Leonor Varela(I)
- Actress
- Producer
Leonor Varela was born on December 29, 1972 in Santiago de Chile,
Chile, the daughter of Leonor Palma, a massage therapist, and Francisco Varela (Francisco Javier Varela Garcia), a biologist, neuroscientist, and philosopher. Her family fled to Costa Rica, leaving behind the dictatorship of
Augusto Pinochet. They subsequently resided in Germany, USA, and France, where Varela studied.
In the '90s she appears in the Chilean soap
Tic Tac (1997), and in other French
and Europeans productions like
Pony Trek (1995),
Sous le soleil (1996),
Shooting Stars (1997),
A Legend to Ride (1997),
Le juste (1996), or
Bouge! (1997). Her career in Holywood
began in 1998, when she joined the cast of
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
when she starred opposite
Leonardo DiCaprio, and she appeared in
The Bible Collection: Jeremiah (1998) opposite
Patrick Dempsey. The following
year (1999), she played the title character in the ABC TV movie
"Cleopatra" (1999) (TV) opposite
her future fiancé Billy Zane and
Timothy Dalton
She appeared in
The Tailor of Panama (2001)
as Marta and in
Texas Rangers (2001) as Perdita
opposite Ashton Kutcher. In 2002 she
appeared as the fanged vampire princess Nyssa in the action film
Blade II (2002) opposite
Wesley Snipes and
Kris Kristofferson and
directed by Guillermo del Toro. After
that came Paraíso B (2002) as Gloria
and in Pas si grave (2003) as
Angela.
Varela also had a short recurring role in the Fox Television show
Arrested Development (2003)
as the original Marta. She was nominated for the Ariel Award in 2005 in
the category of Best Actress for
Innocent Voices (2004). She also
had a non-recurring role in
Stargate: Atlantis (2004).
In 2005 she appeared playing Adela in
Americano (2005), and her following
projects included
Goal II: Living the Dream (2007)
as the journalist Jordana Garcia,
Where God Left His Shoes (2007)
with John Leguizamo and the TV series
produced by Jennifer Lopez
Como ama una mujer (2007).
In the 2008 Sundance Film Festival she screened
Sleep Dealer (2008) and the
Larry Bishop's
Hell Ride (2008), opposite
Michael Madsen and
Eric Balfour and produced by
Quentin Tarantino.
Chile, the daughter of Leonor Palma, a massage therapist, and Francisco Varela (Francisco Javier Varela Garcia), a biologist, neuroscientist, and philosopher. Her family fled to Costa Rica, leaving behind the dictatorship of
Augusto Pinochet. They subsequently resided in Germany, USA, and France, where Varela studied.
In the '90s she appears in the Chilean soap
Tic Tac (1997), and in other French
and Europeans productions like
Pony Trek (1995),
Sous le soleil (1996),
Shooting Stars (1997),
A Legend to Ride (1997),
Le juste (1996), or
Bouge! (1997). Her career in Holywood
began in 1998, when she joined the cast of
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
when she starred opposite
Leonardo DiCaprio, and she appeared in
The Bible Collection: Jeremiah (1998) opposite
Patrick Dempsey. The following
year (1999), she played the title character in the ABC TV movie
"Cleopatra" (1999) (TV) opposite
her future fiancé Billy Zane and
Timothy Dalton
She appeared in
The Tailor of Panama (2001)
as Marta and in
Texas Rangers (2001) as Perdita
opposite Ashton Kutcher. In 2002 she
appeared as the fanged vampire princess Nyssa in the action film
Blade II (2002) opposite
Wesley Snipes and
Kris Kristofferson and
directed by Guillermo del Toro. After
that came Paraíso B (2002) as Gloria
and in Pas si grave (2003) as
Angela.
Varela also had a short recurring role in the Fox Television show
Arrested Development (2003)
as the original Marta. She was nominated for the Ariel Award in 2005 in
the category of Best Actress for
Innocent Voices (2004). She also
had a non-recurring role in
Stargate: Atlantis (2004).
In 2005 she appeared playing Adela in
Americano (2005), and her following
projects included
Goal II: Living the Dream (2007)
as the journalist Jordana Garcia,
Where God Left His Shoes (2007)
with John Leguizamo and the TV series
produced by Jennifer Lopez
Como ama una mujer (2007).
In the 2008 Sundance Film Festival she screened
Sleep Dealer (2008) and the
Larry Bishop's
Hell Ride (2008), opposite
Michael Madsen and
Eric Balfour and produced by
Quentin Tarantino.