La usurpadora
Encyclopedia
La Usurpadora is a Mexican
romantic drama telenovela produced by Salvador Mejia Alejandre and originally broadcast on Canal de las Estrellas
from February 9, 1998 to July 24, 1998. It starred Gabriela Spanic
and Fernando Colunga
. This was one of the last telenovelas to feature Libertad Lamarque
, who here portrayed the character of Abuela Piedad Bracho. The show's premise revolves around a pair of twin sisters who were separated when they were young, and as adults the younger sister is forced to act as a "replacement" for her wealthy twin who wants to temporarily leave her husband and his family to enjoy a life of luxury with multiple lovers.
has a twin sister in real life, Daniela Spanic
, who is a model. Daniela was approached by the producers of the show to appear in one scene where Paola and Paulina physically fight, as the sequence would have been too difficult to achieve by camera trickery.
La Usurpadora was nicknamed in spanish, "The queen of the ratings" while broadcasted for Univision in 2000. Although the mexican telenovela garnered massive ratings, it received no awards from the yearly award shows.
La Usurpadora
wasn't the first Spanic's soap playing twins, she had already played two identical women in Como Tu, Ninguna
but they were non-relative as in La Usurpadora
. She played the roles just in the last stage of the story.
Gabriela later starred in Televisa's 2001 La Intrusa where she once again took on roles similar to La Usurpadora
, except both sisters were good characters.
, it starred many familiar cast members, including Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga, and introduced a new character, Raquel, played by Yadhira Carrillo
.
When Paulina lets Abuela Piedad in on her secret, Abuela Piedad insists that her family deserves to know. Paulina has a panic attack, and sees a vision of Paola in a mirror, telling that she will see her in hell for robbing her of her family. When Carlos Daniel learns of her illness, he comforts Paulina and decide to make the best of the time they have remaining together.
Raquel cannot wait to take over Paulina's role, so she puts poison in Paulina's wine. Paulina drinks and immediately faints, but Raquel faints as well. Both women are taken to the hospital, where they learn that Paulina is not sick, but is in fact pregnant. However, Raquel has accidentally swallowed the poison; she seeks forgiveness and eventually makes a full recovery.
Back at the Bracho home, Carlos Danieland Paulina reveal the happy news to everyone. Overjoyed, the family takes a picture and it says "And they lived happily for the rest of their lives". The credits roll, and the audience cheers.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
romantic drama telenovela produced by Salvador Mejia Alejandre and originally broadcast on Canal de las Estrellas
Canal de las Estrellas
Canal de las Estrellas is one of the cornerstone networks of Televisa, with affiliate stations all over Mexico, flagshipped at XEW-TV in Mexico City. Many of the programs of Canal de las Estrellas are seen in the United States on Univision, Telefutura, and Galavisión...
from February 9, 1998 to July 24, 1998. It starred Gabriela Spanic
Gabriela Spanic
Gabriela Spanic , or Gaby Spanic, is an award-winning Venezuelan actress best known for her roles in telenovelas. Her twin sister is model/actress Daniela Spanic. She has a younger sister Patricia, and two brothers Antonio and Adiel...
and Fernando Colunga
Fernando Colunga
Fernando Colunga is a Mexican actor known for his work in Mexican telenovelas....
. This was one of the last telenovelas to feature Libertad Lamarque
Libertad Lamarque
Libertad Lamarque was an Argentine-Mexican actress and singer. Originally from Argentina, she reached fame throughout Latin America while living in Mexico and working in Mexican cinema.-Career:...
, who here portrayed the character of Abuela Piedad Bracho. The show's premise revolves around a pair of twin sisters who were separated when they were young, and as adults the younger sister is forced to act as a "replacement" for her wealthy twin who wants to temporarily leave her husband and his family to enjoy a life of luxury with multiple lovers.
Synopsis
Paola and Paulina(Gabriela Spanic) are twin sisters who were separated at birth. Paulina is a good young woman who lives in poverty. Paola is the evil sister of the two who is married to a wealthy man named Carlos Daniel Bracho. When the twins cross paths by chance, Paola blackmails Paulina to take Paola's place in the Bracho home while she takes a year-long vacation with her lover. Abandoned by her fiancé Osvaldo and following the death of her sick mother, Paulina submits to Paola's plan. Everyone were so shocked that Paola walked and her idea to be paralyzed is all a lie and her fabrication. Gema and Isabel warned Carlos Daniel that Paola is a not a so loving and sweet dove as he thought she is just a manipulative person who makes miserable to all people surround her even her sister Paulina.Cast
- Gabriela SpanicGabriela SpanicGabriela Spanic , or Gaby Spanic, is an award-winning Venezuelan actress best known for her roles in telenovelas. Her twin sister is model/actress Daniela Spanic. She has a younger sister Patricia, and two brothers Antonio and Adiel...
