Advanced search

Salma Hayek was born on September 2, 1966 in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Her father is of Lebanese descent and her mother is of Mexican/Spanish ancestry. After having seen Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) in a local movie theater, she decided she wanted to become an actress. At age 12, she was sent to the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans, Louisiana. After attending Mexico City's prestigious university Universidad Iberoamericana, she felt ready to pursue acting seriously.

She soon landed the title role in Teresa (1989), a hugely successful soap opera which earned her the star status in her native Mexico. However, anxious to make films and to explore her talent as well as passion, she left both Teresa (1989) and Mexico in 1991. Heartbroken fans spread rumors that she was having a secret affair with Mexico's president and left to escape his wife's wrath. She made her way to Los Angeles. She approached Hollywood with naive enthusiasm and quickly learned that Latina actresses were typecast as the mistress maid or local prostitute. By late 1992, she had landed only small roles. She appeared on Street Justice (1991), The Sinbad Show (1993), Nurses (1991), and as a sexy maid on Dream On (1990). She also had only one line in My Crazy Life (1993). Feeling under-appreciated by Anglo filmmakers, she vented her frustrations on Paul Rodriguez's late-night Spanish-language talk show.

Robert Rodriguez and his wife Elizabeth Avellan happened to be watching and were immediately smitten with her. He soon gave her big break -- to star opposite Antonio Banderas in the cult classic Desperado (1995), bringing her into Hollywood prominence. The moviegoers were as dazzled with her as he had been. Afterwards, she was cast again by Rodriguez to star in the cult classic From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Her first star billing came later that year with Fools Rush In (1997) opposite Matthew Perry. It was a modest hit and her star continued to rise in both commercial and films such as Breaking Up (1997) with an unknown Russell Crowe, 54 (1998), Dogma (1999) and In the Time of the Butterflies (2001), the small artistic film which won her an ALMA award as best actress and the summer blockbuster Wild Wild West (1999). Her production company Ventanarosa produced the Mexican feature film No One Writes to the Colonel (1999), which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and selected as Mexico's official Oscar entry for best foreign film.

The new millennium started out quietly as she prepared to produce and star in her dream role of Frida Kahlo, the legendary Mexican painter whom she had been admiring her entire life and whose story she wanted to bring to the big screen ever since she arrived in Hollywood. Frida (2002) was full of passion and enthusiasm, with performances from her and Alfred Molina as Kahlo's cheating husband Diego Rivera. It also featured an entourage of stars such as Antonio Banderas, Ashley Judd, Geoffrey Rush, Edward Norton and Valeria Golino.

It was a box office hit and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best actress for Hayek. It won awards for make-up and score by Elliot Goldenthal. Later that year, she expanded her horizons, directing The Maldonado Miracle (2003), which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2003, she starred in the finale of Rodriguez's Desperado trilogy Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), again opposite Banderas. She also starred in After the Sunset (2004) opposite Pierce Brosnan, and Ask the Dust (2006) opposite Colin Farrell. She then starred in Bandidas (2006), which also featured Penélope Cruz, and Lonely Hearts (2006) opposite Jared Leto.

Ana de la Reguera grew up in the tropical state of Veracruz, on the Gulf Coast of Mexico. She began her performance arts studies in the Cultural Institute of Veracruz, then left for Televisa's Center for Artistic Education (CEA) and TV Aztecas' artistic institute (CEFAC) in Mexico City, later taking study with Lisa Robertson and Aaron Spicer in Los Angeles and acting coach Juan 'Carlos Corzza in Spain. In theater she participated in "El Cartero" ("Il Postino") for which she received two awards: one for "Best Actress" from the Association of Theatre Journalists in Mexico and the other for the year's "Most Promising Actress" from the Association of Theatre Critics and Journalists.

De la Reguera's professional career began with her role in the telenovela Azul (1996), followed by Pueblo chico, infierno grande (1997)--for which she received the Heraldo Award for "Best Breakout Female Actress"--and Desencuentro (1997), which was her third telenovela under the direction of the internationally recognized Ernesto Alonso. _"Tentaciones" (1998)_ marked her beginning with powerhouse Argos Comunicación. She was immediately offered roles in _"Destino" (1998)_ and Todo por amor (2000), for which she received "The Golden Palm Award." After that, it was non-stop work for de la Reguera. In 2002 she starred in Cara o Cruz (2001), which was the first telenovela co-produced by Argos Comunicación and Telemundo, made exclusively for the Hispanic audience living in the US. The following year she played María in the telenovela Por tí (2002) for TV Azteca and the mini-series that followed up on Pedro el escamoso (2001), Como Pedro por su casa (2003), which was a co-production between Colombia's Caracol and Telemundo. Additionally, de la Reguera also had the lead role in the Peruvian soap opera Luciana y Nicolás (2003).

