Patricia Velásquez

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Patricia Velásquez

Promotional photo of Patricia Velásquez
Birth name Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún
Born January 31, 1971
Zulia, Venezuela
Notable roles Anck-su-namun in
The Mummy series

Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún (born January 31, 1971 in Zulia, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan actress and fashion model. She is an Amerindian of Wayuu tribal ancestry, with some Spanish ancestry. She is the fifth of the six children of a couple of Latin-American teachers. In her early life, she also lived in Mexico and France. Velásquez identifies as bisexual, and dated comedian Sandra Bernhard in the mid-1990s.[1] She is 5 ft 9½ in tall (177 cm). In 2002 Velásquez founded the Wayúu Tayá Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the Wayúu, a Venezuelan indigenous group.[2]

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[edit] Acting career

Velásquez appeared in the role of Anck-su-namun in the 1999 film The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns. Her character makes her first entrance in the film in remarkably intricate body paint.

The body of film work Velásquez has been involved in is substantial, especially compared to many other models who try out at acting. A selected filmography is as follows:

  • Le Jaguar (1996), as Maya
  • Eruption (1997), as Luisa Soares
  • Beowulf (1999), as Pendra
  • No Vacancy (1999), as Ramona
  • The Mummy (1999), as Anck Su Namun
  • Committed (2000), as Carmen
  • Façade (2000), as Juanita
  • San Bernardo (2000), as Claudia
  • Turn It Up (2000), (cameo appearance)
  • The Mummy Returns (2001), as Meela Nais/Anck Su Namun
  • SSX Tricky (2001, video game), as Marisol Diez Delgado
  • Fidel (2002, miniseries), as Mirta
  • Mindhunters (2004), as Nicole Willis
  • Zapata: The Dream of a Hero - El sueño del héroe (2004), as Josefa
  • The Twelve Days of Christmas Eve (2004, made-for-TV), as Isabel Frias

She also had a recurring role on the television series Arrested Development, playing Marta Estrella.

Velásquez's movie credits normally omit the acute accent over the a in her surname.

[edit] Modeling

After a year of college studies, Velásquez left for Milan, Italy. in pursuit of a modeling career. In 1998, she paced down runways in ready-to-wear fashion shows for designers such as Antonio Berardi, Bella Freud, Corinne Cobson, Claude Montana, and Dolce & Gabbana. As for print advertising, Velásquez appeared in ads for Chanel's Allure, Roberto Verino's Verino fragrance, as well as Victoria's Secret.

Early in her modeling career, she appeared in several issues of the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. This led to a large number of further modeling engagements, which ultimately culminated in her beingranked #45 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2001[3] and #16 in Stuff Magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" poll in 2002. She is one of the highest-paid and most accomplished Hispanic models in history.[citation needed] Now a L'Oréal model, she competed in the 1989 Miss Venezuela pageant representing Peninsula Goajira, placing seventh.

[edit] References

  1. ^ All mouth and no trousers. The Observer (2002).
  2. ^ Wayúu Tayá Foundation web site. Retrieved on January 2, 2007.
  3. ^ FreeJose.com. Maxim Magazine Hot 100 Women of 2001. Retrieved on February 6, 2007.

[edit] External links

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