Talisa Soto

Talisa Soto (born March 27, 1967) is an American actress and former model.
==Early life==
Soto was born Miriam Talisa Soto in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest of four children of parents who moved from Puerto Rico. During her early childhood, her parents moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, where Soto and her siblings were raised and educated.
==Career==
===Modeling===
At age 15, Soto signed with Click Model Management and began modeling during summer vacations. Weeks after being signed, she traveled to Paris where she appeared in a layout for Vogue shot by Bruce Weber. She returned to Northampton after the summer to resume her schooling and would continue to model on occasion until she graduated from high school. She later appeared on the covers of American and British Vogue, British Elle, Mademoiselle, Glamour and Self magazines.
She also appeared in her first music video with former boyfriend Nick Kamen, Madonna's song "Each Time You Break My Heart", directed by Tony Viramontes. Soto and Kamen were often used as models by Ray Petri: the late fashion stylist and creator of the 1980s London "Buffalo Boy" look.
===Acting===
In 1988, when Soto returned to the United States, she auditioned and landed the role of "India" in her feature debut, Spike of Bensonhurst, a comedy which starred Sasha Mitchell and Ernest Borgnine. In 1989, she was cast as Lupe Lamora, in the James Bond film Licence to Kill starring Timothy Dalton and as Maria Rivera in The Mambo Kings.
Soto has participated in more than twenty films, among which are: Mortal Kombat (1995) as Kitana; Island of the Dead as Melissa O'Keefe; Piñero (2001) as Sugar, starring Benjamin Bratt; and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002) as Ryne alongside Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas. Soto also made two guest appearances on the television series C-16: FBI. In 1995, she played the role of Doña Julia, one of Johnny Depp's many love interests in the tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, Depp playing the title role. She also made an appearance in Marc Anthony's music video for "I Need to Know". In 1996, Soto played the title role in the campy film Vampirella based on the comic book character.
===Magazine covers===
In 1990, Soto was chosen by People as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. In 1995, she was featured in the Sports Illustrated "Swimsuit Issue". She was ranked #58 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002.
==Personal life==
In 1997, Soto married actor Costas Mandylor and they were divorced in 2000. She married actor Benjamin Bratt on April 13, 2002 in San Francisco. The couple have two children, a daughter Sophia Rosalinda and a son, Mateo Bravery.
==Filmography==
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1984 	The Pope of Greenwich Village 	Studio Dancer 	Uncredited
1988 	The French as Seen By... 	French Girl 	Episode: "The Cowboy and the Frenchman"
1988 	Spike of Bensonhurst 	India 	
1989 	Licence to Kill 	Lupe Lamora 	
1990 	Silhouette 	Marianna Herrera 	Television film
1991 	Prison Stories: Women on the Inside	Rosina 	Television film
1992 	The Mambo Kings 	Maria Rivera 	
1992 	Hostage 	Joanna 	
1993–1994	Harts of the West 	Cassie 	15 episodes
1994 	Don Juan DeMarco 	Doña Julia 	
1995 	Mortal Kombat 	Princess Kitana 	
1996 	Spy Hard 	Seductress in Hotel Room	Credited as Desiree More
1996 	Sunchaser 	Navajo Woman 	
1996 	Vampirella 	Vampirella 	Direct-to-video
1997 	Flypaper 	Amanda 	
1997 	The Corporate Ladder 	Susan Taylor 	
1997 	Mortal Kombat: Annihilation 	Princess Kitana 	Alternative title: Mortal Kombat 2
1998 	C-16: FBI 	Rosemary Vargas 	2 episodes
2000 	That Summer in L.A. 	Marisabel 	
2000 	Flight of Fancy 	Mercedes Marquez 	Alternative titles: Facing FearFlight
2000 	Island of the Dead 	Melissa O'Keefe 	Television film
2001 	Piñero 	Sugar 	
2002 	Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever 	Vinn/Rayne 	
2009 	La Mission 	Ana 	Credited as Talisa Soto Bratt
2013 	Elysium 	Tisha 	Uncredited
==Awards and nominations==
Year	Award 	Result 	Category 	Film
1989	ShoWest Convention	Won 	Female Star of Tomorrow 	
2002	ALMA Award 	Nominated	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture	Piñero
==See also==
* List of Puerto Ricans
==References==
==External links==
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Category:1967 births
Category:Living people
Category:Actresses from Massachusetts
Category:Actresses from New York City
Category:American actresses of Puerto Rican descent
Category:American female models
Category:American film actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:People from Brooklyn
Category:People from Northampton, Massachusetts
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:21st-century American actressesCategory:Pages stolen off Wikipedia