Micaela Nevárez (born January 1, 1972, in Carolina, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

who has appeared in

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

and

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an films. She made her film debut in the Spanish film ''

Princesas ''Princesses'' ( es, Princesas, links=no) is a 2005 Spanish drama film directed and written by Fernando León de Aranoa which stars Candela Peña and Micaela Nevárez. Set in the onset of the 21st century in Madrid, the plot concerns the frien ...

'' which was directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, in which she played Zulema, an

illegal immigrant Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...

from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

trying to make a living as a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

on the streets of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Her performance in this film earned her a Goya Award for Best New Actress in 2006, making her the first Puerto Rican actress to win this notable award.

Biography

Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Nevárez was educated in local military schools in order to improve her

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. At the age of 10, her parents decided to relocate to

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, where she focused her education to prepare her for a medical career. However, on the side she continued to dabble in the arts as a hobby. It was her stepfather who changed her mind and help encouraged her to follow her dreams and desire to become an actress.August 2006 Micaela Nevárez ‘Princesa’ del destino
from

El Diario La Prensa ''El Diario Nueva York'' is the largest and the oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the United States. Published by ImpreMedia, the paper covers local, national and international news with an emphasis on Latin America, as well as human-in ...

August 24, 2006 Fate stepped in when she was discovered by director Fernando León de Aranoa who was in New York promoting his latest film ''Lunes al Sol'' starring acclaimed Spanish actor Javier Bardem. Nevárez, who frequented a popular bar/restaurant called "Oliva"
/sup> in lower

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

on their popular

salsa music Salsa music is a style of Latin American music. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montun ...

nights, captured the director's attention so much that he asked her to audition for a role in his upcoming film. Due to the recent death of her stepfather, she at first declined his offer and recommended a friend for the role, however, after the director personally had Bardem (an actor whom she greatly admires) deliver the script to her in person, did she accept his offer. After some initial conversations, she was flown to Spain for some screen tests. On the evening of January 29, 2006, in the presence of thousands of Spain's top artists and directors, Nevárez beat four other actresses in being named Best New Actress at the

20th Goya Awards The 20th Goya Awards took place at the Palacio Municipal de Congresos in Madrid, Spain on 29 January 2006. Winners and nominees Major award nominees Other award nominees Honorary Goya * Pedro Masó Pedro Masó Paulet (born 26 Januar ...

which were held in Madrid's Palacio Municipal de Congresos. By winning this award, Nevárez became the first Puerto Rican performer to win this prestigious film honor and one of the few

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

actresses to do so as well. The news of her win reached her native Puerto Rico immediately where she was honored with an audience with Governor

Aníbal Acevedo Vilá Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá (born 13 February 1962) is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus (LL.M. 1987) and a graduate of the University of Puer ...

in the La Fortaleza, who congratulated her on her win. As of 2008, she resided with her

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

husband in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Nevárez launched her film career in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

with a supporting role in the independent film '' The War Boys'' starring Victor Rasuk and Peter Gallagher. Nevárez played Marta, Rasuk's love interest in the 2009 film, which was based on a play by Naomi Wallace.

References

External links

*
Micaela Nevárez
on the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

*
Institute of Puerto Rican Culture article – February 3, 2006
*
Institute of Puerto Rican Culture article – September 15, 2006
*
Interview with 20minutos.es
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nevarez, Micaela 1972 births Living people People from Carolina, Puerto Rico 21st-century Puerto Rican actresses Puerto Rican expatriates in England