María Concepción Alonso Bustillo

María Conchita was born in Cuba. She and her family emigrated from Cuba in 1962 to Caracas, Venezuela, and it was here where she began her rise to fame.

In 1973, at age 16, she obtained the "Young Princess of the World" award in Lisbon (Portugal). Two years later she represented the Federal District in "Miss Venezuela 1975", held at "El Poliedro", in Caracas, on May 9, 1975. She finished as first runner-up. The winner was Maritza Pineda Montoya (Nueva Esparta). María Conchita attended the "Miss World 1975" contest, held at the Royal Albert Hall, in London (England), on Thursday, November 20, 1975. She made it to the 7 finalists. She came in seventh place. The event was won by Wilnelia Merced Cruz (Puerto Rico).

In Venezuela, María had the lead role in four films, and acted in ten telenovelas. Upon arriving in Venezuela, she developed an ascending career as a TV actress. She appeared in various telenovelas on Radio Caracas Televisión, RCTV, Channel 2 of Caracas. Alonso was one of the favorite characters of the entertainment magazines of the time, among them "Venezuela Gráfica", "Venezuela Farándula", "Ronda", "Momento", "Variedades", "Páginas" and "Élite". With composer RUDY LA SCALA, she decided to try her luck in the world of singing with her first album, "Ámbar", with which she became known, and from there she recorded songs like "Acaríciame", "La loca" and others that catapulted her to international stardom.

The dedicated actress also co-produced her own daily program called "Picante." Audiences in Spanish-speaking parts of the world were watching her program. María's popularity increased to a great level in the following years, and quickly she captured the interest of Americans. In 1982 she decided to emigrate to the United States, to Los Angeles, to fulfill her dream of "conquering" Hollywood.

María made her debut in American theaters when she played an Italian American in the film "Moscow on Hudson." In the following years María worked in several American films. Some include: "Blood Ties," (1986), "Running Man" with Arnold Schwarzenegger (1987) "Colors" with Robert Duvall and Sean Penn (1988) and a prominent role in "Predator 2" (1990.)

What is remarkable about María is her versatility within the world of entertainment. In 1993 she was one of the few actors with a South American heritage who had the opportunity to play a role in the film "The House of the Spirits," an adaptation of the novel by Chilean author Isabel Allende. Then María also proved her acting abilities when she played the role of a lesbian lover in the comedy "Best Actress."

Although María played many American roles, she never forgot her Hispanic heritage. She chose to play Hispanic characters in her films, and continue presenting programs in Spanish. In 1996 she played the role of a Cuban immigrant. Then in 1998 she played the lead role in "Volaverunt" a speculation of the two variations of the work painted by Goya.

María's strength is not only shown through acting, but extends to the sphere of singing.

This Latin marvel has the ability to speak four languages, which include: Spanish, English, French, and Italian.

Currently she resides in the United States of North America, where she has obtained American citizenship and participated in the successful series Desperate Housewives as the mother of Eva Longoria and appearing in the Spanish adaptation of the series as mother of Scarlet Ortiz; she starred in a scandal when she was photographed without underwear on a Miami beach; she only told the media that she is still beautiful, that the years do not matter to her. One of her most recent works has been in the film Material Girls