# Teresa Ruiz (actress)

Teresa Ruiz López (born 21 December 1988) is a Mexican-American actress.
Ruiz is best known for portraying cartel queen Isabella Bautista in the first two seasons of Narcos: Mexico as well as Maria in the American comedy-drama television series Mo that premiered on on Netflix. In 2022 Ruiz starred in the biographical drama film Father Stu opposite Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson. Ruiz has been awarded several Best Actress awards internationally and is a Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio.

## Early life

Teresa Ruiz was born in Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico and grew up in Los Angeles, California.

## Actors Studio training

In 2013, Ruiz was invited by the late Martin Landau to become a member of the Actors Studio. The Actors Studio is a membership organization of professional actors led by Al Pacino and is based in New York City and Los Angeles. Ruiz studied method acting under the instruction of Martin Landau and acting coach Sandra Seacat.

## Career

Ruiz appears in the 1st and 2nd seasons of the Netflix original series Narcos: Mexico playing Isabella Bautista, a long time friend (and partner in crime) of Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo.
In 2022 Ruiz starred in the film Noise (Spanish: Ruido) a Mexican-Argentine drama film directed by Natalia Beristáin and written by Beristáin, Diego Enrique Osorno & Alo Valenzuela Escobedo. The film won the Spanish Cooperation Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
She also played the character Nadia Basurto in the political thriller Aquí en la Tierra a co-production between Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna's production company La Corriente del Golfo and Fox Networks. The 8-episode drama series written and directed by some of Mexico's most renowned filmmakers was the only Latin American title competing in the inaugural edition of Cannes Film Festival: Series.
Ruiz appeared in Gregory Nava's controversial film Bordertown alongside Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas. The story was based on the murders of women in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua and had the endorsement of Amnesty International.
Ruiz co-starred in the film The Delivery next to Mickey Rourke, an action movie parody directed by Louis Leterrier and appeared in Michael Bay's The Last Ship.
Ruiz went on to play the main character in Gerardo Tort's Round Trip (or Viaje Redondo in Spanish), for which she won several Best Actress awards including the Guadalajara's International Film Festival's Mayahuel, the Prix d'Interprétation Féminine at the Amiens International Film Festival in France and the India Catalina in Colombia; as well as Mexico's Academy Award: Ariel.
Other film works include Carlos Bolado's Tlatelolco; the film tells the story of the 1968 massacre of protesting students in Mexico's capital and Jose Luis Gutierrez-Arias' remake of the classic Spanish film Marcelino Pan y Vino. She played the Mexican Golden-Era actress and dancer Meche Barba, also known as The Mexican Venus, in the biopic Cantinflas about iconic Mexican actor Mario Moreno Cantinflas.
Ruiz was Executive Partner of the production company Machete, which won the Caméra d'Or at the 63 Cannes film festival for the film Año Bisiesto, directed by Michael Rowe.

### Theater work

In 2014 Ruiz played the part of Veronica in The Actors Studio production of Stephen Adly Guirgis's The Motherfucker with the Hat. The play was produced by Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn and Al Pacino and opened in Los Angeles in September 2014.
She also played young Frida Kahlo in Ofelia Medina's Cada Quien su Frida; the play had its worldwide premiere at the International Cadiz Theater Festival in Spain, then went on to tour in Cuba, Denmark, the UK, Mexico and the US.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | Bienvenido Paisano | Piffany | Directed by Rafael Villaseñor Kuri |
| 2008 | Bordertown | Cecilia Rojas | Directed by Gregory Nava |
| 2010 | Año Bisiesto | Producer | Machete Producciones |
| 2010 | Marcelino Pan y Vino | Cruz | Directed by Jose Luis Gutierrez |
| 2010 | Viaje Redondo | Lucia | Produced by Mantarraya - Jaime Romandia Directed by Gerardo Tort |
| 2011 | Cherry Palace | Unknown | This film remains unfinished |
| 2011 | Nos Vémos, Papa | Producer | Machete Producciones |
| 2012 | Tlatelolco | Licha | Produced by Fernando Sariñana Directed by Carlos Bolado |
| 2012 | Colosio: El Asesinato | Alejandra Iglecias | Produced by Monica Lozano Directed by Carlos Bolado |
| 2012 | Ciudadano Buelna | Actress | Directed by Felipe Cazals |
| 2012 | Mariachi Gringo | Ashlee | Directed by Tom Gustafson |
| 2013 | Cantinflas | Meche Barba | Directed by Sebastian del Amo |
| 2015 | Gringo Honeymoon | Rosalita | Directed by Alexandra Debricon |
| 2015 | The Delivery | La Reyna | Directed by Louis Leterrier |
| 2021 | The Marksman | Rosa | Directed by Robert Lorenz |
| 2022 | Father Stu | Carmen | Produced by Mark Wahlberg Directed by Rosalind Ross |
| 2022 | Noise | Abril Escobedo | Directed by Natalia Beristain |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | El Encanto del Aguila | Xacinta | Televisa |
| 2013 | Major Crimes | Monica Garcia | Warner Brothers |
| 2014 | Gang Related | Marissa | 20th Century Fox Television |
| 2015 | The Last Ship | Teresa | TNT |
| 2018 | Aquí en la Tierra | Nadia Basurto | Fox Networks |
| 2018-2020 | Narcos: Mexico | Isabella Bautista | Netflix |
| 2019 | The House of Flowers | Marilu | Netflix |
| 2021 | Luis Miguel | Azucena | Netflix Recurring (season 2), 5 episodesMain (season 3), 4 episodes |
| 2022 | Mo | Maria | Netflix Recurring |

## Awards

Won 7 awards & 9 nominations:
Guadalajara International Film Festival
| Year | Category | Film |
| 2009 | Mayahuel de Plata | Viaje Redondo |
Amiens International Film Festival, France
| Year | Category | Film |
| 2009 | Prix d’interprétation féminine | Viaje Redondo |
Colombia International Film Festival
| Year | Category | Film |
| 2010 | India Catalina | Viaje Redondo |
Mexican Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Film |
| 2010 | Ariel | Viaje Redondo |
Canacine Awards
| Year | Category | Film |
| 2012 | Best Actress | Viaje Redondo |
Peabody Awards
| Year | Category | Film |
| 2023 | Entertainment | Mo |