María Conchita Alonso
María Conchita Alonso |
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María Conchita Alonso (born June 29, 1957), better known as María Conchita, is a Grammy Award-nominated Cuban-born Venezuelan singer and actress.
Early life
María Alonso was born María Concepción Alonso Bustillo in Cienfuegos, Cuba, the daughter of Ricardo Alonso and Conchita Bustillo. The family moved to Venezuela when she was 5 years old, in 1962. She took her first steps in show business when she was crowned Miss Teenager Of The World in 1971 and was 1st runner-up of the Miss Venezuela pageant in 1975; she was also a finalist at the 1975 Miss World pageant won by Puerto Rico's Wilnelia Merced; thereafter she quickly became a popular actress in Venezuela.
Career
Alonso became the front woman of the band Ámbar in 1979, and started a career as a recording artist in 1982, with the release of "Dangerous Rhythm". In what is generally considered to be her best known song, she was asked by Giorgio Moroder to sing his version of "Vamos a Bailar" which he had written to be part of the soundtrack for the film Scarface. The song instantly became a classic amongst Spanish speakers despite failing to garner any major attention outside of Cuba where it was recorded. As her two albums with Ambar and her solo debut were recorded in English, it was her second album "Maria Conchita" from 1984 that made her a singing star in the Spanish-speaking market, receiving a "Best Latin Artist" Grammy nomination for it in 1985[citation needed].
She made her Hollywood film debut in 1984 in Moscow on the Hudson with Robin Williams, and also appeared in movies like The Running Man, Predator 2, The House of the Spirits,Vampire's Kiss, Colors and the TV reality show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. She was one of the few Latin-born actress to star in a Broadway show in 1995, playing Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman. Alonso also acted in romantic comedies Chasing Papi (2003) and The Last Guy on Earth (2006) (post production).
According to the ABC site, she raised $20,000 for charity organizations such as the US Humane Society, the Global Medical Relief Fund, and the Venezuela Without Boundaries Foundation.[1]
Alonso was cast to play Lucía, the mother of Gabrielle Solis, on the ABC hit show Desperate Housewives. The episode was aired on February 19, 2006. She starred in the live-action film of the comic book, El Muerto, as Sister Rosa, and she is being featured at the movie "Material Girls", that went out in United States as of August 18, 2006.
Alonso is currently hosting VH1's Viva Hollywood! on April 13, 2008 with Carlos Ponce.
Political views
Alonso is an outspoken critic of elected Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, whom she has described as a "dictator" like "Hitler",[2] and those who vote and support him as "terrorists".[3] She has appeared on Sean Hannity's Hannity's America on May 6, 2007, Hannity & Colmes on June 1, 2007[2] and Bill O'Reilly's The O'Reilly Factor on August 13, 2007 and March 11, 2009.
In the fall of 2008, Alonso endorsed the presidential campaign of Republican nominee John McCain, writing:
As a Latina and a new American citizen, I believe in this country and its people, and I believe that we need more than just "change." We need a leader who can bring about the right kind of change, and John McCain has the experience and judgment necessary to lead us in these uncertain times. I grew up in Cuba and Venezuela, and I am appalled that Barack Obama apparently wants to emulate the "spread the wealth" economic policies of those countries and negotiate with their leaders.[4]
María's brother, Roberto Alonso, was one of the four speakers who gave a speech at the closing of Senator John McCain's campaign in Florida.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Solon | ||
| Estefanía | Silvana Cataldo | TV Series | |
| Mabel Valdez, periodista | TV series | ||
| 1980 | Natalia de 8 a 9 | Mariana Brito | TV Series |
| Mi hijo Gabriel | TV series | ||
| 1981 | Marielena | Marielena | TV Series |
| Angelito | TV series | ||
| Luz Marina | Luz Marina | TV Series | |
| El Esposo de Anaís | TV series | ||
| 1982 | Claudia | Claudia | TV Series |
| Fantasy Island | French Girl | 1 episode | |
| Knight Rider | Marie Elena Casafranca | 1 episode | |
| 1984 | Nacho | playing herself | TV series |
| Moscow on the Hudson | Lucia Lombardo | ||
| Fear City | Silver | as Maria Conchita | |
| 1986 | A Fine Mess | Claudia Pazzo | aka Blake Edwards' A Fine Mess (USA: complete title) |
| Touch and Go | Denise DeLeon | ||
| 1987 | Il Cugino americano | Caterina Ammirati | aka Blood Ties (USA: TV title) |
| Extreme Prejudice | Sarita Cisneros | ||
| 1988 | The Running Man | Amber Mendez | |
| Con el corazón en la mano | |||
| Colors | Louisa Gomez | ||
| 1989 | One of the Boys | Maria Conchita Navarro | 1 episode |
| Vampire's Kiss | Alva Restrepo | ||
| 1990 | Predator 2 | Leona Cantrell | |