as Paulina Martinez / Paola Bracho † - Main heroine (finally married with Carlos Daniel) / Main villain (Ends up comatose in the hospital after the accident finally dies) - Fernando ColungaFernando ColungaFernando Colunga is a Mexican actor known for his work in Mexican telenovelas....
as Carlos Daniel Bracho - Main hero, husband of Paola, finally married with Paulina - Libertad LamarqueLibertad LamarqueLibertad Lamarque was an Argentine-Mexican actress and singer. Originally from Argentina, she reached fame throughout Latin America while living in Mexico and working in Mexican cinema.-Career:...
as Abuela Piedad Bracho - grandmother of Carlos Daniel - Chantal AndereChantal AndereJacqueline Chantal Fernandez Andere is a Mexican actress. She is professionally known as Chantal Andere.-Early life:...
as Estefania Bracho - Sister of Carlos Daniel, villain - Dominika PaletaDominika PaletaDominika Paleta Paciorek de Ibarra is a Polish-Mexican actress.She is the daughter of musician Zbigniew Paleta and Barbara Paciorek Paleta, and the sister of actress Ludwika Paleta.-Life:...
as Gema Durán Bracho - In love with Carlos Daniel, villain - Mario CimarroMario CimarroMario Antonio Cimarro Paz is a Cuban actor.-Biography:Cimarro was born in Havana, Cuba to Antonio Luis Cimarro and Maria Caridad Paz. He has one sister, Maria Antonia Cimarro Paz...
as Luciano Alcantara - Lover of Paola - Marcelo BuquetMarcelo BuquetMarcelo Buquet is a Uruguayan actor and former model.-Biography:At the age of 18 Buquet joined a theater company in his native Uruguay called El Galpón del Uruguay where he participated in 25 stage productions as an actor, producer, songwriter and singer...
as Rodrigo Bracho - Brother of Carlos Daniel - Juan Pablo Gamboa as Willy Montero - Husband of Estefania, villain (ends up in jail)
- Paty Díaz as Lalita - Maid at Bracho's house
- Alejandro Ruiz as Leandro Gomez - Worker at Bracho factory
- Giován D'Angelo as Donato D'Angeli - Lover of Paola
- AnastasiaAnastasiaAnastasia is a personal name and the female form of the Greek male name Anastasius/Anastasios meaning "resurrection." The name, and its male counterpart, were often given to Greek children born around December 2 or around Easter during the early days of Christianity. It is the name of several...
as Viviana Carillo - lover of Willy - Jessica Jurado as Patricia Bracho - Wife of Rodrigo
- Antonio De CarloAntonio de CarloAntonio De Carlo, born in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, is a Mexican actor also known simply as Antonio. He won an Emmy Award in 2006.-Education:...
as Osvaldo Resendiz - Magda Guzmán as Fidelina - Abuela Piedad's personal assistant
- María Solares as Lisette Bracho
- Segio Miguel as Carlitos Bracho
- Nuria BagesNuria BagesNuria Bages is a Mexican actress better known for her work in television and the stage.Active in Mexican television since the early 1980s, Bages became a household name after winning the role of Silvina in the long-running sitcom Dr. Cándido Pérez, opposite Jorge Ortiz de Pinedo...
as Paula Martinez † - Mother of Paola and Paulina - Ninón SevillaNinón SevillaNinón Sevilla is a Mexican and Cuban film actress and dancer who was active during the Golden age of Mexican cinema. She was considered one of the greatest Cuban stars and the queen of the "rumberas film".- Career :...
as Cachita - María Luisa Alcalá as Filomena
- Tito GuízarTito GuízarFederico Arturo Guízar Tolentino was a Mexican singer and actor. He was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico....
as Panchito - Gardener at Bracho's house - Enrique Lizalde as Alessandro Farini
- Mario Carballido as Amador
- Adriana FonsecaAdriana FonsecaAdriana Fonseca Castellanos is a Mexican actress.- Biography :Adriana started her acting career performing in a local television show. At the age of 16 she was accepted in C.E.A. in Mexico...
as Veronica Soriano - Secretary of Carlos Daniel - Jaime GarzaJaime GarzaJaime Garza was a Mexican American boxer in the Featherweight division. He's the former WBC Super Bantamweight Champion.-Professional career:...
as Merino - Meche BarbaMeche BarbaMeche Barba was a Mexican film actress and dancer of the Golden age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s. Was considered one of the icons of the "Rumberas film"...
