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Patricia Velásquez

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Velásquez and the second or maternal family name is Semprún.
Patricia Velásquez
Velásquez at South by Southwest in 2019
Born
Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún

(1971-01-31) 31 January 1971 (age 53)
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Occupations
Years active1989–present
Known for
Height1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)[1]
Children1

Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún (born 31 January 1971) is a Venezuelan actress, model, and philanthropist. As an actress, she is known for her portrayal of Anck-su-namun in the 1999 film The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns.

In 2002, Patricia started the Wayùu Taya Foundation, a foundation committed to improving the living conditions of the indigenous communities in Venezuela.[2]

Early life

Velásquez was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, the fifth of six children of a mestizo father and a mother of the indigenous Wayuu people.[3][4] Velásquez's parents were both teachers, and her father, who also worked for UNESCO, was assigned to other countries. Velásquez grew up with her family in France, Venezuela and Mexico.

She is fluent in English, Spanish, French, and Italian.[5]

Career

From 1995 to 2000, Velásquez studied acting in Los Angeles and New York.[5] She walked runways in ready-to-wear fashion shows for designers such as Chanel, Chloé, John Galliano, Claude Montana, Dolce & Gabbana and many others. Velásquez appeared in print ads for Chanel's Allure, Monsoon, Roberto Verino's Verino fragrance, among others.

During her modeling career, she appeared on multiple covers like Vogue, Bazaar,and Marie Claire.Velásquez served as the face of Cover Girl for eight years, marking her as their first Latin supermodel to transition into mainstream media.

Velásquez played Meela Nais / Anck-Su-Namun in the 1999 film The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns.

She had a special appearance on "Breaking the Girl" video of the alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. She also appeared on the Rod Stewart video "Leave Virginia Alone" and others, such as Ricardo Montaner "Para Llorar" and George Michael "Spinning the Wheel."

In 2002, Velásquez founded The Wayuu Taya Foundation,[6] a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the Wayuu, an indigenous people located in northwestern Venezuela and northern Colombia.[7] In 2010, after the devastating Haiti earthquake, she had the Wayuú Tayá Foundation commission a special symbol of hope to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. It was sold with the slogan: Keep the "H" Close to Your Heart—Help Haiti Hope.[8]

Velásquez was appointed UNESCO Artist for Peace (Goodwill Ambassador) in June 2003, in the context of the International Decade for the World’s Indigenous People. She was honored in recognition of her actions for protection of the Wayúu indigenous people in Latin America and for safeguarding their cultural heritage.[9]

in 2006, Velasquez was critically acclaimed for her debut stage performance in the lead role of School of the Americas at the Public Theater in New York City.[10]

Velásquez played the character of Begoña on several episodes of The L Word during its 5th season (2008). She had a recurring role on the television series Arrested Development playing Marta Estrella. On CSI: Miami, in the episode "From the Grave", she appeared as a guest star, playing Celia Gonzalez. She had a recurring role in the first season of Rescue Me playing Nez. She also guest appeared on Ugly Betty and Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series, season 9) She also voiced the character Marisol Díez Delgado in the SSX franchise and Unuratu on the Tombraider game.

She received the “Women Together” award at the United Nations on 2009. The Awards Ceremony recognizes the valuable contribution of men, women, and institutions dedicated to the creation of a more equal society[11][12]

Velásquez competed on behalf of the charity Wayúu Tayá Foundation on the twelfth season of The Apprentice.

On 2015, LA Femme Film Festival gave Velásquez their Humanitarian Award.[13]

On August 30, 2018, the Organization of American States (OAS) appointed Velásquez as Goodwill Ambassador for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas during a ceremony at its headquarters in Washington, DC.[14]

Velásquez was honored by the Human Rights Campaign with the 2018 Visibility Award in New England.[15]

In 2019, she played Patricia Alvarez in the horror film The Curse of La Llorona.

In 2020, Velásquez played Nurse Velasquez in Malignant[16], Mariela Vicuna in Brut Force,[17] and Meg in List of a Lifetime where she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the 2022 Imagen Awards.[18]

In 2024, Patricia was featured in Time magazine.[19] Additionally, she took on the lead role in Maya, a film addressing human trafficking, directed by Julia Verdin. Furthermore, Patricia is set to appear in No Address, a film spotlighting homelessness, slated for release later this year.

Patricia has spoken at TED Conference,[20] The Clinton Global Initiative,[21] The Human Rights Campaign,[22] and numerous other venues.

Personal life

Velásquez has a daughter named Maya.

