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Biography |
Born in Havana, Cuba, Mayra Veronica Aruca Rodriguez was
heavily influenced by her father Arturo, a singer for the
one-time popular rock group Los Dada. As Veronica followed
her father to rehearsals and shows during her youth, she
came to love entertaining and the arts. Her development as
an entertainer was slowed after Mayra and her mother, whose
name is also Mayra, defected to the United States in hopes
of a better life away from Fidel Castro's iron fist.
Settling in Miami, mother and daughter toughed it out
without the rest of their family, until Veronica's father
arrived.
Though the family was reunited, they struggled financially
and Mayra grew up poor. She loved ballet, but because the
family could not afford the dance school fees, Mayra was
given a second option: recruit seven friends to attend
ballet and she could take lessons for free. Fortunately,
Veronica found seven friends in to time. She took dancing
seriously until the age of 17, at which point she decided
that her newly voluptuous body was more appropriate onstage
than in a tutu. While at Florida International University
studying psychology and business, Veronica took some acting
classes on the side and starred in several plays. After
graduating, she moved to New York City to further pursue an
acting career.
After taking more acting classes in the Big Apple, Veronica
returned to Miami to try to establish herself in the
entertainment industry there. Her first big score was at TV
channel MediaOne, where she hosted Miami Hoy and Hollywood
Previews, two celebrity-centric programs. By 2001, Veronica
had begun working for Univision, the Spanish media company
and TV network. Her role as a model and host on the variety
show Don Francisco presenta showed off her fine physical
traits and attractive personality. It did not take long for
audiences and media outlets to notice this hottie, and soon
Veronica was a star. Subsequent work in the PBS made-for-TV
movie The Suitor, the independent film Tumbe, and several
Univision and Sabado Gigante sitcoms proved that Veronica
was a popular actress with a strong Q rating.
As far as modeling goes, Mayra emerged on the international
stage following her appearance in the August 2003 issue of
FHM. In both 2004 and 2005, she made it on the magazine's
list of the "Top 100 Sexiest Women in the World." Veronica
went on to sell calendars, and then became one of the
most-searched names on the Web. Further appearances as a
spokesmodel for Coca-Cola, L'Oral, Colgate, Burger King, and
Allstate cemented Veronica as one of America's finest
Latinas. In fact, she is so famous for her talent and beauty
that a Saudi prince even courted her, going so far as to buy
her a house. Veronica later gave the gift to her mom, but
never pursued a relationship with the prince. As a regular
feature in celebrity magazines, and thanks to her renewed
focus on acting and music, it looks like we'll be seeing
this stunning model and actress for some time to come. |
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