Charo was one of the most frequent guest stars on The Love Boat. The Spanish-born flamenco guitarist appeared on 10 episodes of the ABC romantic comedy-drama series from 1977 to 1987. Charo, now 74, played a beloved character named April Lopez in all but one of her appearances, per IMDb.
In a September 2025 interview with Remind magazine, Charo revealed that she almost didn’t take the role at all because she was too busy with her music career. “Aaron Spelling heard about me, but I was too busy,” she told the outlet. “Aaron Spelling was trying to invite me to The Love Boat, but then I was very busy, very busy, too much.”
Charo revealed that Spelling asked her agent, Norman Brokaw, how he could bring her in to audition for The Love Boat. The legendary TV producer was instructed to go to Charo’s show at the Sahara in Las Vegas. Spelling was also warned that Charo was “really busy and tired” and “said no to everything.”
“So, Aaron Spelling went with a few people, and they saw me at the Sahara,” Charo recalled. “After the show, I was very respectful to him. Spelling asked, ‘Please,’ and I said, ‘OK, I do one show.” But it has to be when I don’t have two shows [at that Sahara]. We must make an agreement with the Sahara because I need to sleep.’”
Charo added that she was originally pitched just one episode. “I went there, and I didn’t have to audition or nothing,” she said. “The role was prepared. It was me with the name April. … Immediately, the rating and the reaction was so big that they wanted me to be steady, but I could not.”
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After first playing Mexican stowaway April in the October 1977 episode “Acapulco Connection,” Charo returned in April 1979 as the same character, this time a lounge singer. April appeared as a nanny, a Spanish tutor, and an aerobics instructor on subsequent Love Boat episodes. Charo called the role “heaven” and described it as “the best time” in her life.
As for why Charo was asked back so many times. fellow Love Boat guest star Florence Henderson once told The Hollywood Reporter, “If Aaron liked you, he’d have you return often. I think Charo and I hold the record for most guest appearances, at least 10.”
According to IMDB, one actress was aboard a few more Love Boats than Charo and Henderson. Happy Days actress Marion Ross appeared on 14 episodes of the series.
Still, Charo remains the most memorable guest star due to the recurring nature of her role—and her bubbly personality.
In November 2025, she will join original Love Boat cast members Lauren Tewes (Cruise director Julie McCoy), Fred Grandy (Yeoman Purser Gopher Smith), Ted Lange (bartender Isaac Washington), Bernie Kopell (Dr. Adam Bricker), and Jill Whelan (Vicki Stubing, daughter of ship captain Merrill Stubing) on The Love Boat Celebration at Sea reunion cruise. The seven-day Regal Princess cruise will depart from Galveston, TX, on Nov. 16, and will sail to Cozumel, Mexico, and Roatan, Honduras, per People magazine.
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