A former Miss Teenager of the World (1971) and major South American recording artist, the exceptionally beautiful Maria Conchita Alonso has earned an international reputation as an actress who has worked on television and in feature films. Born in Cuba, but raised in Caracas, Venezuela, from the age of five, Alonso began her career as a child actress in television commercials and film. She was 14 when she earned her Miss Teenager of the World contest. When she was 18, Alonso was crowned Miss Venezuela and from there became a popular model. As an actress, Alonso worked in ten telenovelas (soap operas) and starred in a quartet of Venezuelan films. In 1982, she emigrated to the U.S. In 1984, Alonso made her Hollywood feature-film debut opposite Robin Williams in Moscow on the Hudson. Thus began a successful career as a supporting actress. Subsequent efforts include Running Man (1987) and House of the Spirits (1993). As a recording artist, the Grammy-nominated Alonso has been popular since 1973. In 1995, while making the film Caught opposite Edward James Olmos, Alonso was also playing Aurora/Spider Woman in a Broadway production of Kiss of the Spider Woman, making her the first South American woman to star on the Great White Way.
by Sandra Brennan
biography