| 1991 | Cuerpos clandestinos (TV) | Claudia | |
| McBain | Christina | ||
| 1992 | Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (TV) | Carmen | aka Power Play: The Jackie Presser Story (UK: video title) |
| 1993 | Roosters | Chata | |
| The House of the Spirits | Tránsito Soto | ||
| 1994 | Alejandra TV series | Alejandra | |
| Texas (TV) | Lucia | aka James A. Michener's Texas | |
| MacShayne: The Final Roll of the Dice (TV) | Cindy Evans | ||
| 1996 | Caught | Betty | aka Atrapados (USA: Spanish title) |
| For Which He Stands | Theresa Rochetti | ||
| Sudden Terror: The Hijacking of School Bus #17 | Marta Caldwell | ||
| 1997 | Women: Stories of Passion | Sophia | 1 episode |
| Chicago Hope | Emma Scull | 2 episodes | |
| Robert Altman's Gun | Marti | 1 episode | |
| Catherine's Grove | Charley Vasquez | ||
| F/X: The Series | Elena Serrano | 2 episodes | |
| Acts of Betrayal | Eva Ramirez | ||
| 1998 | Exposé | Nancy Drake | aka Footsteps (Philippines: English title) (USA: working title) |
| Blackheart | Annette | ||
| The Nanny | Concepcion Sheffield | 1 episode | |
| The Outer Limits | Marie Alexander | - | |
| El Grito en el cielo | Miranda Vega | aka Shout Out (USA: festival title) | |
| My Husband's Secret Life(TV) | Toni Diaz | ||
| 1999 | Touched by an Angel | Dr. Sandra Pena | 1 episode |
| Dillinger in Paradise | Lola | ||
| 2000 | Chain of Command | Vice President Gloria Valdez | |
| Knockout | Carmen Alvarado | ||
| A Vision of Murder: The Story of Donielle (TV) | Gloria | ||
| Best Actress (TV) | Maria Katarina Caldone | ||
| High Noon (TV) | Helen Ramirez | ||
| Twice in a Lifetime | Kat Lopez | 1 episode | |
| The Princess & the Barrio Boy (TV) | Minerva Rojas | aka She's in Love (UK) | |
| 2001 | The Code Conspiracy | Rachel | |
| Resurrection Blvd. | Julia Hernandez | 3 episodes | |
| Birth of Babylon | Lupe Velez | ||
| 2002 | Blind Heat | Adrianna Scott | |
| Robbery Homicide Division | Claudia | 1 episode | |
| 2003 | The Company You Keep | Vera | |
| Kingpin TV mini-series | Ariela | ||
| Heart of America | Mrs. Jones | aka Home Room (Australia) | |
| Chasing Papi | Maria | ||
| Newton's Law | |||
| 2004 | Return to Babylon | Lupe Velez | |
| Blood Moon | Marisela Gonzalez | ||
| CSI: Miami | Marisela Gonzalez | 1 episode | |
| 2005 | English as a Second Language | Consuelo Sara | |
| Smoke | Aurora Avila | ||
| 2006 | Desperate Housewives | Lucia | 1 episode |
| Material Girls | Inez | ||
| 2007 | The Dead One | Sister Rosa | |
| The Condor (V) | Mrs. Valdez (voice) | aka Stan Lee Presents: The Condor (USA: DVD box title) | |
| Saints & Sinners | Diana Martin | 62 episodes | |
| 2008 | Richard III | Queen Elizabeth | |
| Tranced | Libra | ||
| The Art of Travel | Mrs. Layne | ||
| The Red Canvas (post-production) | Maria Sanchez | ||
| Trópico de sangre (filming) | |||
| Two Minutes Of Hate (announced) | Dos minutos de odio | ||
| Unauthorized Clifford (announced) | Des-Autorizado (Venezuela: wide-release title) |
Radio
- Recorded a public service announcement for Deejay Ra's 'Hip-Hop Literacy' campaign
Discography
- Love Maniac (with Ambar, 1979)
- The Witch (with Ambar, 1980)
- Dangerous Rhythm (1982)
- María Conchita (1984)
- Acaríciame
- Noche De Copas
- La Loca
- Cadena
- Decir Te Quiero
- Entre La Espada Y La Pared
- Amor De Madrugada
- Dame Un Poquito De Tu Amor
- Eres Tan Real
- O Ella O Yo (1985) (Billboard Latin Pop Albums #9)
- Grandes Éxitos (1986)
- Mírame (1987) (Billboard Latin Pop Albums #12)
- Colors (1988)
- Hazme Sentir (1990)
- Hazme Sentir
- Soy El Amor
- A Él Lo Quiero
- Esa Mañana
- Mátame
- En La Noche
- Acérate Más
- No Encuentro Paz
- El Tonto Aquel
- Las Sombras De La Noche
- Me Vuelve Loca Tu Amor
- En Vivo - México (1991)
- Imagíname (1992)
- Alejandra: Boleros (1994)
- Hoy Y Siempre (1997)
- Soy : Single CD (2005)
Singles
| Year | Song | Hot Latin Songs | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Sueltame" | 22 | Grandes Éxitos |
| 1987 | "Otra Mentira Más" | 24 | Mírame |
| 1988 | "Y Es Que Llegaste Tú" | 5 | |
| 1990 | "Hazme Sentir" | 24 | Hazme Sentir |
| 1991 | "A Él Lo Quiero" | 35 | |
| 1993 | "Promesas" | 20 | Imagíname |
References
- ^ Error - ABC.com
- ^ a b "All those people are Chavistas, all those people are controlled by Chavez... So they say what Chavez wants them to say... No, he was not elected democratically. The first time he was elected democratically, but the last two time[s], the referendum and this last month of December, he was not. And I don't have the proof because I'm not into politics." Hannity & Colmes, Fox News. June 2007.
- ^ Geraghty, James. "After Watching Her Speak, Giuliani Was an Afterthought", National Review Online. May 1, 2007.
- ^ Press office. Maria Conchita Alonso Endorses John McCain JohnMcCain.com, October 31, 2008.
External links
- Official web site
- Maria Conchita Alonso at IMDb
- Interview
- Public speaking profile
- Maria Conchita Alonso speaks out against Hugo Chavez on Hannity's America
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