Mariana Levy
Encyclopedia
Mariana Levy Fernández (April 22, 1966 – April 29, 2005) was a Mexican
telenovela
actress
, singer and television
show host. She was the daughter of actress Talina Fernández.
. Levy demonstrated a great desire to become an actress from an early age, and, by the time she turned sixteen in 1982, she participated in her first Televisa
soap opera
, Vivir Enamorada ("Living in Love"), where she played "Verónica". Levy took 1983 off, then returned to the small screen in 1984, in a major Televisa
hit, Los Años Felices ("The Happy Years"). In Los Años Felices, she played the role of "Nancy". Her next telenovela, 1986's
Martín Garatuza
was not successful.
The opposite can be said of her next work, as "Linda", in 1987's Rosa Salvaje
("Wild Rosa"). Rosa Salvaje, about a girl named Rosa who falls in love with a millionaire but was not accepted by his family, became a hit all over Latin America
, Europe
and Asia
. Levy became known in places including Spain
, Puerto Rico
, Russia
, Venezuela
and Argentina
. In Rosa Salvaje, she acted alongside Verónica Castro
and Guillermo Capetillo
, among others.
She participated in 1988's Lo Blanco y Lo Negro ("What's White and What's Black"), alongside Rafael Sanchez Navarro
among others, as "Alma de Castro". She took off the rest of the 1980s, but, in 1990, she returned to television with the task of playing three characters in the same soap opera; playing "Ángela",
"Gimena" and "Estrella" in Yo compro esa mujer ("I'll buy that woman").
By the time she participated in En Carne Propia ("Inside your own skin"), also in 1990, she had already met the famous actor and dance
teacher, Ariel López Padilla
. It had been long rumored among fans that López Padilla was homosexual, but he had been romantically involved with Levy. In 1994, Levy and Lopez Padilla worked together again in the telenovela
Caminos Cruzados, where both of them played the lead. It was during this production that they finally got together for good. On June 28 of 1996, the pair married in front of millions of TV viewers, as they said their vows in the popular talk show "Cristina
", conducted by the famous talk-show host Cristina Saralegui
. The couple had one daughter, María (born on March 28, 1996), as the result of their marriage. But their marriage ended up in a bad divorce
, with Levy telling gossip magazines that López Padilla was, after all, gay.
While Levy was given custody of her daughter, her story about López Padilla being gay soon became moot because he was accused by a female dance student of him raping
her. He was found not guilty. Before taking off three years for her marriage, she participated in another major Mexican soap opera hit, 1991's
La Pícara Soñadora ("The Flirtatious Dreamer") as "Lupita".
In 1994, she made her only film
when she acted in Amorosos Fantasmas, which was named "Phantoms in Love" for its English-language VCR release. During the rest of her acting career, she acted in nine telenovelas, most of them which were not notable, except for1997's Leonela
.
She married again, this time to José María Fernández, the half brother of Chantal Andere
. In 2003, Mariana Levy joined her mother, Talina Fernández, as cohost of her televised variety show, Nuestra Casa ("Our House"), and also participated in her final telenovela, the hugely successful Amor Real
. This production was set in the mid 19th century, and in one of her most memorable characters ever, Mariana played an ugly-duckling-turned-to-swan character, Josefina. She retired to give birth to Paula (born on January 19, 2002) and José Emilio (born on July 7, 2004).
, based on witness testimonies, have given many different theories about Levy's death. It is known for sure that she suffered a heart attack
while stopped at a red light in the Mexico City neighborhood of Lomas de Chapultepec
. However, the question so far is exactly what caused her death: Some witnesses said that she had her heart attack while a gun
man was pointing a revolver
at her to steal her car; others simply said that she became scared, due to the recent incidents in which many Mexican entertainers or their families have been kidnapped for money, when she saw a large man approaching her car. According to the later version, she ordered her husband to close the car's windows, but began to have the heart attack when she felt chest pains and shortness of breath soon after.
Her husband was actually driving across town to a theme park (Six Flags México
), where she and her family were to meet with some friends for a family day. The paramedics tried to resuscitate Mariana Levy in vain on the heart attack's scene. She was taken by ambulance
to a hospital, where she was declared dead at 13:30 local time (UTC –5) on April 29, 2005, aged 39. The police did arrest a group of individuals that were being investigated in connection with some car theft crimes and who happened to be on the scene of Levy's death.
Her mother, Talina Fernández, was in a studio about to tape a show when she received the news of her daughter's death.
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...
telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
actress
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
, singer and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show host. She was the daughter of actress Talina Fernández.
