Paola Turbay: a Colombian-American actress of Lebanese descent, model, and television presenter

Paola Turbay Gómez (born November 29, 1970 in Houston, USA) is a Colombian-American actress of Lebanese descent, model, and television presenter.

Turbay represented Bogotá in the Miss Colombia beauty pageant, which she won in 1991. She was the first runner-up in the 1992 Miss Universe competition.

After finishing her studies in psychology at the Universidad de los Andes, Turbay focused on her career as a model and presenter in entertainment news segments on Noticias QAP and Noticiero C newscasts, as well as an actress, with shows like Hola Paola ("Hello Paola") during the 1990s. In 2005 she was the official presenter, with Miguel Varoni, of the National Beauty Pageant. She has also made cameo appearances in several Colombian series like O todos en la cama, Ecomoda (sequel to Betty la fea) and Leche ("Milk").

After studying acting in Hollywood, Florida, Turbay became the main character of the RCN TV comedy Noticias calientes ("Hot News") in 2002. Two years later she would star the telenovela Las noches de Luciana ("The Nights of Luciana") and in 2006 would present the Colombian version of Dancing with the Stars, Bailando por un Sueño. Paola has also made brief appearances in films such as Lenny the Wonder Dog and Love in the Time of Cholera.

In 2007, Turbay played Isabel Vega on the CBS series Cane, which was canceled in May 2008 after only one season. In 2008 she has been participating as a recurring guest star on the ABC series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She also guested on the Showtime series Californication (Season 2, ep. 8, "Going Down and Out in Beverly Hills") and had a recurring role as an LAPD detective during the fifth season of TNT's The Closer.

On Jan. 6, 2010, she played the role of Beatriz on the CBS series The Mentalist (Season 3, ep. 11, "Bloodsport").

Paola has been cast on the role of Antonia Gavilán for the fourth season of the HBO series True Blood airing in 2011.

Starting in 2010, she had a recurring role on Royal Pains as Marissa Cassaras, Boris's love interest, and mother of his son.
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Norkys Batista: Venezuelan actress, model and former beauty pageant

Norkys Yelitza Batista Villarroel (born August 30, 1977) is a Venezuelan actress, model and former beauty pageant titleholder.

Batista was born in Caracas, Venezuela to Luis Batista, a chief of staff of a company, and Migdalis Villarroel Batista, a housewife. Batista was raised in a low-income neighborhood in southwestern Caracas.

She started off doing many television commercials and gateway. She worked as a promoter of several commercial. During that time studying business administration, but had to travel to the United States because she was offered a job as a model. When the quota had already returned to study Advertising & Marketing at the University Simon Rodriguez, who was at that time that he liked. Its beginnings on television were working as a model in the programmes "Gente de la Manaña" and "Atrevete a Soñar" in the lottery "Triple Gordo" as well as co-leader of "La Tropa de Vacaciones" on Channel RCTV.

She was awarded first runner-up in the Miss Venezuela beauty contest in 1999. In Colombia, was first runner and "most beautiful face" in the Reign International Coffee (2000). And then, in Uruguay, the United States and El Salvador, was crowned Miss Atlantic, Miss America, Miss Mesoamerica International, respectively.

Norkys brought has two successful calendars (2004 and 2006) and a line of underwear.
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Amparo Grisales: a decades Colombian actress and model

Amparo Grisales (born September 19, 1956 in Manizales, Colombia) is a Colombian actress and model who has been active for decades. She's best known for her roles in Spanish-language telenovelas. One of the most acknowledged is her leading role in the original version of El Cuerpo del Deseo, called En Cuerpo Ajeno, opposite leading man Danilo Santos. She is also starring in Las muñecas de la mafia in 2010. She has one of the leading roles as Lucrecia.

Grisales is starring in the 2007 Telemundo serial Madre Luna ("Mother Moon") in a title role specifically created for her.
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Joana Benedek: a Mexican-Romanian actress

Joana Benedek (born January 21, 1972 in Bucharest, Romania) is a Mexican-Romanian actress.

She left her native land in search of work. She first moved to Venezuela before moving to Mexico. In Caracas she continued to study, but later left her studies to work as a model.

In 1997 she signed a contract with a prestigious cosmetics company in New York. During her stay in the city, she decided to study acting in the Academy of Susan Grace.

She was later discovered by a Mexican producer, which began her career as an actress in Mexico.

Sirena, Amigas y Rivales, and Angela are some of the melodramas in which the actress has participated.
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Patricia Manterola: a Mexican singer, actress, model, and fashion designer

Patricia Manterola (born Bertha Patricia Manterola Carrión on April 23, 1972) is a Mexican singer, actress, model, and fashion designer born in Mexico City

Patricia Manterola Carrion was born to Jorge Manterola and Maria Dolores Carrion, the second of three children. Her brother, Jorge, is 11 months older than her, and her younger sister, Michelle, who shares the same birth date as Patricia, is eight years younger.