De la Reguera's introduction into film began with Por la libre (2000), which earned her two nominations: "El Heraldo de la Revelación Femenina" (Best New Actress) and "Eres Mejor Actriz" (Best Actress). Later she acted in Un secreto de Esperanza (2002) with Oscar nominee Katy Jurado. In 2003 Ana starred in the highly acclaimed comedy Ladies' Night (2003), alongside Ana Claudia Talancón. The movie became the box-office success of the year and won her three major awards: "the Latin America MTV's Favorite Actress Award," the Mexican movie industry Award for Best Actress of the year, "CANACINE," and the "Diosa de Plata (Silver Godess) Award" for Best Supporting Actress (2003).

In 2005 she played the starring role in Gitanas (2004), which aired on Telemundo in the US and now has been seen as far away as Ukraine, Spain and Argentina. In 2006 de la Reguera had the lead in the powerful On the Edge (2006), which earned her her second "Diosa de Plata [Silver Goddess] Award" for best actress. In addition, she also starred in Paraiso Travel (2008), playing the role of Milagros, singing and dancing for the first time in a movie. John Leguizamo and Colombian star Margarita Rosa de Francisco were also in the cast. The film was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival and later released throughout the US and Latin America. That same year Ana received her big break into American cinema when she landed the role of Sister Encarnación in the comedy Nacho Libre (2006). The film by Jared Hess--director of Napoleon Dynamite (2004)--and co-starring Jack Black gave her the opportunity to be seen around the world.

In 2008 she became the new face for Cover Girl worldwide, alongside celebrities like Drew Barrymore, Queen Latifah, Ellen DeGeneres and Rihanna. From there her career received many other impressive endorsements, including campaigns with Pantene, Special K and Flip, Macy's, Coca-Cola (Ciel), Pepsi (Be Light) and Caress, among many others. She began 2010 with a worldwide publicity campaign for Lipton Tea alongside actor Hugh Jackman. Most recently, she did an international campaign with Kahlúa benefiting her hometown of Veracruz, Mexico, left demolished after the resent destruction of Huricaine Karl.

In the action-thriller film Sultanes del Sur (2007), filmed mainly in Argentina, she plays Monica Silvari, a mean and sophisticated bank robber alongside Spanish actors Jordi Mollà and Tony Dalton. In the spring of 2008 Ana began filming Capadocia (2008), an HBO mega-production TV show about the chaotic and miserable life in a women's prison in Mexico. The show aired with record-breaking ratings in Mexico and Latin America, and was released in the US in the fall of 2008 for HBO OLE. Three of the most recognized directors in Latin America participated in this HBO original production: Epigmenio Ibarra, Jorge Aragón and Luis F Peraza. The successful series got three International Emmy nominations for its first season, and this fall marked the opening of "Capadocia"'s second season.

In 2009 she shot Di Di Hollywood (2010) from famed Jamón, Jamón (2000) director Bigas Luna. That same year she went back to the Mexican theatre for six months where she played "Desdemona" in William Shakespeare "Othello". The play was hugely successful in Mexico's renowned Juan Ruiz de Alarcón theater, and she was named "Best Actress" by the Journalist Theatre Association at the annual Bravo Awards and by the ACTP. Later that year she filmed the extremely moving Mexican film El Traspatio (2009), in which she played a cop in an outlaw border city controlled by drug traffickers and killers. Directed by Carlos Carrera (The Crime of Padre Amaro (2002), nominated for an Oscar for "Best Foreign Film"), the picture was chosen to represent Mexico in the 2010 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category, and earned de la Reguera the "Best Actress Award" at the Imagen Awards and the CANACINE Awards, and won the "Silver Plaque" at the Chicago Film Festival.

