Lucia Mendez

Lucía Leticia Méndez Pérez (born January 26, 1955 in León, Guanajuato) is a Mexican telenovela and film actress, top model and singer.

Career

Early success

Lucía Méndez (born Lucía Leticia Méndez Pérez) began her career in 1972 when a very important newspaper from Mexico City "El Heraldo" launched her as "El Rostro" meaning "the face", she won this title; she also appeared in an uncredited role in a film named Vuelven los campeones justicieros also known in the USA as The Champion Five Return. While she would appear in a handful of films throughout the seventies, including The Children of Sanchez (1978), Mendez truly came into her own in Mexican television starting with a small part in Muchacha Italiana Viene a Casarse (1971). More supporting parts followed on Cartas sin Destino (1973), La Tierra (1974), Mundos Opuestos (1975). By 1978, she was a well known superstar throughout México and the rest of Latin America thanks to her successful telenovela Viviana. This soap opera took Méndez directly around the world, among the most successful run of her series would be Spain, Italy and France. Méndez playing the underdog in the story with a strong charismatic character. The huge impact she followed with equally-successful, Colorina (1980), which was a textbook example of a well-written Cinderella story in the tradition of Joan Crawford movies, most notably Mildred Pierce and Flamingo Road, in which a woman fights against the odds, rises into her own power at a great cost, and is rewarded with happiness at the end. This was the telenovela which virtually "made" Mendez a mega-star.

Méndez continued the streak of success in television with Vanessa (1982). With Vanessa, she became the first star of a soap-opera to be killed; however, this was due to her alleged diva attitude which forced retaliation from the writers and producers to "kill Vanessa off", later she stated that she was sick with pneumonia and that's the reason why she couldn't shoot the last scenes. While she enjoyed another success with Tu o Nadie (1985), it was in 1988 when she nabbed the plum dual role of Leonor de Santiago and Diana Salazar in the ground-breaking soap-opera El Extraño Retorno de Diana Salazar (1988). This soap-opera, written by Carlos Olmos who had already produced the massive Cuna de Lobos (1986), itself a supernatural romance that combined elements from Stephen King's Carrie with historical elements (the plot alternates between a modern-day and colonial México) seamlessly woven into the threads of its multiple storylines, would truly bestow unto Mendez the critical acclaim that until then her presence, while alluring due to her great beauty, had not translated into sharp acting.

Following this success she started in Amor de Nadie (1990), a powerful, dramatic, well written story in which she showed the world that she wasn't just a beautiful face, but also a great actress. Along with major success came Marielena, where she portrayed a cuban girl in exhile. Marielena (1992) is probably her last major telenova with a huge impact among viewers.

Other soap operas include: Señora Tentacion (1994) Tres Veces Sofía (1998) and Golpe Bajo (2000).

In the music realm Méndez would record her first platinum album in 1975 alongside famed composer Juan Gabriel. The album, Siempre Estoy Pensando En Ti ("Always Thinking About You"), brought her huge success in the field. She recorded as many as five albums with Gabriel, this earned her recognition and credibility as a singer, and not only that but her albums were certified gold and platinum.

Some of her films are El Ministro y yo (1975), Más Negro que la Noche (1976), Los Hijos de Sánchez (1977) with co-stars Anthony Quinn and Dolores del Río, La Ilegal (1979), Los Renglones Torcidos de Dios (1981), and El Maleficio (1985).

Superstardom

In 1980, she opened herself to a wider audience of the pop music genre. By way of introduction from Gabriel, Méndez would collaborate with Camilo Sesto, who was also a contributor to the theme song of the successful production, Colorina. Sesto and Méndez release in 1982 her pop debut album, Cerca De Ti ("Closer To You"). The album includes as many as five hit singles, "Amiga Mia"(My Friend)," "Que Clase De Hombre Eres Tu" ("What Kind Of Man Are You"), "Culpable O Innocente" ("Innocent Or Guilty"), "Te Tengo En Mis Manos" ("I Have You In My Hands") and the 1# single, "Atada A Nada" ("Attached To Nothing")". After having a wide audience success with the musical release, Mendez continued to work with Spanish producers. On her next album, she would work with Honorario Herrero.

1983 brought Méndez teaming up with Herrero. They begin a long sequence of radio hits, that at the time was unknown for any Latin Star to top the musical charts in Spain. Spain, an aglonized pop world, did not have any Latin Stars enter into their music charts. Mendez is the first Mexican star to immerse as a victor. She recorded "Enamorada/In Love." The set would unleash up to five hit singles with a film of the same name. This same year, 1983, she was crowned as Queen of Viña del Mar at the prestigious Viña del Mar Festival in Chile.

1984 would position once and for all the musical force that Méndez played in the pop genre. Other musical performers would come to emulate her achievements. Mendez did not only capitalize in her performance as an actress but would come to use the medium so well that her musical production will play so well in television. She released, "Solo Una Mujer/Only One Woman," again by Herrero. They released singles along with video, XETU, the Spanish comparison to MTV, would have her videos in heavy rotation on their show. The singles were the self title track, "La Luna De Cancún/The Cancún Moon," "Don Corazón/Mr. Heart" and "Corazón De Piedra/Heart Of Stone," becoming a platinum single.

