Adela Amalia Noriega Méndez (; born 24 October 1969) is a retired Mexican actress. She came to prominence after starring in teen-oriented

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

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 (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

s in the 1980s, ''

Quinceañera In Mexico, Mexican and other Latin American cultures, it is customary to celebrate a girl's 15th birthday. In Spanish language, Spanish, the girl celebrating her 15th birthday is called a ; in English language, English, primarily in the Unite ...

'' (1987–1988) and ''

Dulce desafío ''Dulce desafío'' (English title: ''Sweet challenge'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Julissa and Eugenio Cobo for Televisa in 1988. Adela Noriega and Eduardo Yáñez starred as protagonists, while Chantal Andere, Sergio Klainer and Merce ...

'' (1988–1989). Some of her notable works include '' María Bonita'' (1995–1996), ''

María Isabel María Isabel López Rodríguez (born 4 January 1995), known professionally as María Isabel, is a Spanish singer. She rose to prominence after she won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2004 for with the song " Antes muerta que sencilla". ...

'' (1997–1998), ''

El Privilegio de Amar ''El privilegio de amar'' (Literal English translation: ''The Privilege to Love'', International English title: ''The Right to Love'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Carla Estrada for Televisa. It aired on Canal de las Estrellas from July ...

'' (1998–1999), '' El Manantial'' (2001–2002), ''

Amor real ''Amor real'' (English: ''Real Love'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Carla Estrada for Televisa, broadcast by Las Estrellas, Canal de las Estrellas (now known simply as Las Estrellas). It originally aired from June 9 to October 17, 2003. '' ...

'' (2003) and '' Fuego en la sangre'' (2008). Noriega's success as a

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

has led her to be known as one of the "Queens" of the genre.

Early life

Adela Amalia Noriega Méndez was born on 24 October 1969, in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, Mexico. Her father died when she was in her early

adolescence Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age o ...

and her mother died in 1995, after a battle with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

. She has two siblings; an older sister, Reyna, and a younger brother, Alejandro.

Career

Career beginnings

Noriega was discovered as a child, at the age of twelve she was scouted in a shopping centre while she was walking with her mother. Shortly after, she began to work as a fashion model and started appearing in TV commercials and music videos. After being spotted on a shooting of a commercial by Patty de Llano, wife of the producer

Luis de Llano Macedo Luis de Llano Macedo (born June 9, 1945) is a Mexican TV and musical producer. History Born in Mexico City in 1945, he is the son of television producer Luis de Llano Palmer and actress Rita Macedo.Andrew Paxman, Claudia Fernández (2013). ''E ...

, she began working as a teen actress. She made her television debut at the age of fourteen in the telenovela '' Principessa'' and shortly after she participated in '' Juana Iris''. In both shows she interpreted antagonists. She also guest starred on the comic show '' Cachún cachún ra ra!'' for a few years.

Stardom

Noriega made her debut as a leading actress in 1986, at the age of sixteen, when she was cast for her first lead role in '' Yesenia'', a historical telenovela. The telenovela was adapted from Yolanda Vargas Dulché's

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

of the same name, which centers around a young Romani woman and her

caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Caravan (trail ...

. From then on she began to work solely as a leading actress of many successful

s with an international distribution. She rose to greater prominence in 1987 when she obtained the leading role in ''

'', telenovela portraying

topics. ''Quinceañera'' was the first telenovela that geared towards

adolescents Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with ...

and revealed the problems they face in this transitional period from childhood to adulthood. Topics such as

substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...

date rape Date rape is a form of acquaintance rape and dating violence. The two phrases are often used interchangeably, but date rape specifically refers to a rape in which there has been some sort of romantic or potentially sexual relationship between ...

teenage pregnancy Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female under the age of 20. Worldwide, pregnancy complications are the leading cause of death for women and girls 15 to 19 years old. The definition of teenage pregnancy i ...

juvenile delinquency Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior younger than the statutory age of majority. These acts would be considered crimes if the individuals committing them were older. The term ...

gangs A gang is a group or society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collecti ...

and

self-acceptance Self-acceptance is acceptance of self. Definition Self-acceptance can be defined as: * the awareness of one's strengths and weaknesses, * the realistic (yet subjective) appraisal of one's talents, capabilities, and general worth, and, * feeling ...

were being explored for the first time in this genre. This teen classic had a great impact in Mexico and other countries worldwide. In 2008, it was included on the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

' "10 Most Influential Telenovelas of Latin America" list, "because it represented a precedent in this genre and has had an influence on the collective imaginary." One year after, she returned to television in another successful teen-oriented telenovela; ''

'', directed by

Arturo Ripstein Arturo Ripstein y Rosen (born December 13, 1943) is a Mexican film director and screenwriter. Considered the "Godfather of independent Mexican cinema", Ripstein's work is generally characterized by "somber, slow-paced, macabre melodramas tackling ...

. In this

teen drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...

, she played the central character, Lucero Sandoval, a teenage girl who rebels against her emotionally distant father and gets romantically involved with her teacher (

Eduardo Yáñez Eduardo Yáñez Luévano (; born September 25, 1960) is a Mexican actor. Early life Yáñez was born in Mexico City. He lived with his mother, and has never met his father. Career Producer Ernesto Alonso saw Yáñez's potential and gave him ...

