Miguel Angel de León Lopez (born February 23, 1962) is a Venezuelan actor. He is better known simply as Miguel de León. He has acted mainly in
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...
s, which garnered him international fame across Latin America, where the genre is popular, particularly among women. He is also known to Hispanic audiences in the United States.
Biography
De León was born in
Caracas, Venezuela
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
Radio Caracas Television
Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) was a Venezuelan free-to-air television Television network, network headquartered in the Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It was sometimes referred to as the Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by Empresas 1BC, Radi ...
, where he studied acting further.
His acting debut came in a 1988 film, ''Señora Bolero'' ("Ms.
Bolero
Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...
"). Later that year, he participated in his first telenovela, ''Sueño Contigo'' ("I dream of you"). He was soon signed to a multi-year contract by Radio Caracas Television. Other films de León has acted in include a
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
n version of ''
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
'', and ''El Cristo de las Violetas'' ("Jesus of the violets").
In 1989, de León played "Leonardo" in ''La Revancha'' ("The rematch"), a major Venevision hit. He acted in four other telenovelas before his first appearance at a major international hit, 1993's '' Kassandra'', where he played "Ernesto Rangel", acting alongside Puerto Rican actor
Osvaldo Ríos
Osvaldo Ríos Alonso (born October 25, 1960 in Carolina, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican actor, model, singer, and guitarist, who is best known for his roles in telenovelas. He has appeared in several soap operas, including '' Abrazame muy Fuer ...
, among others.
During the middle 1990s, de León married another Venezuelan telenovela star,
Gaby Spanic
Gabriela Elena Španić Utrera (born December 10, 1973), known simply as Gabriela Spanic, is a Venezuelan actress and singer. She's known for her roles in several Latin telenovelas, most notably her portrayal of twins in '' La usurpadora'' (1998 ...
. He had been previously married to Nubia Quilarte.
After ''Kassandra'', de León made three more telenovelas before he and his wife decided to accept offers by
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
's
Televisa
Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content.
In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...
. The couple then moved to
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. 1998's ''
Gotita de amor
''Gotita de amor'' (''Droplet of Love'') (known as ''Chabelita'' in some territories) is a Mexican telenovela produced by Nicandro Díaz González for Televisa in 1998. Is a remake of 1978 Brazilian telenovela ''Pingo de gente''.
On Monday, ...
'' ("Small drop of love") marked de León's debut in Mexican telenovelas. He acted alongside
Laura Flores
Laura Aurora Flores Heras (born August 23, 1963) is a Mexican actress, hostess and singer.
Biography
Laura Flores had a hit single "El Alma No Tiene Color" ("The Soul Has No Color"), which was a duet with Marco Antonio Solís taken from the a ...
Niurka Marcos
Niurka Marcos Calle is a Cuban singer, dancer, actress, and vedette.
Personal life
Marcos was born in Havana, Cuba to Carmelo Marcos, a Cuban navy major, and Salustiana "Celeste" Calle, a housewife. She has five siblings: Martha, Maribel, Thomas ...
,
Adriana Fonseca
Adriana Fonseca (; born Adriana Fonseca Castellanos March 16, 1979) is a Mexican actress and dancer. She is best known for her roles in Televisa's telenovelas like '' La usurpadora'' as Veronica Soriano (1998), '' Rosalinda'' as Lucy Pérez Rome ...
,
Andrea Lagunes
Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew.
Origin of the name
The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that re ...
and
Daniela Luján
Daniela Luján (; born Daniela Barrios Rodriguez, 5 April 1988) is a Mexican pop singer and actress. She is considered the "Queen of Telenovelas for Children" for having starred in telenovelas of world success, being: Luz Clarita and El diario ...
, among others, in that telenovela. Next, he and his wife starred together in '' La usurpadora'', which also became a major international hit. Around that time, de León obtained Mexican citizenship, which he later gave up after returning to Venezuela.
2000s ''Carita de Angel'' ("Angel Face"), gave de León an opportunity to act alongside acting legends
Libertad Lamarque
Libertad Lamarque Bouza (; 24 November 1908 – 12 December 2000) was a Mexican-Argentine actress and singer, one of the icons of the Golden Age of Argentine and Mexican cinema. She achieved fame throughout Latin America, and became known as " ...
and
Silvia Pinal
Silvia Pinal Hidalgo (born 12 September 1931) is a Mexican actress. She began her career in the theater, venturing into cinema in 1949. Her film work and popularity in her native country led her to work in Europe (Spain and Italy). Pinal achiev ...
. In 2001, de León acted in an episode of the well-known series, '' Mujer, Casos de la Vida Real'' ("Women, real life stories").
Around that time, his wife left Mexico to film a telenovela in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
alongside actor
José Ángel Llamas
José Ángel Llamas Olmos (born 13 October 1966) is a Mexican retired actor in telenovelas, perhaps best known for his dual role as Pelluco and Rodolfo in ''Amor descarado''.
His striking good looks made him a heartthrob among his many fans. In F ...
. Rumors of an adulterous relationship between his wife and Llamas surfaced, and the couple eventually divorced. In 2002, de León returned to Venezuela. His last Mexican telenovela was recorded before he left; '' ¡Vivan los niños!'' ("Long live the children") put de León with child star
Andrea Legarreta
Andrea Legarreta (born Andrea Legarreta Martínez; 12 July 1972) is a Mexican actress, and the main host of TV program ''Hoy''. She is married to the singer Erik Rubin
Erik Rubín Milanszenko (born 30 January 1971) is a Mexican singer a ...
and with
Juan Ferrara
Juan Ferrara (born Juan Félix Gutiérrez Puerta; November 8, 1943) is a Mexican actor.
Family
Juan is a son of Ofelia Guilmáin and brother of Lucía Guilmáin y Esther Guilmáin. He was once married to the Mexican actress, Helena Rojo. He ...
.
* 2003 - ''Alegrijes y Rebujos'' (Mexico)
* 2004 - ''Mariana de la Noche'' (Mexico)
Miguel de León has filmed three other telenovelas after returning to Venezuela. He was signed by Venevision to work for that channel.