Biography
Mariana Levy was born in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Levy demonstrated a great desire to become an actress from an early age, and, by the time she turned sixteen in 1982, she participated in her first Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Vivir Enamorada ("Living in Love"), where she played "Verónica". Levy took 1983 off, then returned to the small screen in 1984, in a major Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
hit, Los Años Felices ("The Happy Years"). In Los Años Felices, she played the role of "Nancy". Her next telenovela, 1986's
Martín Garatuza
Martín Garatuza
Martín Garatuza was a famous trickster whose frauds and escapes became legendary in colonial New Spain and whose name has passed into Spanish language, folklore and literature....
was not successful.
The opposite can be said of her next work, as "Linda", in 1987's Rosa Salvaje
Rosa salvaje
Rosa salvaje is a Mexican telenovela that was broadcast in 1987. It starred the popular Mexican actress Verónica Castro, who played the main character, "Rosa", co-starring with Guillermo Capetillo as her love interest and Laura Zapata as the villain of the story.This telenovela was a huge success...
("Wild Rosa"). Rosa Salvaje, about a girl named Rosa who falls in love with a millionaire but was not accepted by his family, became a hit all over Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Levy became known in places including Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. In Rosa Salvaje, she acted alongside Verónica Castro
Verónica Castro
Verónica Castro is a Mexican actress, singer and television host. She is the mother of singer Cristian Castro and filmmaker Michelle Sáinz Castro and the sister of actress Beatriz Castro,and telenovela producer José Alberto Castro....
and Guillermo Capetillo
Guillermo Capetillo
Guillermo Capetillo is a Mexican actor, singer and matador and bullfighter. He is a member of the Capetillo family. His father and his brother, actor Manuel Capetillo, Jr. are also matadors, his half-brother Eduardo Capetillo is a singer and actor...
, among others.
She participated in 1988's Lo Blanco y Lo Negro ("What's White and What's Black"), alongside Rafael Sanchez Navarro
Rafael Sánchez Navarro
Rafael Sánchez Navarro , is a famous Spanish-Mexican actor. He is the son of Manolo Fábregas, a famous actor from Spain who established himself in Mexico, who also acted in Puerto Rico and whose birthname is Ricardo Sánchez Navarro...
among others, as "Alma de Castro". She took off the rest of the 1980s, but, in 1990, she returned to television with the task of playing three characters in the same soap opera; playing "Ángela",
"Gimena" and "Estrella" in Yo compro esa mujer ("I'll buy that woman").
By the time she participated in En Carne Propia ("Inside your own skin"), also in 1990, she had already met the famous actor and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
teacher, Ariel López Padilla
Ariel López Padilla
- Biography :Ariel López Padilla was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, on August 12, 1962.Being the second of three brothers, Francisco and Horacio the other two, this "sandwich brother" has always been of restless nature and avid for attention, there the root of his multiple facets like actor,...
. It had been long rumored among fans that López Padilla was homosexual, but he had been romantically involved with Levy. In 1994, Levy and Lopez Padilla worked together again in the telenovela
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
Caminos Cruzados, where both of them played the lead. It was during this production that they finally got together for good. On June 28 of 1996, the pair married in front of millions of TV viewers, as they said their vows in the popular talk show "Cristina
Cristina
Cristina may refer to:* Cristina, a municipality in the Spanish province of Badajoz* Cristina , a municipality in Brazil* Cristina * Cristina, a genus of harvestmen , eight-legged invertebrate animals...
", conducted by the famous talk-show host Cristina Saralegui
Cristina Saralegui
Cristina Saralegui is a Cuban American journalist, actress and talk show host of the Spanish-language eponymous show, Cristina. She also has her own fashion line of accessories and comforters for bed and bath....
. The couple had one daughter, María (born on March 28, 1996), as the result of their marriage. But their marriage ended up in a bad divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, with Levy telling gossip magazines that López Padilla was, after all, gay.
While Levy was given custody of her daughter, her story about López Padilla being gay soon became moot because he was accused by a female dance student of him raping
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
her. He was found not guilty. Before taking off three years for her marriage, she participated in another major Mexican soap opera hit, 1991's
La Pícara Soñadora ("The Flirtatious Dreamer") as "Lupita".
In 1994, she made her only film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
when she acted in Amorosos Fantasmas, which was named "Phantoms in Love" for its English-language VCR release. During the rest of her acting career, she acted in nine telenovelas, most of them which were not notable, except for1997's Leonela
Leonela
Leonela was a Venezuelan telenovela that was produced by and broadcast on Venezuela's Radio Caracas Televisión. It was written by Delia Fiallo and directed by Rolando Loewenstein. This telenovela lasted 133 episodes and was distributed internationally by Coral International...
.
She married again, this time to José María Fernández, the half brother of Chantal Andere
Chantal Andere
Jacqueline Chantal Fernandez Andere is a Mexican actress. She is professionally known as Chantal Andere.-Early life:...
