María Conchita Alonso

María Conchita Alonso was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, on June 29, 1955, to Ricardo Alonso and Conchita Bustillo. Her family moved to Venezuela when she was five years old in 1962 after the Cuban Revolution. She was crowned Miss Teenager World in 1971. She was runner up for Miss Venezuela in 1975, and became a top seven runner-up in the Miss World pageant later that year, which was won by Puerto Rico's Wilnelia Merced. == Career ==

Alonso's first gold album and number one song on the charts was Love Maniac, released in 1979 under the name Ámbar. After that followed her second number-one "The Witch" and soon after "Dangerous Rhythm". For what is considered her best known song, she was asked by Giorgio Moroder to write the lyrics in Spanish and sing "Vamos a Bailar" which he had written for the soundtrack of the film Scarface. The song instantly became a classic among Spanish speakers, despite failing to garner major attention outside of Cuba where it was recorded. Her two albums with Ámbar and her solo debut were recorded in English. Her second album, María Conchita, in 1984, made her an international singing star in the Spanish-speaking market, and garnered her first of three Grammy Award nominations (1985, 1988, 1994). Alonso sang the United States national anthem at the FIFA UNICEF charity match on July 27, 1986, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, in front of a crowd of 57,539. The game was between the “Rest of the World” and “The Americas” which featured Diego Maradona only one month after his successful 1986 World Cup win. Alonso made her Hollywood film debut in Moscow on the Hudson (1984) with Robin Williams, and also starred in Touch and Go (1986), Extreme Prejudice (1987), The Running Man (1987), Colors (1988) with Sean Penn, ''Vampire's Kiss (1989), Predator 2 (1990) and The House of the Spirits'' (1993). In 1995, she became the first Latin-born actresses to star in a Broadway show, playing Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman. She later acted in the romantic comedies Chasing Papi (2003) and The Last Guy on Earth (2006). Alonso was cast to play Lucía, the mother of Gabrielle Solis, on the ABC series Desperate Housewives. The episode aired on February 19, 2006. She was in the Latin version, Amas de Casa Desesperadas, for Univision Network. She was a guest star in the live-action film of the comic book El Muerto and appeared in the film Material Girls (2006). Alonso hosted VH1's ¡Viva Hollywood! on April 13, 2008, with Carlos Ponce. She portrayed Sam in the werewolf horror film Wolf Moon, directed by Dana Mennie. Alonso appeared in Rob Zombie's The Lords of Salem, released in 2013. Her latest film, a fantasy short titled The Secret of Joy, features her alongside fellow Venezuelan actor Carlos Antonio León, Spanish actress Laura Bayonas, and Brazilian actress Ana Carolina Da Fonseca in a story that aims to bring awareness about pediatric cancer. Maria Conchita signed with management firm All Parts Move in 2023. She is currently (2025) touring extensively as part of the 'Despechadas' tour in Mexico, with solo performances and a cabaret style show called 'Sin Verguenza', which goes into her life and her ups and downs. A new 'Tropical' - a first for her - album is scheduled for release in the fall of 2025, produced by Latin Grammy winning producer Fabian Rincon, with a first single 'Acariciame Salsa' out June 27, 2025. == Political views ==

Alonso has often spoken in support of LGBT rights and in appreciation of her LGBT fans, stating, "I was very much supported by the community when I first came out with my music". In a 2004 article, she compared herself to Cher in terms of her connection to LGBT culture. Alonso was an outspoken critic of Cuba's Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, whom she described as a "dictator"-like "Hitler" and whose voters and supporters she described as "terrorists." She appeared on Sean Hannity's ''Hannity's America on May 6, 2007, Hannity & Colmes'' on June 1, 2007 In December 2011, she got into a heated exchange with Penn at a Los Angeles airport during which Penn called her a pig and she responded by calling Penn a communist. In 2008, Alonso endorsed the US presidential campaign of Republican nominee John McCain, writing: In an August 2012 Spreecast interview, Alonso stated her opposition to Obama's re-election, saying that if reelected, he would take steps to make the United States become more like Venezuela under the Chávez government. In January 2014, Alonso resigned from a San Francisco production of The Vagina Monologues after appearing in an advertisement for Republican candidate for Governor Tim Donnelly. Alonso is a supporter of Donald Trump and endorsed him in the 2020 presidential election. == Filmography ==

Studio albums • Love Maniac (1979) • The Witch (1980) • Dangerous Rhythm (1982) • Te Amo/I Love You (1983) • María Conchita (1984) • O Ella, o Yo (1985) • Mírame (1987) • Hazme Sentir (1990) • Imagíname (1992) • Boleros (Alejandra) (1994) • Amor De Madrugada (2016) • Lléname de Ti (2020) Live albums • En Vivo en México (1992) Compilation albums • Lo mejor de (1986) • Grandes éxitos (1989) • Súper hits (1991) • De colección (1994) • Hoy y siempre (1997) • Lo mejor de María Conchita Alonso (2000) • La más completa colección (2005) • Grandes éxitos/Greatest hits (2006) • 16 Éxitos de oro (2012) • Reina Eterna (2017) == Singles ==