The beginning of 2010 brought the opening of her Hollywood film Cop Out (2010), co-starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan and directed by Kevin Smith. She played Gabriela, a strong-willed woman with very picante and colorful language, who gets rescued by Willis and Tracy--and gets them in trouble in the process. In that same year brought the release of her film Hidalgo. La historia jamás contada (2010), about the controversial life of Mexico's independence hero, priest Miguel Hidalgo. She plays Hidalgo's second wife and shares credit with Demián Bichir (Weeds (2005), Che: Part One (2008)).

In the US she also had a recurring role on the USA Network's series Royal Pains (2009), and starred in the critically-acclaimed, Will Farrell-produced HBO comedy Eastbound & Down (2009) co-starring Danny McBride as down-and-out baseball player and love interest Kenny Powers. She also had a role in the Jon Favreau-directed Cowboys & Aliens (2011) starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Sam Rockwell, produced by Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. The film crosses the classic Western with the alien-invasion movie in its story about a lone cowboy leading an uprising against murderous aliens from outer space. Ana also played a nurse in the teen drama Everything, Everything (2017), and in 2021, starred in two action-horror films, Army of the Dead (2021) and The Forever Purge (2021).

As if her busy acting career isn't enough, de la Reguera is also heavily involved with charity work. Most recently she uploaded a video to YouTube in order to help raise awareness for Veracruz, her home state, affected by heavy rains and a devastating Hurricane Karl. In the video she speaks about a variety of options for support and help that victims of the Hurrcane can utilize, and offers methods to make donations. The viral campaign went all over Twitter and other online sites, raising much needed money for the victims of the hurricane. She also founded the organization VeracruzANA AC, which is a philanthropic organization whose mission is to raise funds and build a tourist boulevard of Antigua--something that has been promised by political organizations for years. Antigua is one of the most important and historical communities in Veracruz, and also one of the areas the most damaged by the hurricane. This June marked the culmination of her hard work and the grand Opening ceremony for the touristic boulevard.

Rosenda Monteros was born on 31 August 1935 in Veracruz, Mexico. She was an actress, known for The Magnificent Seven (1960), She (1965) and Rapiña (1975). She was married to Julio Bracho. She died on 29 December 2018 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Eduardo Santamarina was born on 9 July 1969 in Veracruz, Mexico. He is an actor, known for De frente al sol (1992), Marisol (1996) and Juan (2007). He has been married to Mayrín Villanueva since 2009. They have one child. He was previously married to Itatí Cantoral.

Iran Castillo was born in Veracruz, Veracruz. Daughter of Martha Pinzón and Carlos Castillo. She started as a model doing commercials at a very young age, and later became an actress, specially known for her role as Cecilia in "Agujetas de Color de Rosa" (1994).

In music business she was part of the girl band "Mosquitas Muertas" (1991). Her solo debut album "Tiempos Nuevos" (1997) was released under Sony Music Mexico with the top ten hit song "Yo por él".

She starred in many popular telenovelas such as "Soñadoras", "Preciosa", "Clase 406" and most recently in "S.O.S. Me estoy enamorando". Iran was nominated for best actress for the films "El Tigre de Santa Julia" (2003) and "Victorio" (2012) in the MTV movie awards México, and Premios Ariel, respectively.

Adriana Fonseca is one of the most recognizable actress's in the Latin world. With over 14 Soap Operas that have been around the world, 4 movies, TV series with TV networks such as Fox and Endemol, theatrical plays, hosting shows, dancing competition and now she's aiming for the American market with a special participation in the Netflix series "Documentary Now" and her first English movie, now in post-production, for release in 2017.

Winner of several awards in the US, Mexico and Latin America, Adriana Fonseca has grown as one of the most talented woman of her generation.

Her last project, "Corazón Valiente" for Telemundo, in the Latin world, achieved a record in audience as one of the most watched soap operas in the US.

She began her career when she was 15 years old in her hometown Veracruz, Mexico and in 1997 she won the award for the most beautiful woman for a recognized newspaper "El Herlado de Mexico" named "El Rostro del Heraldo".

She's done it all. She can do it all.

Dalia Hernández was born on 14 August 1985 in Veracruz, Mexico. She is an actress, known for Apocalypto (2006), Soho Sq. and Miracle Underground.

Claudia Ramírez was born on 30 July 1964 in Minatitlan, Veracruz, Mexico. She is an actress, known for Confessions (2023), El color de la pasión (2014) and Lo imperdonable (2015).

