# Sonya Smith

Sonya Eleonora Smith Jacquet (, born April 23, 1972) is an American and Venezuelan actress best known for her roles in telenovelas.

## Biography

Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Venezuelan actress Ileana Jacquet and Frederick Smith, who is American. Her maternal great-grandfather was French and her maternal great-grandmother was Finnish. After her parents divorced, her actress mother along with Smith went back to Venezuela; Smith grew up in Venezuela and identifies herself with the Venezuelan culture. She speaks fluent Spanish, English, and German; the last learned from her mother, a German who grew up in Venezuela. She studied psychology at the Universidad Central de Venezuela.

## Career

Her breakthrough came in the early 1990s when she played Estrellita Montenegro, the main character in Cara Sucia, her most successful telenovela as the lead actress. Smith remains a popular actress not only in Venezuela, also in other countries where her telenovelas have shown. In 2006, she returned to telenovelas with Olvidarte Jamás, her biggest hit as the lead actress since Cara Sucia, which was shot in Miami; this is the time where Smith returned to her birth country, but this time in Miami. Later, in 2007, she reappeared in Acorralada, in which she was one of the main stars and which has been a huge success. There, she was Fedora Gaviota.
During 2005, Smith made her Hollywood debut, playing Angela La Salle in Cyxork 7, where she acted alongside Ray Wise; although Smith currently lives in the United States and appeared in a Hollywood film, she still wants to remain more in the Spanish media of the country because the Spanish media opened opportunities for her to fame. In 2007, she participated in another Hollywood film, Ladrón que roba a Ladrón, where she shared credits with actors, Fernando Colunga, Gabriel Soto, Miguel Varoni, and Saúl Lisazo among others. In 2013, she gets another protagonist role in the telenovela "Marido En Alquiler" based on the Brazilian telenovela "Fina Estampa" playing the role of Griselda Carrasco and starring with Juan Soler.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | Cyxork 7 | Angela LaSalle | |
| 2007 | La misma luna | Sra. Snyder | |
| 2007 | Ladrón que roba a ladrón | Veronica Valdez | |
| 2008 | I Didn't Know Who I Was | Michelle | Short film |
| 2010 | Hunted by Night | Tania | |
| 2012 | Unknowns | DA Veronica Riley | |
| 2017 | Case Unknown | Claudia Smith | Short film |

### Television roles

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1985 | Cristal | Maggie | Supporting role |
| 1989 | Alondra | Vicentina | Supporting role |
| 1990 | Gardenia | Margarita | Supporting role |
| 1991 | El desprecio | Violeta Velandró | Supporting role |
| 1992 | Cara sucia | Estrella Montenegro | Protagonist |
| 1993 | Rosangélica | Rosangélica González Hernández / Elisa Montero | Protagonist |
| 1994 | María Celeste | María Celeste Paniagua | Protagonist |
| 1996 | Guajira | Sonia Arbeláez | Protagonist |
| 1997 | Destino de Mujer | Mariana Oropeza | Protagonist |
| 1999 | Mariú | Coralia Lozada de Gálvez | Co-protagonist |
| 2000 | Milagros | Milagros De La Torre Vargas / Chachita Vargas | Protagonist |
| 2006 | Olvidarte jamás | Luisa Domínguez / Victoria Salinas | Protagonist |
| 2007 | Acorralada | Fedora "La Gaviota" Garcés Ledezma | Co-protagonist |
| 2007 | Tiempo Final | Claudia | Episode: Falso cura |
| 2007–08 | Pecados ajenos | Elena Sandoval | Main Antagonist |
| 2009 | Vuélveme a querer | Liliana Acosta | Supporting role |
| 2010 | ¿Dónde está Elisa? | Dana Riggs | Protagonist |
| 2010–11 | Aurora | Ángela Amenábar | Protagonist |
| 2012 | Corazón valiente | Isabel Uriarte de Arroyo | Special participation |
| 2012 | Secreteando | Marisol | Main cast member |
| 2012 | Relaciones Peligrosas | Lucrecia | Guest appearance |
| 2013–14 | Marido en alquiler | Griselda Carrasco | Protagonist |
| 2014–15 | Tierra de reyes | Cayetana Belmonte Vda. de Del Junco | Main Antagonist / Co-protagonist |
| 2016 | Las Princesas | Dolores Villanueva | Antagonist |
| 2016 | Off Script | Dolores | |
| 2017 | Milagros de Navidad | Soledad | Episode: "Adiós soledad" Protagonist |
| 2018 | Mi familia perfecta | Dakota Johnson | Antagonist |
| 2018–21 | Falsa identidad | Fernanda Virrueta López | Co-protagonist |
| 2021–22 | Si nos dejan | Guest Speaker | Guest; episode 83 |
| 2022 | Repatriated | April | Supporting role |
| 2023 | 4Ever | Paulina | Supporting role |
| 2025 | Velvet: El nuevo imperio | Pilar Márquez | |

### Theater

| Year | Title |
| 2012 | Las Hijas |
| 2012 | Monologando |
| 2017 | Mujeres Infieles |
| 2019 | Divinas |

## Awards

* Latin Pride National Awards (for Outstanding Woman Achievement, 2008)
* Miami Life Award (2011)
* Latino Wall Street Award (Reconocimiento a la Trayectoria Artística, 2024)