Karoll Iván Márquez Mendoza, (born c. 1984) is a

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 ...

n actor and singer, known for his starring role in the

Caracol Televisión Caracol Televisión () (known as Caracol and previously as Canal Caracol) is a Colombian free-to-air television network owned by Caracol Medios, a unit of Grupo Valorem. It is one of the leading private TV networks in Colombia, alongside Canal ...

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

'' Oye bonita''. He is also known for his roles in ''Un sueño llamado salsa'' (2010) and ''Amor de Carnaval'' (2012).

Career

Márquez was born and raised in Cartagena, Colombia. When he was 12 years old he studied singing lessons under

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

Margarita Escallón. At age 17, Márquez moved to

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

, Colombia, where he made his music debut with the 2000 eponymously titled album ''Karoll Marquez'', and the single ''Embrujo''. Around this time he also had a brief stint acting in the TV show ''Conjunto Cerrado'' followed by a five-year contract in ''

Padres e Hijos ''Padres e Hijos'' ( English: "Parents and Children") is a long-running Colombian daytime series produced by Colombiana de Televisión. On August 21, 2009 the last ''Padres e Hijos'' episode of the series aired, due to the cancellation of its ...

''. In 2000, he also did a cameo as himself in the telenovela

Yo soy Betty, la fea ''Yo soy Betty, la fea'' (English: I am Betty, the Ugly one), often referred to simply as ''Betty, la fea'', is a Colombian telenovela created by Fernando Gaitán. It aired from 25 October 1999 to 8 May 2001 on RCN. Ana María Orozco stars as ...

. Throughout his career, Márquez has alternated between music, acting in TV and musical theater. In 2008 he starred in the popular TV musical series '' Oye bonita'' (2008), dedicated to the music of Colombian singer

Diomedes Díaz Diomedes Díaz Maestre (26 May 1957 – 22 December 2013) was a Colombian vallenato singer, songwriter, and composer. He has been named the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Vallenato" and is nicknamed ''El Cacique de La Junta'' ( ...

. According to a report from Colprensa published in El Universal, the couple portrayed by Karoll Márquez and

Diana Hoyos Diana Hoyos is a Colombian actress and singer, known for her starring role in the Caracol Televisión telenovela ''Oye bonita''. She is also known in her native country for other productions such as ''Amar y temer'', ''El Chivo'', and ''Sinú, rí ...

in ''Oye bonita'' was "iconic within Colombian television". Márquez was cast as Nicolás for the TV serial ''

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

Presents: Como Ama una Mujer'' (2007), aired by

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 ...

. In 2012, he starred in the TV show ''Amor de carnaval'' (2011), for which he earned a nomination for best villain in a TV show at the ''TV y Novelas Awards Colombia'' event of 2013. In 2013, a group of Colombian celebrities that included Márquez was invited to host as telephone operators in the fundraising event ''Teletón''. In 2014, Márquez played a secondary role in the TV show ''La playita''. He also conducted the Colombian TV show ''Un minuto para ganar''. In the same year, he collaborated with singer Marbelle to release the music single ''La confesión''. Director Jorge Alí Triana chose Márquez, because of his experience in musicals, to act in Captain Pantoja and the Special Service (Spanish:''Pantaleón y las visitadoras'') a play based on the book by the same name from

Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (28 March 1936 – 13 April 2025) was a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and politician. Vargas Llosa was one of the most significant Latin American novelists and essayists a ...

. In 2020, Márquez acted in the online play ''Ella en Mí'' (2020) and in the plays ''Hombres a la plancha'' and ''Aguanilé''. In that same year he released the single ''Mentira (2020)'' along with singer Martina La Peligrosa, for the EP Album ''Dopamina'' (to be released). In 2021 Márquez was cast in a supporting role for the TV show ''Enfermeras''. In 2022, Márquez participated in the reality show ''Quién es la máscara?''. Some have criticized Marquez' musical career, pointing to his exaggerated facial mannerisms onstage.

Discography

*Karoll Marquez (2000) *La verdad (2004) *Cotidiano (2006) *Vida (2014) *Dopamina (date tba)

Personal life

Karoll is the oldest of three siblings, including brother Oscar and sister Nathalie. He is the son of Mariela Mendoza de Márquez.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marquez, Karoll Living people 1984 births 21st-century Colombian male actors Male actors from Bogotá Colombian male television actors 21st-century Colombian male singers Male soap opera actors People from Cartagena, Colombia