 on behalf of the Socialist Party. In the 2012 elections she returned to obtain a seat on the Municipal Council of Rancagua, receiving 4,533 votes, corresponding to 6.38%, obtaining the third communal majority.