Lucía Méndez

Early success

Méndez was born January 26, 1955 in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. She began her career in 1972 when a very important newspaper from Mexico City "El Heraldo" launched her as "El Rostro" meaning "the face", she won this title; she also appeared in an uncredited role in a film named Vuelven los campeones justicieros also known in the USA as The Champion Five Return. While she would appear in a handful of films throughout the seventies, including The Children of Sanchez (1978), with the Mexican legends Anthony Quinn and Dolores del Río, Mendez truly came into her own in Mexican television starting with a small part in Muchacha italiana viene a casarse (1971) with Angelica María. More supporting parts followed on Cartas sin Destino (1973), La Tierra (1974), Mundos opuestos (1975). By 1978, she was a well known superstar throughout México and the rest of Latin America thanks to her successful telenovela Viviana. This soap opera took Méndez directly around the world, among the most successful run of her series would be Spain, Italy and France. Méndez playing the underdog in the story with a strong charismatic character. The huge impact she followed with equally-successful, Colorina (1980).

Méndez continued the streak of success in television with Vanessa (1982). With Vanessa, she became the first star of a soap-opera to be killed; however, this was due to her alleged diva attitude which forced retaliation from the writers and producers to "kill Vanessa off", later she stated that she was sick with pneumonia and that's the reason why she couldn't shoot the last scenes. She enjoyed another success with Tu o Nadie (1985), and in 1988 she was cast in the dual role of Leonor de Santiago and Diana Salazar in the soap-opera El Extraño Retorno de Diana Salazar (1988), written by Carlos Olmos.

She appeared in Amor de Nadie (1990), then in Marielena, where she portrayed a Cuban girl in exile. Marielena (1992) is probably her most successful telenovela has ever made and the most sold of all her telenovelas.

Other soap operas include: Señora Tentacion (1994) Tres Veces Sofía (1998) and Golpe Bajo (2000).

In the music realm Méndez would record her first platinum album in 1975 alongside composer Juan Gabriel. The album, Siempre Estoy Pensando En Ti ("Always Thinking About You"), brought her huge success in the field. She recorded as many as five albums with Gabriel, this earned her recognition and credibility as a singer, and not only that but her albums were certified gold and platinum.

Other of her films are El Ministro y yo (1975), with Cantinflas, Más negro que la noche (1976), La Ilegal (1979), Los Renglones Torcidos de Dios (1981), and El Maleficio (1985).

In 1980, she opened herself to a wider audience of the pop music genre. By way of introduction from Gabriel, Méndez would collaborate with Camilo Sesto, who was also a contributor to the theme song of the production Colorina. Sesto and Méndez release in 1982 her pop debut album, Cerca De Ti ("Closer To You"). The album includes as many as five hit singles, "Amiga Mia"(My Friend)," "Que Clase De Hombre Eres Tu" ("What Kind Of Man Are You"), "Culpable O Innocente" ("Innocent Or Guilty"), "Te Tengo En Mis Manos" ("I Have You In My Hands") and the 1# single, "Atada A Nada" ("Attached To Nothing")". Mendez continued to work with Spanish producers. On her next album, she would work with Honorario Herrero.

1983 brought Méndez teaming up with Herrero. They begin a long sequence of radio hits, that at the time was unknown for any Latin Star to top the musical charts in Spain. She recorded "Enamorada/In Love." The set would unleash up to five hit singles with a film of the same name. This same year, 1983, she was crowned as Queen of Viña del Mar at the Viña del Mar Festival in Chile.

In 1984 Méndez released, "Solo Una Mujer/Only One Woman," again by Herrero. They released singles along with video; Xe-Tu, the Spanish comparison to MTV, would have her videos in heavy rotation on their show. The singles were the self title track, "La Luna De Cancún/The Cancún Moon," "Don Corazón/Mr. Heart" and "Corazón De Piedra/Heart Of Stone," becoming a platinum single.