Paty—as she is also known—attended elementary school at "Colegio Miguel Angel" and "Franco-Espanol." She studied at "Colegio Oxford" in Cuernavaca during her middle school years, where she lived with her extended family for a while. For high school she attended "Tecnologico de Monterey" de Cuernavaca and graduated in Mexico City at "Colegio Miguel Angel."

In addition to her academics, Paty studied dance, voice, and music. She was the main voice in the chorus of the "Miguel Angel Institute." Since she was a little girl she demonstrated an affinity for the entertainment world, participating in school plays, until at the age of nine, she was part of the musical comedy "Anita la Huerfanita," (Little Orphan Annie).

Later, at the age of 12, she was part of the festival "Juguemos a Cantar," together with her brother, Jorge, and two friends, she made it to the finals, which allowed her to record on a compilation album edited for the festival.

Manterola soon entered the world of modeling, which allowed her to meet the Mexican producer Luis de Llano, in 1989, creator of the band, Timbiriche and a successful producer of telenovelas (soap operas). De Llano eventually suggested she audition for the group, but noticing her talent, invited her to be part of a new project known as Garibaldi banda

On April 17, 1999, Paty married Javier Ortiz, a fellow ex-member of Garibaldi. Yet they divorced a little over five years later, in 2005. In a joint letter to the media, Manterola and Ortiz addressed their separation and asked for the public to respect their privacy during this difficult time. She married Forrest Kolb on December 12, 2010 in Xcaret on the Mayan Rivera, Mexico. They were married in a small private wedding with 200 guests and she was dressed by her close friend, Nicolas Felizola.

Manterola made her acting debut with "¿Dónde Quedó La Bolita?" (1993), a comedy featuring Garibaldi. In 1994, after a Garibaldi live performance in Acapulco, Manterola launched her solo career with the release of "Hambre de Amor." Paty's newfound notoriety allowed her to make the smooth transition into acting. Soon thereafter, Paty earned roles in various telenovelas (soap opera) such as "Acapulco, Cuerpo y Alma" (1995) and "Gente Bien" (1997). She received the newcomer of the year award from the Latin American soap opera magazine, TV y Novelas for her portrayal of Lorena on "Acapulco, Cuerpo y Alma."

Within a few years, Manterola was a sought after star, acting in several telenovelas such as: "Los Angeles de Charlie" (Charlie's Angels), "Apuesta por un Amor" (Gamble for Love), and "Destilando Amor." She has also done cameo appearances in "Ugly Betty," Muchas Muchachas and in La Fea Mas Bella.

While Manterola has received greater acclaim in her native Mexico, she has also had a transnational impact by appearing in American television and films. For instance, she has appeared in HBO's Arli$$, Souvenir (1997), The Hazard City (2000), The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood (2000), and Carman: The Champion (2001).

In her role as Gabriela in the Dukes of Hazzard movie, Manterola demonstrated her bilingual ability as her character was pitted as Bo Duke's (John Schneider) love interest. A few years prior to the movie's release, she had enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to study English.

In addition, Manterola has roles in the upcoming movies, The Singer (2008) and The Perfect Game (2009).

Manterola has also been a noted defender of animal rights. On her personal website, Manterola declares: "Hasta los animales mas exoticos merecen vivir en libertad." ("Even the most exotic animals deserve to live in freedom.")
As such, in 2001 she posed nude on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In 2004, she protested Kentucky Fried Chicken's cruel treatment of chickens and urged the multimillion dollar corporation to adhere to a kindler, gentler methodology. More recently, Paty has advocated on behalf of the Monarch butterflies that migrate from Alaska to the Mexican state of Michoacán. She donated personal jewelry which was sold at auction to further the cause.[7]
Manterola's altruism is not solely restricted to animal rights and the environment. In January 2006, she personally donated 1,500 toys for the children of the Delegacion Miguel Hidalgo in Chapultepec. "No hay con qué pagar la sonrisa de un niño," Manterola said. ("A child's smile is priceless.") In 2007, Patricia joined the Baja Una Estrella Foundation to help in the development of education, health, and social development for poor communities in Mexico
Since 2004, Manterola planned to open a business in the Mexican city of Puebla, launching her own line of jeans, "B-good," suitable for everybody (fat, slim, pregnant, children, etc.).

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Natalia Ramírez: a Colombian television actress

Natalia Ramírez is a Colombian television actress.

She is perhaps best known for her appearance as Marcela Valencia in Yo Soy Betty, la Fea (English language: I Am Betty, the Ugly), a comedy-drama telenovela first aired (1999–2001) on RCN TV in Colombia.

In addition to her appearance on Yo Soy Betty, la Fea, Ramírez has since 1988 appeared in at last fifteen other television productions.
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