as Abigail Rosales - Renata Flores as Estela - Secretary of Estefania
- Javier Herranz as Dr. Varela
- Arturo PenicheArturo PenicheArturo Peniche is a famous Mexican telenovela actor who became popular in Latin America during the 1990s. He is the brother of actor Flavio Peniche, who appears in the telenovela La Traicion.-Biography:...
as Lic. Edmundo Serrano - Suitor of Paulina - Miguel de LeónMiguel de LeónMiguel Angel de León Lopez is a Venezuelan actor. He is better known simply as Miguel de León.Miguel Angel de León Lopez has acted mainly in telenovelas. This has allowed him to gain international fame across Latin America, where that type of shows is popular, specially among Hispanic women...
as Douglas Maldonado - Silvia DerbezSilvia DerbezSilvia Derbez , born Lucille Silvia Derbez Amézquita, was a Mexican film and television actress. Derbez was born in San Luis Potosi...
as Doña Chabela - Silvia Caos as Cenobia Rojas
- Irán EoryIrán Eory- Biography :She was born to an Austrian father and a Turkish mother of Jewish descent on October 21, 1937 in Tehran, Iran. Irán was given as the screen name for her, because it suggests her birth country....
as Lourdes - René MuñozRené MuñozRené Muñoz was a Cuban actor and screenwriter of telenovelas and the cinema of Mexico.He is most remembered for his role in the Spanish film Fray Escoba.-Biography:...
as El Mojarras - Azela RobinsonAzela RobinsonAzela Jacqueline Robinson Cañedo is an English-born Mexican actress.-Biography:Born in the United Kingdom to an English father and a Mexican mother, Azela Robinson studied in the Old Vin Drama Workshop and soon after, she enrolled in the National Theatre Workshop...
as Elvira- Nurse,Paola's accomplice (dies on the scene of the accident) - Rafael AmadorRafael AmadorRafael Amador is a Mexican football defender who played for Mexico in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Club Universidad Nacional.-External links:*...
as Dr. Galicia - Miguel CórcegaMiguel CórcegaMiguel Córcega was a Mexican telenovela actor and director. Córcega started his career in acting and directing during the 1940s....
as Braulio - Rebeca Manríquez as La Tamales
- Maricruz Nájera as Emiliana
- Angelina Peláez as Ricarda
- Humberto Elizondo as Silvano Pina
- Andrea García as Celia Alonzo
- Eduardo Luna as Mauricio Artiana
- Sara Montes as Eloina
- Adriana Nieto as Beatrice
- Jessica Salazar as Isabel
- Laura ZapataLaura ZapataLaura Zapata is a Mexican telenovela actress. She has acted in Televisa productions most of her life.- Family :...
as Abogado Zoraida Zapata - Renata Flores as Estela
- Consuelo DuvalConsuelo DuvalConsuelo Dussauge Vidal is a Mexican theatre, film, television, and voice-over actress. She is best known for her various comedic characters in La hora pico and her role of "Federica Dávalos de P. Luche" in the sitcom, La familia P...
as Macrina - Gloria Morell as Zenaida
- María MorenaMaría MorenaMaría Morena is a 1951 Spanish drama film directed by José María Forqué and Pedro Lazaga. It was entered into the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Paquita Rico - María Morena* José María Mompín - Fernando...
- Melba Luna as Doña Francisca
- Julio Monterde as Dr. Peraza
- Héctor Alvarez
- Claudia Castillo
- Nayeli Dainzú
- Jesús Lara
- Emiliano Lizárraga as Pedro
- Gabriela Tavela
- Irma Torres as Eulalia
- Fernando Torres Lapham as Dr. Mendive
- Gabriela Carvajal as Adela
- Ricardo Hernandez
- Javier Herranz as Dr. Varela
- Raquel MorellRaquel MorellRaquel Morell is a Mexican actress who appears in many telenovelas.She was born on February 4, 1959 in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.She is probably the best known for her role of Blanca De Velasco de Peñarreal in telenovela Esmeralda. Blanca was a mother of Esmeralda, who was played by Leticia Calderón...
