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Mónica Spear

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Mónica Spear
Born
Mónica Spear Mootz

(1984-10-01)October 1, 1984
Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela
DiedJanuary 6, 2014(2014-01-06) (aged 29)
Near Puerto Cabello, Carabobo State, Venezuela
Alma materUniversity of Central Florida
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Spouse
Thomas Henry Berry
​
​
(m. 2008; div. 2012)​
Children1
Beauty pageant titleholder
TitleMiss Venezuela 2004
Hair colorBlack
Eye colorBrown
Major
competition(s)		Miss Venezuela 2004
(Winner)
Miss Universe 2005
(4th Runner-Up)

Template:Spanish name

Mónica Spear Mootz (October 1, 1984 – January 6, 2014) was a Venezuelan beauty pageant titleholder and actress who won Miss Venezuela 2004. She also represented Venezuela at Miss Universe 2005, where she finished as fourth runner-up. Since 2006 she had been an actress in telenovelas (soap operas).[1]

Pageantry

Miss Venezuela 2004

During the Miss Venezuela 2004 pageant, Spear won the national crown and represented Venezuela at Miss Universe 2005.[2]

Miss Universe 2005

Spear made the top 15 after Ana Karina Áñez (Miss Venezuela 2003) failed to make the top 15 in Miss Universe 2004, which was the first time in 22 years that Venezuela failed to place.[3] Spear went on to place in the top five after the evening gown and swimsuit competitions. During the final question round, she stumbled while answering the question given by Miss Mexico, Laura Elizondo, and eventually finished as fourth runner-up.

Personal life

The Spear family moved to Orlando, Florida in 2000 after her mother, Ingrid, retired from her job with an oil company in Venezuela. Her father, Rafael, is a project engineer at Siemens Westinghouse.[4] Prior to being named the "fifth most beautiful woman in the universe,"[5] Spear completed a bachelor's degree in theater from the University of Central Florida before returning to Venezuela to compete in the national pageant. Her participation in Miss Venezuela garnered notoriety when she was asked during the traditional "breakfast with press" the day after the pageant, because of her degree, which Venezuelan playwright she liked the most, to which she answered, "Gabriel García Márquez",[6] a Colombian writer. She crowned her Miss Venezuela successor, Jictzad Viña, on September 15, 2005.

Spear married a British businessman, Thomas Henry Berry, whose nationality was later misidentified as Irish, in June 2008. She gave birth to a daughter later the same year.[7] The pair divorced in 2013, but remained friendly.[1] She was a naturalized United States citizen, resident in Miami, Florida.[8][9] She is a cousin of Jossie Nikita Marques Spear, a Venezuelan model.

Professional life

After modeling, Spear became one of the most successful actresses in Venezuela for her main roles in soap operas.[10] Her first role as a protagonist was in the RCTV soap opera Mi Prima Ciela (My Cousin Ciela), in which she played a high-school student battling leukemia. The show was a success in Venezuela and other parts of South America, and it was also televised in the U.S. by TeleFutura. Spear held the starring role in Venevisión's soap opera La Mujer Perfecta in 2010, and recently had a lead role in Flor Salvaje; a Spanish-language telenovela produced by the Miami-based television network Telemundo and RTI Producciones. She had lived in Miami since she began working for Telemundo.[11]

Death

On January 6, 2014, Spear was in her native Venezuela on vacation with her ex-husband and their five-year-old daughter. On a highway in central Carabobo, when the three were inside their car waiting for assistance after the vehicle had broken down, Spear and her ex-husband were killed during an attempted robbery and their daughter shot and wounded in her leg. The police reported that the incident occurred around 9 or 10 p.m.[12][13] It has been theorized that the thieves tried to rob them and the couple tried to resist.[14][15]

On the initial suggestion that her husband was Irish, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs was investigating the incident. However, local police said he was travelling on a British passport. The international media also highlighted the rising rate of crime in Venezuela.[16]

Investigation and aftermath

On January 8, 2014, seven people were arrested by the Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, Penales y Criminalísticas (CICPC) for their alleged involvement in the murder. At the time of the arrest, the Venezuelan authorities also confiscated several items believed to have been owned by Spear and Berry.[17]

Telenovelas

Year Project [18] Role Notes
2006 El Desprecio Tamara Campos Antagonist
2007 Mi prima Ciela[19] Graciela Andreína Zambrano Ávila "La Ciela" Protagonist
2009 Calle luna, Calle sol María Esperanza Rodríguez Protagonist
2010 Que el cielo me explique Violetta de Robles Special participation
2010–2011 La Mujer Perfecta Micaela Gómez Protagonist
2011–2012 Flor Salvaje Flor / Amanda Monteverde Protagonist
2013 Pasión Prohibida[20] Bianca Santillana de Piamonte Protagonist

Awards

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2013
Premios Tu Mundo[21][22]
Protagonista Favorita (Favorite Lead Actress)
Pasión Prohibida
Nominated

See also

References

  1. ^ a b López, Virginia (January 8, 2014). "Former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear and British ex-husband shot dead in robbery". The Guardian. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  2. ^ "Gala de la Belleza 2004" (in Spanish). Bellezavenezolana.net. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  3. ^ "Noticias de Octubre 19, 2004". Bellezavenezolana.net. October 26, 1976. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  4. ^ Curtis, Henry Pierson (January 7, 2014). "Mónica Spear: UCF grad, former Miss Venezuela killed by armed robbers in Venezuela". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  5. ^ y/05/05/31/ultmo_155459.asp "Diario EL PAIS – Montevideo". Elpais.com.uy. Retrieved January 8, 2014. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  6. ^ "Til_art_cul1" (in Template:Es icon). El Universal. Retrieved January 8, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  7. ^ "Monica Mootz and Thomas Henry Berry murdered". January 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  8. ^ "Venezuelan Actress Monica Spear Mootz and Ex-Husband Murdered". Channel 6 Miami. January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  9. ^ "Justice Vowed After Former Beauty Queen Monica Spear Slain in Front of Daughter". ABCNews. January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  10. ^ "Mónica Spear fue galadronada" (in Spanish). Univision.com. February 26, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  11. ^ "Monica Spear Dead". The Huffington Post. January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  12. ^ Pierson, Henry. "Mónica Spear: UCF grad, former Miss Venezuela, killed by armed robbers". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  13. ^ "Venezuelan soap star Monica Spear, husband murdered". Worldnews.nbcnews.com. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  14. ^ Sandra Guerrero/Tibisay Romero. "Asesinados la actriz Mónica Spear y su pareja". El-nacional.com. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  15. ^ Staff. "Matan a balazos durante un asalto a una ex Miss Venezuela". Clarin.com. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  16. ^ "Former Miss Venezuela and ex-husband killed in robbery – World News". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  17. ^ "Suman 7 detenidos por asesinato de ex Miss venezolana". El Universal (Mexico City) (in Spanish). January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  18. ^ "Biografía de Mónica Spear (Fotos)". Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  19. ^ "Mónica Spear: La "Prima Ciela" de Venezuela (Fotos)". Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  20. ^ "Jencarlos Canela y Mónica Spear protagonizan "Pasión Prohibida"". Retrieved 2014-01-09.
  21. ^ "Listado completo de finalistas Premios Tu Mundo 2013" (in Spanish). Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  22. ^ "Premios Tu Mundo 2013: lista de ganadores (fotos)". Huffington Post (in Spanish). Retrieved January 9, 2014.
Preceded by Miss Venezuela
2004 		Succeeded by

Template:Persondata

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