. In 2003, Mariana Levy joined her mother, Talina Fernández, as cohost of her televised variety show, Nuestra Casa ("Our House"), and also participated in her final telenovela, the hugely successful Amor Real
Amor real
Amor real is a Mexican telenovela, which was produced and broadcast by Televisa in 2003. Amor Real is a historical telenovela set in the Mexican post-independence period of the mid-19th century. It also aired on Univision in the United States in 2004 and on REN TV in Russia...
. This production was set in the mid 19th century, and in one of her most memorable characters ever, Mariana played an ugly-duckling-turned-to-swan character, Josefina. She retired to give birth to Paula (born on January 19, 2002) and José Emilio (born on July 7, 2004).
Death
Mexico City policePolice
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, based on witness testimonies, have given many different theories about Levy's death. It is known for sure that she suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
while stopped at a red light in the Mexico City neighborhood of Lomas de Chapultepec
Chapultepec
Chapultepec Park, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" in Mexico City, is the largest city park in Latin America, measuring in total just over 686 hectares. Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of the park's main functions is to be an ecological space in the vast...
. However, the question so far is exactly what caused her death: Some witnesses said that she had her heart attack while a gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
man was pointing a revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
at her to steal her car; others simply said that she became scared, due to the recent incidents in which many Mexican entertainers or their families have been kidnapped for money, when she saw a large man approaching her car. According to the later version, she ordered her husband to close the car's windows, but began to have the heart attack when she felt chest pains and shortness of breath soon after.
Her husband was actually driving across town to a theme park (Six Flags México
Six Flags México
Six Flags México is an amusement park owned by Six Flags Inc. and the only Six Flags park operating in Latin America. It is located in the Tlalpan forest and borough, on the southern edge of Mexico City, Mexico. Six Flags México has become one of the most important theme parks in Mexico and the...
), where she and her family were to meet with some friends for a family day. The paramedics tried to resuscitate Mariana Levy in vain on the heart attack's scene. She was taken by ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
to a hospital, where she was declared dead at 13:30 local time (UTC –5) on April 29, 2005, aged 39. The police did arrest a group of individuals that were being investigated in connection with some car theft crimes and who happened to be on the scene of Levy's death.
Her mother, Talina Fernández, was in a studio about to tape a show when she received the news of her daughter's death.
Telenovelas
- 2003: Amor realAmor realAmor real is a Mexican telenovela, which was produced and broadcast by Televisa in 2003. Amor Real is a historical telenovela set in the Mexican post-independence period of the mid-19th century. It also aired on Univision in the United States in 2004 and on REN TV in Russia...
.... Josefina De Icaza - 2002: Mujer, casos de la vida realMujer, casos de la vida realMujer, casos de la vida real is a television show produced by Hispanic television Televisa for Canal de las Estrellas. The show first aired after the Mexican earthquake of 1985 as a method to assist victims of the natural disaster...
"Abandonado" - 2000: Rayito de luz
- 2000: La casa en la playa .... Elisa White viuda de Villarreal
- 1999: Cuento de Navidad .... Guadalupe 'Lupita'
- 1997: LeonelaLeonelaLeonela was a Venezuelan telenovela that was produced by and broadcast on Venezuela's Radio Caracas Televisión. It was written by Delia Fiallo and directed by Rolando Loewenstein. This telenovela lasted 133 episodes and was distributed internationally by Coral International...
.... Leonela Ferrari Mirabal "Leonela: Muriendo de amor" (Peru) - 1996: El vuelo del águila .... Carmelita Romero Rubio (joven)
- 1996: Bendita Mentira .... Carolina
- 1995: La última esperanza .... Estelita
- 1994: Amorosos fantasmas
- 1994: Caminos cruzados .... Patricia
- 1992: Sonata de luna
- 1992: Lo blanco y lo negro .... Alma de Castro
- 1991: La pícara soñadoraLa Pícara soñadoraLa Pícara soñadora is a 1956 Argentine film....
.... Lupita López - 1991: En carne propia .... Dulce Olivia Montenegro
- 1990: Un corazón para dos
- 1990: Yo compro esa mujer .... Jimena
- 1987: Rosa salvajeRosa salvajeRosa salvaje is a Mexican telenovela that was broadcast in 1987. It starred the popular Mexican actress Verónica Castro, who played the main character, "Rosa", co-starring with Guillermo Capetillo as her love interest and Laura Zapata as the villain of the story.This telenovela was a huge success...
.... Linda - 1986: Martín GaratuzaMartín GaratuzaMartín Garatuza was a famous trickster whose frauds and escapes became legendary in colonial New Spain and whose name has passed into Spanish language, folklore and literature....
- 1986: Rapunsell
- 1984: Los años felices .... Nancy
- 1982: Vivir enamorada .... Veronica