She made her film debut in
La justicia del lobo (1952) her first of many films. Lepe then won the
Miss Mexico contest before becoming the first Mexican contestant to finish in the top 5 of the Miss Universe pageant in 1953. In 1955, she starred in the Cuban film,
Una gallega en La Habana. In 1959, she participated in
Señoritas with
Christiane Martel. She is internationally known for her starring role as Gamma in
La nave de los monstruos (1960), a classic science fiction comedy co-starring
Eulalio González "Piporro" and
Lorena Velázquez. In 1960, Lepe's father shot and killed her fiancé, actor
Agustín de Anda and she disappeared from show business for several years. In 1977, she acted in the first of many
telenovelas,
Pacto de amor. ==Personal life==