Silvio Horta

Silvio Horta (August 14, 1974 – January 7, 2020) was an American screenwriter and television producer widely noted for adapting the hit Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea into the ABC series Ugly Betty. Horta served as head writer and executive producer on the series.

Silvio Horta
Born	(1974-08-14)August 14, 1974 Miami, Florida, U.S.
Died	January 7, 2020(2020-01-07) (aged 45) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University
Occupations	Screenwriter producer
Years active	1998–2012
Notable work	Ugly Betty

Background and death

Horta, a first-generation Cuban-American, was born and raised in Miami. He was a popular performer and playwright in high school, attending both International Baccalaureate Theater, and Experimental Theater programs at Coral Gables Senior in Miami. After graduating in 1992, he attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, majoring in film.^[1] Horta was openly gay, coming out to his family at 19.^[2]

He was found dead in a Miami hotel room on January 7, 2020. Variety reported that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 45 years old.^[3][4][5]

Career

Horta penned many as yet unproduced screenplays including "Even Exchange" and "The Furies" (with Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy). Prior to Ugly Betty, Horta wrote the screenplay for the 1998 teen satirical hit slasher film Urban Legend and he can be heard on the DVD commentary. Before Legend, he was working as a perfume spritzer.^[6]

Horta was also creator of two short lived sci-fi television shows Jake 2.0, which starred Christopher Gorham, who would later join the cast of Ugly Betty, and The Chronicle. In 2007, he accepted the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Series Ugly Betty, stating, "Like most of us up here, Betty is an immigrant and The American Dream is alive and well and in reach of anybody who wants it".

Horta started the production company "Silent H Productions", named as a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the common mispronunciation of the silent H in Horta's last name. In 2011, his production company signed a deal with Sony.^[7]

Filmography

Crew

Film
Year	Film	Distributor	Credit	Notes
1997	Urban Legend	TriStar Pictures	Writer	Directed by Jamie Blanks
1999	The Furies	N/A	Writer	Short film; co-written by Ryan Murphy
2012	Horror Movie: The Movie	N/A	Writer	Short film
Television
Year	Title	Network	Credit	Notes
2001–2002	The Chronicle	Sci-Fi	Writer and executive producer	One season: 22 episodes
2003–2004	Jake 2.0	UPN	Series creator; Writer and executive producer	One season: 16 episodes
2006–2010	Ugly Betty	ABC	Series creator; Writer, developer and executive producer	Four seasons: 85 episodes; Series recipient of forty-four wins and ninety-two nominations
2020	P-Valley	Starz	Consultant	Began airing after his death