Lolita Rodriguez, whose real name is Dolores Clark, was born on January 29, 1935, in the city of Urdaneta, located in the province of Pangasinan. She entered the world of cinema in 1953, at the tender age of 18, initially taking on walk-on roles and working as an extra to earn a modest 5 pesos per appearance. Her early film credits include Ating Pag-ibig, Gorio at Tekla, El Indio, Cofradia, Kiko, Reyna Bandida, Sa Isang Sulyap mo Tita, and Diwani.
As her career progressed, she was introduced as the second lead in Pilya (1954),where she portrayed the older sister of Gloria Romero. Her first starring role was in the 1955 film Jack and Jill, which also marked the rise of Dolphy as the country's top comedian. After being nominated for two consecutive years, Lolita finally won her first Famas Best Actress award in 1956 for her outstanding performance in the movie Gilda. Her first nomination was for her portrayal of a tomboyish jeepney driver in Jack and Jill, but she lost the 1954 award to Gloria Romero in Dalagang Ilocana by a mere two votes. The following year, she again lost to Rosa Rosal in Sonny Boy by only one vote.
From her early days in comedy and light drama roles in 1954, Lolita eventually transitioned to more mature and heavy drama roles in the 1960s.