Angélica Chain was born on 24 May 1956 in Veracruz, México. She is an actress, known for El diario íntimo de una cabaretera (1989), Mil millas al sur (1978) and La tentación (1991).

The legendary "granny of Mexican cinema" began her movie career when she was a 22-year-old teacher in a nun's school for girls. One day, young Sara's attention was attracted to a small building in downtown Mexico City. Inside it was Azteca Films, one of the very first Mexican film production companies, about to produce its first feature: Alma de sacrificio (1917). The leading lady was stage actress turned film producer (and writer, actress, editor and, maybe director) Mimí Derba. After some screening tests, young Sara was offered a contract. She accepted although she didn't say a word in her college until many months after. Her early experiences in movies lead her to a career in stage. She only made one film between 1918 and 1933. She returned to the screen in Death Flight (1934) and began a very long career of 148 films. Almost from the beginning, Sara García specialized in portraying mothers and grandmas, hence her nickname. This specialization began when she dared to remove her entire teeth to get the role of a granny in Allá en el Trópico (1940). After that tremendous tour-de-force her entire career, with very few exceptions, was devoted to this kind of roles. She co-starred with almost the entire cast of Mexican movie stars from the '30s to the '70s. Her films are still popular because they're on TV very often.

Film director graduated from CUEC UNAM, now ENAC. He has received the Ariel Award from the Mexican Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on several occasions, he was nominated in 2007 for the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival with his debut feature Blue Eyelids and won the Sundance Audience Award in 2017 for I Dream in Another Language. In 2021 he released Impossible Things, a film that quickly won over the Mexican public. His film Where the Tracks End was released in 2023 to great acclaim on Netflix.

Contreras has directed television series such as El Chapo, Pedal to the Metal and Belascoarán for Netflix, Before I Forget for HBO MAX and Falco for Amazon, which won the 2019 International Emmy Award. Tengo que morir todas las noches on Paramount+, a series that won Best Director at the SeriesMania festival in France, will soon be released, and he is in post-production of Para siempre, a Netflix original series, in both projects Contreras serves as showrunner.

Ernesto Gómez Cruz was born on 7 November 1933 in Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico. He was an actor, known for The Realm of Fortune (1986), Midaq Alley (1995) and The Crime of Padre Amaro (2002). He died on 6 April 2024 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico.

This veteran character and his younger brother, western actor Jack Rockwell, were born to American parents south of the border in Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1882. Charles Trowbridge was educated in Napa, California and Hawaii, then studied for his degree at Stanford University. He forsook a thriving career as an architect in his twenties for stage acting, receiving early training at the Alcazar Theatre in San Francisco with Bert Lytell and Bessie Barriscale. He then moved to New York where he earned a number of regional roles in the Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia areas before making his Broadway bow with "The Marriage Game" in 1913. He proceeded to build up his resume impressively with the plays "Daddy Long Legs" in 1914 and when it was revived in 1918, "The Broken Wing (1920), "Craig's Wife (1925), "Ladies Leave" (1929) and "Dinner at Eight" (1933). He made a sampling of silents over the years as well, primarily in drama, with The Fight (1915), Thais (1917) and The Eternal Magdalene (1919) to name a few. After co-starring opposite Corinne Griffith in Island Wives (1922), however, he was not seen again for nearly a decade.

After a steady diet of Broadway plays, he was signed by Paramount for character roles in sound pictures and proceeded to support the top stars. With his rangy build, piercing blue eyes, premature gray hair and serious countenance, Trowbridge was particularly useful throughout the 1930s and 1940s in crime yarns, horrors and in rugged settings starting out with Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard in the romantic drama I Take This Woman (1931). Trowbridge usually adopted a friendly but intelligent, officious demeanor as assorted doctors, judges, bankers, lawyers, military brass and even U.S. presidents. He appeared rather indiscriminately in a number of "A" quality films including Captains Courageous (1937), Meet John Doe (1941), Sergeant York (1941) and Mildred Pierce (1945), and in popular cliffhangers such as King of the Texas Rangers (1941), Adventures of the Flying Cadets (1943) and Captain America (1944). He often played well-meaning victims who died in the first reel, notably in horrors. His last two films were unbilled bits, courtesy of John Ford, in The Wings of Eagles (1957) and The Last Hurrah (1958). Retired thereafter, Trowbridge passed away a number of years later at age 85.

