Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún is a Venezuelan actress and fashion model.
Early life Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Velásquez,
the fifth of six children, was the daughter of Venezuelan parents.
Her father is mestizo and her mother a member of the Indigenous Wayuu people.
Her parents were both teachers; her father also worked for UNESCO and as a result, she
spent some of her childhood in Mexico and France.
She attended San Vicente de Paul High School, graduating in 1987.
In 1989, she participated in the Miss Venezuela pageant, where she took 2nd place.
After 3 years of college studies, Velásquez left for Milan, Italy, in pursuit of a modelling
career.
Career In 1997, she studied acting in Los Angeles
and New York.
In 1998, she paced down runways in ready-to-wear fashion shows for designers such as Antonio
Berardi, Bella Freud, Corinne Cobson, Claude Montana, and Dolce & Gabbana.
As for print advertising, Velásquez appeared in ads for Chanel's Allure, Roberto Verino's
Verino fragrance, as well as Victoria's Secret.
Early in her modelling career, she appeared in several issues of the annual Sports Illustrated
Swimsuit Issue.
This led to a large number of further modeling engagements, which ultimately culminated in
her being ranked #45 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2001 and #16 in Stuff magazine's
"102 Sexiest Women in the World" poll in 2002.
Velásquez played Anck-Su-Namun in the 1999 film The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy
Returns.
She had a special appearance on "Breaking the Girl" video of the alternative rock band
Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Velásquez played the character of Begoña on several episodes of The L Word during its
5th season.
She had a recurring role on the television series Arrested Development playing Marta
Estrella.
On CSI: Miami, in the episode "From The Grave", she appeared as a guest star, playing Celia
Gonzalez.
She had a recurring role in the first season of Rescue Me playing Nez, the ex-girlfriend
and mother of Franco's daughter, Keela.
She most recently guest starred on Ugly Betty.
Velásquez competed on behalf of the charity the Wayúu Tayá Foundation on the twelfth
season of The Apprentice.
She was fired in week 6, on March 25, 2012.
Personal life In 2002, Velásquez founded the Wayúu Tayá
Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to assisting the Wayúu, a Venezuelan indigenous
group.
In 2010, after the devastating Haiti earthquake, she had the Wayuú Tayá Foundation commission
a special symbol of hope to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake along
with the slogan: Keep the "H" Close to Your Heart—Help Haiti Hope.
She is fluent in English, French, Italian, and Spanish.
Filmography
Le Jaguar, as Maya Eruption, as Luisa Soares
Beowulf, as Pendra No Vacancy, as Ramona
The Mummy, as Anck-Su-Namun Committed, as Carmen
Façade, as Juanita San Bernardo, as Claudia
Turn It Up, The Mummy Returns, as Meela Nais/Anck-Su-Namun
SSX Tricky, as Marisol Diez Delgado Fidel, as Mirta
Mindhunters, as Nicole Willis Arrested Development, as Marta Estrella
Zapata: The Dream of a Hero - El sueño del héroe, as Josefa
The Twelve Days of Christmas Eve, as Isabel Frias
The L Word - Season 5, as Begoña The Operative: Red Dawn
Almighty Thor, as Jarnsaxa Eternal Ashes as Ana lead and Executive producer
Liz in September as Liz lead and Executive producer pre-production
References
External links Official website
Patricia Velásquez at the Internet Movie Database