- Oscar MorelliOscar MorelliOscar Morelli, born Oscar Bonfiglio Mouet , was a Mexican actor....
as Juez Castro - Adalberto Parra
- Hector ParraHèctor ParraHèctor Parra i Esteve is a Catalan composer.Born in Barcelona in 1976, Parra studied in the Conservatoire of Barcelona, where he was awarded Prizes with Distinction in Composition, Piano and Harmony...
as Lic. Juan Manuel Montesinos - Ester Rinaldi
- Fernando Saenz as Lic. Mayo
- Claudia Vega
- Amara Villafuerte
- Ernesto Arreola
- Manuel Barajas
- Jesus Najera Saro
- Karina Duprez
- Yadhira CarrilloYadhira CarrilloYadhira Carrillo Villalobos is an actress and former beauty queen.-Early career:Yadhira Carrillo was chosen Nuestra Belleza Aguascalientes in 1994...
as Raquel/villain, Special Guest at Mas Alla de la Usurpadora
Production
Gabriela SpanicGabriela Spanic
Gabriela Spanic , or Gaby Spanic, is an award-winning Venezuelan actress best known for her roles in telenovelas. Her twin sister is model/actress Daniela Spanic. She has a younger sister Patricia, and two brothers Antonio and Adiel...
has a twin sister in real life, Daniela Spanic
Daniela Spanic
Daniela Spanic is a Venezuelan model and twin sister of actress Gabriela Spanic....
, who is a model. Daniela was approached by the producers of the show to appear in one scene where Paola and Paulina physically fight, as the sequence would have been too difficult to achieve by camera trickery.
La Usurpadora was nicknamed in spanish, "The queen of the ratings" while broadcasted for Univision in 2000. Although the mexican telenovela garnered massive ratings, it received no awards from the yearly award shows.
La Usurpadora
La usurpadora
La Usurpadora is a Mexican romantic drama telenovela produced by Salvador Mejia Alejandre and originally broadcast on Canal de las Estrellas from February 9, 1998 to July 24, 1998. It starred Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga. This was one of the last telenovelas to feature Libertad Lamarque,...
wasn't the first Spanic's soap playing twins, she had already played two identical women in Como Tu, Ninguna
Como Tu, Ninguna
Como Tu, Ninguna was a Venezuelan telenovela that was produced by and seen on Venevisión. This telenovela lasted 281 episodes and was distributed internationally by Venevisión International...
but they were non-relative as in La Usurpadora
La usurpadora
La Usurpadora is a Mexican romantic drama telenovela produced by Salvador Mejia Alejandre and originally broadcast on Canal de las Estrellas from February 9, 1998 to July 24, 1998. It starred Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga. This was one of the last telenovelas to feature Libertad Lamarque,...
. She played the roles just in the last stage of the story.
Gabriela later starred in Televisa's 2001 La Intrusa where she once again took on roles similar to La Usurpadora
La usurpadora
La Usurpadora is a Mexican romantic drama telenovela produced by Salvador Mejia Alejandre and originally broadcast on Canal de las Estrellas from February 9, 1998 to July 24, 1998. It starred Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga. This was one of the last telenovelas to feature Libertad Lamarque,...
, except both sisters were good characters.
Sequel
La Usurpadora was followed by a two hour special, Más Alla De La Usurpadora which is set a year after the events of the original telenovela. Again produced by Salvador Mejia Alejandre and directed by Beatriz SheridanBeatriz Sheridan
Beatriz Sheridan was a Mexican actress and director. She died from a heart attack.-Biography:Elizabeth Ann Sheridan Scarbrough was born in 1934 in Mexico City, Mexico, to an English mother and a Mexican father...
, it starred many familiar cast members, including Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga, and introduced a new character, Raquel, played by Yadhira Carrillo
Yadhira Carrillo
Yadhira Carrillo Villalobos is an actress and former beauty queen.-Early career:Yadhira Carrillo was chosen Nuestra Belleza Aguascalientes in 1994...
.
Synopsis
Paulina and Carlos Daniel are blissfully happy with their new baby girl, Paulita. Problems arise when Paulina falls ill and consults a doctor who tells her that she has cancer and will die in a few months. Paulina keeps her illness a secret from her family, but asks Raquel, Paulita's caregiver, to marry Carlos Daniel after she dies. Raquel, who has been secretly in love with Carlos Daniel, is delighted.When Paulina lets Abuela Piedad in on her secret, Abuela Piedad insists that her family deserves to know. Paulina has a panic attack, and sees a vision of Paola in a mirror, telling that she will see her in hell for robbing her of her family. When Carlos Daniel learns of her illness, he comforts Paulina and decide to make the best of the time they have remaining together.
Raquel cannot wait to take over Paulina's role, so she puts poison in Paulina's wine. Paulina drinks and immediately faints, but Raquel faints as well. Both women are taken to the hospital, where they learn that Paulina is not sick, but is in fact pregnant. However, Raquel has accidentally swallowed the poison; she seeks forgiveness and eventually makes a full recovery.
Back at the Bracho home, Carlos Danieland Paulina reveal the happy news to everyone. Overjoyed, the family takes a picture and it says "And they lived happily for the rest of their lives". The credits roll, and the audience cheers.