Norma Lazareno was born on 5 November 1939 in Alvarado, Veracruz, Mexico. She is an actress, known for Even the Wind Is Afraid (1968), El Estudiante (2009) and Maria Isabel (1968). She was previously married to Pablo Ferrel.

Sara Maldonado Fuentes was born on March 10th 1980 in the city of Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. She studied acting in "Centro de Educación Artística de Televisa" for 2 years.

She debuted as the protagonist of the Mexican soap "El Juego de la Vida"(2001) in the role of Lorena. In 2002 and 2003 she acted as Tatiana in the Mexican hit "Clase 406". In 2004 she was chosen again to the leading role of Diana in the soap "Corazones al límite".

She participated in the Mexican beauty contest "El Rostro del Heraldo", which was organized by Mexican news paper "Heraldo", and won the first place.

Evita Muñoz was born on November 26th, 1936, in Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico. Before she was 4 years old, she was in front of the cameras already making _El Secreto del Sacerdote_ with Pedro Armendáriz. It was in her second film, ¡Ay Jalisco... no te rajes! (1941) with Jorge Negrete, that she was given the nickname of "Chachita". From then on, she became the star of her own movies, like Morenita clara (1943) and La hija del payaso (1946). When she was a teenager, she stared in the biggest grossing and still most popular trilogy of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema: _Nosotros los pobres (1948)_, _Ustedes los ricos (1948)_, and Pepe El Toro (1953), sharing credits with Pedro Infante. Her ongoing career spans over 40 classic films during 60 years as a wonderfully complete actress, star, idol and has made her a living legend in her own time, as the sole survivor of the Golden Age of Mexican Movies.

Miguel Pizarro was born on 8 August 1960 in Córdoba, Veracruz, Mexico. He is an actor, known for Rubí (2004), El Pantera (2007) and Teresa (1989).

Marisol del Olmo was born on 9 May 1975 in Veracruz, Mexico. She is an actress, known for Mañana es para siempre (2008), Soy tu dueña (2010) and Pasión (2007).

Agustín Arana was born on 27 August 1968 in Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico. He is an actor, known for Palabra de mujer (2007), Las tontas no van al cielo (2008) and La fea más bella (2006).

Luis de Alba was born on 7 March 1945 in Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico. He is an actor and writer, known for Serafin y la lámpara libidinosa (1994), Los pelotones y Juan Camaney (1990) and El valiente vive... hasta que el cobarde quiere (1979).

Fons studied film production in the Universitary Center of Film Studies at National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), belonging to the very first generation of Mexican directors who studied to become filmmakers. His short film Caridad (1973) -part of the trilogy Fe Esperanza y Caridad (1973)- is still considered one of the best movies in Mexican cinema. His career has peaked recently with two of the most remarkable films of recent Mexican movie history: Red Dawn (1990) and El Midaq Alley (1995).

Carlos Bonavides was born on 14 October 1942 in Veracruz, Mexico. He is an actor, known for El premio mayor (1995), Vecinos (2005) and Noche de buitres (1988). He has been married to Yodi Marcos since 14 October 2007. They have one child. He was previously married to Esperanza Font.

Sergio Basañez, was born on May 4 1970, in Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico. He has a brother named, Carlos, and a sister named María de los Angeles. Besides from being an actor, he is also a lawyer. His first big role was in 1992's _"Sueños de Amor" (1993)_. In 1998 he did an excelent job in "Mentira, La" (1998)_. In 1999 he went to TV Azteca, and starred with Silvia Navarro in _"Catalina y Sebastian" (1999)_, _"Calle de las Novias, La" (2000)_, and his most excellent work to date, When You Are Mine (2001), which is a remake of "Café con Aroma de Mujer". He is now starting in Un nuevo amor (2003), alongside Vanessa Acosta as Isabel, and Karen Senties as Valentina Méndez.

Mercedes Carreño was born on 15 September 1947 in Minatitlan, Veracruz, Mexico. She was an actress and writer, known for La choca (1974), Los perros de Dios (1974) and No hay cruces en el mar (1968). She was married to Juan Manuel Torres and José Lorenzo Zakany Almada. She died on 21 July 2022 in Harlingen, Texas, USA.

Delia Casanova was born on 4 November 1948 in Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico. She is an actress, known for Midaq Alley (1995), All of them Witches (1996) and Cadenas de amargura (1991).