In February 2015, Velásquez released her memoir "Straight Walk", recalling her journey from poverty to international acclaim. She came out as a lesbian, saying that she wanted to set an example of honesty for her daughter.[23] Velásquez is currently in a relationship with Canadian social venture philanthropist, social advocate, and business investor Alison Lawton.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Unzipped Herself Documentary
1995 Catwalk
1996 Le Jaguar Maya
1997 Eruption Luisa Soares
1999 Beowulf Pendra
1999 The Mummy Anck-Su-Namun
1999 No Vacancy Ramona
1999 Facade Juanita
2000 Committed Carmen
2000 Saint Bernard Claudia
2000 Turn It Up
2001 The Mummy Returns Meela Nais / Anck-Su-Namun
2004 Mindhunters Nicole Willis
2004 Zapata: El sueño del héroe Josefa
2004 12 days of Christmas Eve Isobel Frias
2011 Cenizas eternas Ana
2014 Liz in September Liz
2016 Guys Reading Poems Mother
2017 Little Heroes Pilar
2019 The Curse of La Llorona Patricia Alvarez
2021 Malignant Nurse
2021 Brut Force Mariela Vicuña imdb
2021 List of a Lifetime Meg
2022 Free Dead or Alive[24] Soledad
2022 Satanic Hispanics[25] Maribel[26]
TBA No Address Gabrielle

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2001 Ed Sonja Amata Episode: "Closure"
2002 Fidel Mirta Díaz-Balart Television film
2002 E! Historias verdaderas: El peso de una corona Herself Television documentary
2002–2004 American Family Adela / Elena 15 episodes
2003–2004 Arrested Development Marta Estrella 5 episodes
2004 Rescue Me Nez 2 episodes
2004 The Twelve Days of Christmas Eve Isobel Frias Television film
2005 CSI: Miami Celia Gonzalez Episode: "From the Grave"
2008 The L Word Begoña / Karina 5 episodes
2010 Ugly Betty Victoria Velez Episode: "Chica and the Man"
2011 Almighty Thor Járnsaxa Television film
2012 The Apprentice Contestant 14 episodes
2019 Hawaii Five-0 Teresa Estrada Episode: "Pupuhi Ka He'e O Kai Uli"

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2001 SSX Tricky Marisol Diez Delgado Voice
2018 Shadow of the Tomb Raider Unuratu

References

  1. ^ "Patricia Velasquez". Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  2. ^ "To Curb Mass Migration, Help People Thrive Where They Are". Time. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  3. ^ Featspress (April 2001). "Mummy Returns, The: Interview with Patricia Velasquez". Cinema.com.
  4. ^ "Iman and Petra support a model cause in New York". Hello!. 11 May 2007. Archived from the original on 15 May 2007.
  5. ^ a b "Patricia Velasquez - Details". Cinema.com. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
  6. ^ "Home Page". Wayuu Taya Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  7. ^ "About the Wayúu Tayá Foundation". Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2007.
  8. ^ "Help Haiti Hope". Keep the "H" Close to Your Heart – Help Haiti Hope. Archived from the original on 1 February 2010.
  9. ^ "Patricia Velásquez | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization". www.unesco.org. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  10. ^ "New York Times".
  11. ^ "Women Together Awards". Women Together. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  12. ^ "UN Webcast Archives". www.un.org. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  13. ^ "LA Femme 2015 Humanitarian Award- Patricia Velasquez". www.lafemme.org. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  14. ^ OAS (1 August 2009). "OAS - Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development". www.oas.org. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  15. ^ Human Rights Campaign (26 November 2018), Patricia Velásquez Honored with HRC Visibility Award in New England, retrieved 15 March 2019
  16. ^ Malignant (2021) - IMDb, retrieved 6 October 2022
  17. ^ Symington, Eve (21 April 2022), Brut Force (Thriller), Akaasha Media, One Duck Egg Productions, retrieved 6 October 2022
  18. ^ Tinoco, Armando (15 August 2022). "Imagen Awards Nominations: 'Encanto', Eugenio Derbez & 'West Side Story' Among Top Contenders". Deadline. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  19. ^ Time (2024)- To Curb Mass Migration, Help People Thrive Where They Are
  20. ^ Patricia Velásquez, Y el cambio comienza en nuestros niños, TEDxTepuy
  21. ^ CGI 2023 | Story Studio with Patricia Velasquez, Clinton Global Initiative
  22. ^ Patricia Velásquez Honored with HRC Visibility Award, HRC
  23. ^ "First Latina Supermodel Patricia Velasquez Comes Out as a Lesbian". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  24. ^ Bernard, Erik (9 August 2022), Free Dead or Alive (Action), TLG Motion Pictures, Rebel 6 Films, BondIt Media Capital, retrieved 6 October 2022
  25. ^ Brugués, Alejandro; Mendez, Mike; Rugna, Demián (25 September 2022), Satanic Hispanics (Horror), Epic Pictures, retrieved 6 October 2022
  26. ^ Satanic Hispanics (2022) - IMDb, retrieved 6 October 2022
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