Continued success

Noriega obtained a contract with the rival network

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...

in 1992 and played the leading role in '' Guadalupe''. For signing a contract with a different company, she was banned from her previous network,

Televisa Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., simply known as Televisa, is a Mexican telecommunications and broadcasting company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April ...

. ''Guadalupe'' resulted to be an international success and was well received in the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

to such an extent that she was invited to be the guest of honour of the

King of Morocco The king of Morocco (; ) is the monarch and head of state of Morocco. The kings of Morocco are members of the Alawi dynasty. It is one of the country's most powerful offices. Mohammed VI ( Sidi Mohammed bin Hassan al-Alawi) is the current kin ...

in 1994. In 1995, she moved to

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

and joined RTI, starring in '' María Bonita'', where she interpreted the title character, a singer who stays trapped on a

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

island. She returned to

in 1997 and collaborated with the producer

Carla Estrada Carla Estrada (born Carla Patricia Estrada Guitrón; March 11, 1956, in Mexico City, D.F., Mexico) is a Mexican television producer, one of the foremost telenovela producers of Latin America. Biography In 2005, the Mexican government decided t ...

in four consecutive productions. The same year, she appeared as the lead character of ''

'', interpreting a young

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

woman faced with discrimination and lack of opportunities because of her origin. The telenovela presented the iconography of the tribe

Huichol The Huichol () or Wixárika () are an Indigenous people of Mexico living in the Sierra Madre Occidental range in the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Durango, with considerable communities in the United States, in the states of Califo ...

, based on indigenous folk beliefs and traditional symbols, and dealt with

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

and

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

themes. For her characterization of the lead female character, Noriega received TVyNovelas Award for "Best Young Actress in a Leading Role". A year later, she starred in ''

El privilegio de amar ''El privilegio de amar'' (Literal English translation: ''The Privilege to Love'', International English title: ''The Right to Love'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Carla Estrada for Televisa. It aired on Canal de las Estrellas from July ...

'', adaptation of '' Cristal'', opposite

Helena Rojo María Elena Enríquez Ruiz (18 August 1944 – 3 February 2024), known as Helena Rojo, was a Mexican actress and model. Biography Born in Mexico City, Mexico, she began her career as a model in 1961. Toward the end of the decade, she studied ...

in a story that revolved around the world of fashion industry and show business. ''El privilegio de amar'' is officially the highest-rated television program in Mexico to date, according to

IBOPE The Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics (IBOPE based on the Portuguese language name, Instituto Brasileiro de Opinião Pública e Estatística) is a Brazilian originated global market research company. IBOPE provides data on media ...

. The show was internationally successful as well. In 2001, she starred in '' El Manantial'', under the direction of

Mónica Miguel Mónica Miguel (born Gloria Chávez Miguel; 13 March 1936 – 12 August 2020) was a Mexican actress, director, and singer. Career Passionate about the arts and especially the theater, she would attend the occasional stage plays that came to Te ...

and

Adriana Barraza Adriana Barraza González (born 5 March 1956) is a Mexican actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for '' Babel'' (2006). Early life Barraza was born in Toluca, Estado de Mexico, the daughter of Celia (née ...

, co-starring

Mauricio Islas Mauricio Islas (born Juan Mauricio Islas Ilescas, August 16, 1973) is a Mexican actor. He is best known for his work in telenovelas produced by Televisa, TV Azteca, Telemundo, and Venevision. Early life Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Islas i ...

. For her performance as the lead female character Alfonsina Valdes Rivero, she received another TVyNovelas Award, among others. She returned to television in 2003, in the highly acclaimed historical telenovela, ''

'', in a story that was set in the Mexican post-independence period of the mid-19th century. This

costume drama Costume is the distinctive style of clothing, dress and/or cosmetics, makeup of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch—in short, culture. The term also was traditionally used ...

registered very high records of audience in Mexico and at the time of its airing on

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...

, it occasionally managed to beat leading U.S. networks in the ratings. In 2005, ''Amor real'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

and, due to its success, it became the first telenovela to be released with English

subtitles Subtitles are texts representing the contents of the audio in a film, television show, opera or other audiovisual media. Subtitles might provide a transcription or translation of spoken dialogue. Although naming conventions can vary, caption ...

. Noriega received various recognitions for her portrayal of the

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

, Matilde Peñalver y Beristáin. In 2005, she portrayed the leading character of the telenovela '' La esposa virgen'', opposite

Jorge Salinas Jorge Salinas Pérez (born July 27, 1968) is a Mexican television and film actor, best known for his leading roles in telenovelas. Career Salinas then enrolled at Centro de Educación Artística (CEA) in 1990 and after finishing his studies, he ...

. The story was an adaptation of Caridad Bravo Adams' novel, ''Tormenta de pasiones''. In 2008, she was the lead female character, Sofía Elizondo, in the telenovela '' Fuego en la sangre''. The telenovela was a big success in Mexico and the U.S.

Filmography

Films

Television

Music videos

Awards and honours

Noriega has been honoured with multiple awards for her work in the television industry, and the wide acceptance of her work throughout the years has established her reputation as a "Telenovela Queen".C. Saralegui named Noriega "the indisputable "Queen of telenovelas" on '' The Cristina Show'' (aired 29 December 2003).
IMDb

Video
retrieved 23 October 2011

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Noriega, Adela 1969 births Living people Actresses from Mexico City Mexican child actresses Mexican film actresses Mexican telenovela actresses Mexican television actresses Mexican television personalities Mexican female models