In 1985, she starred alongside Andrés García and Salvador Pineda in the internationally successful Tú o Nadie, using two theme songs from her album "Solo Una Mujer," "Corazón de Piedra" ("Heart of Stone") and "Don Corazón", which became smashing hits, on the Mexican and Latin American music charts. She also returned to the recording studio to record her fourth pop record. She worked for the last time alongside Spanish Composer, Herrero. Mendez recorded three sequence records that up to this day others have come to copy. The fun upbeat music ends with the release of "Te Quiero/I Love You." Mendez again used the video form to gain more exposure and coverage on television. She releases the hit singles, "Te Quiero/I Love You," "Amor Imposible/Impossible Love" and "La Ola Del Amor/The Love Wave."

In 1987, Méndez totally innovated her image and her sound. The production went in par with the current youth trend that Expose, Taylor Dayne and Belinda Carlisle were recording. The new rhythms caused an uproar in the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks. Her single "Castígame/Punish Me" reached the top of the charts. The title track became a hit in both sides of the Atlantic. The next big hit, "Yo No Se Quererte Más/I Don't Know How To Love You More," had two videos to accompany it. The song was received with the same enthusiasm. The album became another gold and platinum certification. Another promo hit was launched on the radio, "Que Tiene/Who Cares."

In 1988, she married producer Pedro Torres, and in October 10, 1988, she had her first son, Pedro Antonio Torres Méndez, who is her only child so far. Later on, she divorced Pedro Torres

Later life and career

In the '90s Méndez re-emerged with two productions. After her song "Nos Aburriremos Juntos" was leaked into airways as early has November 1989 in America, the album was not officially released until 1990, Lucía es . . . Luna Morena ("Lucía is . . . Tanned Moon").

Within the same year, Méndez came back with another soap opera, Amor de nadie, alongside Saúl Lisazo, Berín Osborne and Fernando Allende. In Amor de nadie, she played a rape victim. During the story there are five men that fight for her love. The soap opera's title song also became a smash hit for Méndez.

After Amor de nadie, Méndez flew to Miami after she was offered to star in what would be her smashing comeback, Marielena, the soap opera which consolidated her career in the United States and the rest of the world. Marielena was the second soap opera to be shot in Miami after El Magnate starring Andrés García and Salvador Pineda. Her co-star in this case was Eduardo Yáñez. Marielena was the first non Televisa soap opera Méndez starred in, and caused the 17 year veto (dropped out in 2007) between the star and the company. In 1991, Lucía Méndez visited Lebanon and performed in front of the Lebanese population more than one musical concerts. These concerts were organized in the christian area northern to the capital Beirut. Lucia Mendez became famous in Lebanon after showing one of her old TV series. The Lebanese country was just recovering from the civil war in 1990 at that time. Lucía Méndez's visit to Lebanon was considered one sign of the country coming back to life. In 1994 Méndez was invited to Puerto Rico and starred in the romantic story Señora Tentación, which turned out to be a flop considering the huge success of Marielena. Lucía Méndez semi-retired from acting, leading a more private life. But even as she did lead a more private life, she was still under the public's eye, because of her business career.

In 1998, she signed a contract with TV Azteca, Televisa's big rival in México. Her comeback was a success starring in Tres Veces Sofía alongside Omar Fierro. Two years later, she shot another TV Azteca soap opera, Golpe Bajo, with Javier Gómez and Salvador Pineda. The series was a flop due to personal problems between the cast. Golpe Bajo is Méndez' last soap opera so far after ending her contract with TV Azteca. In 2005 producer Salvador Mejía wanted Lucía Méndez to be the star of his huge success La Madrastra, but finally the leading role landed on Victoria Ruffo. In 2007 Lucía Méndez returned to Televisa in the 50 year of Telenovelas commemorative Teleonvela "Amor sin Maquillaje" (Love w/o Make Up).

The public and gossip magazines have also speculated of a supposed rivalry between her and Verónica Castro. Lucia debuted as a writer of a soap opera in Miami in 1998.

Méndez came back in 2008 into Latin American and Spanish United States television channel UNIVISION in the Spanish version of "Desperate Housewives" - "Esposas Desesperadas".

Since 2003, Méndez has been an American citizen.

On Saturday, February 29 of 2004, she married for the second time, this time to a Cuban accountant, but they divorced in 2007.

Lucia also has marketed a variety of beauty products, being her perfume with pheremones "Vivir" and an oxygen suplement "Oxyvivir" her top sellers. Also has a perfume line.

She made the tour "Reina de Reinas" for club gay discos at U.S and she will have a tour in México called " Noches de Cabaret 2009" starting June 2009.

She has a new album "Otra vez enamorada con un nuevo amanecer" with new dance versions of her hits and new themes like 'Un nuevo amanecer" was her debut presentation at Teleton 2008 in México. This cd is due to be released sometime in May 2009.