In 1985, she starred alongside Andrés García and Salvador Pineda in the internationally successful Tú o Nadie, using two theme songs from her album "Solo Una Mujer," "Corazón de Piedra" ("Heart of Stone") and "Don Corazón", which became smashing hits, on the Mexican and Latin American music charts. She also returned to the recording studio to record her fourth pop record. She worked for the last time alongside Spanish Composer, Herrero. The fun upbeat music ends with the release of "Te Quiero/I Love You." Mendez again used the video form to gain more exposure and coverage on television. She releases the hit singles, "Te Quiero/I Love You," "Amor Imposible/Impossible Love" and "La Ola Del Amor/The Love Wave."

In 1987, her single "Castígame/Punish Me" reached the top of the charts. The title track became a hit in both sides of the Atlantic. The next big hit, "Yo No Se Quererte Más/I Don't Know How To Love You More," had two videos to accompany it. The song was received with the same enthusiasm. The album became another gold and platinum certification. Another promo hit was launched on the radio, "Que Tiene/Who Cares."

Later life and career

In the '90s Méndez re-emerged with two productions. After her song "Nos Aburriremos Juntos" ("We Shall Get Bored Together") was leaked into airways as early as November 1989 in America, the album was not officially released until 1990, Lucía es . . . Luna Morena ("Lucía is . . . Tanned Moon").

Within the same year, Méndez came back with another soap opera, Amor de nadie ("Nobody's Love"), alongside Saúl Lisazo, Bertín Osborne and Fernando Allende. In Amor de nadie, she played a rape victim. During the story there are five men that fight for her love. The soap opera's title song also became a smash hit for Méndez.

After Amor de nadie, Méndez flew to Miami after she was offered to star in what would be her smashing comeback, Marielena, the soap opera which consolidated her career in the United States and the rest of the world. Marielena was the second soap opera to be shot in Miami after El Magnate ("The Mogul") starring Andrés García and Salvador Pineda. Her co-star in this case was Eduardo Yáñez. Marielena was the first non Televisa soap opera Méndez starred in, and caused the 17 year veto (dropped out in 2007) between the star and the company. In 1991, Lucía Méndez visited Lebanon and performed in front of the Lebanese population more than one musical concerts. These concerts were organized in the Christian area northern to the capital Beirut. Lucia Mendez became famous in Lebanon after showing one of her old TV series. In 1994 Méndez was invited to Puerto Rico and starred in the romantic story Señora Tentación ("Lady Temptation"), which turned out to be a flop considering the huge success of Marielena. Lucía Méndez semi-retired from acting, leading a more private life. But even as she did lead a more private life, she was still under the public's eye, because of her business career.

In 1998, she signed a contract with TV Azteca, Televisa's big rival in México. Her comeback was a success starring in Tres Veces Sofía ("Three Times Sophia") alongside Omar Fierro. Two years later, she shot another TV Azteca soap opera, Golpe Bajo ("Blow Below the Belt"), with Javier Gómez and Salvador Pineda. Golpe Bajo is Méndez' last soap opera so far after ending her contract with TV Azteca. In 2005 producer Salvador Mejía wanted Lucía Méndez to be the star of his huge success La Madrastra ("The Stepmother"), but finally the leading role landed on Victoria Ruffo. In 2007 Lucía Méndez returned to Televisa in the 50 year of Telenovelas commemorative Teleonvela "Amor sin Maquillaje" (Love w/o Make Up).

Lucia debuted as a writer of a soap opera in Miami in 1998.

Méndez came back in 2008 into Latin American and Spanish United States television channel UNIVISION in the Spanish version of "Desperate Housewives" - "Esposas Desesperadas", in the role originally played by Brenda Strong in the American version.

Lucia also has marketed a variety of beauty products, being her perfume with pheromones "Vivir" ("To Live") and an oxygen supplement "Oxyvivir" her top sellers.

She made the tour "Reina de Reinas" ("Queen of Queens") for club gay discos at U.S and she will have a tour in México called "Noches de Cabaret 2009" ("Cabaret Nights 2009") starting June 2009.

She has a new album "Otra vez enamorada con un nuevo amanecer" ("Again In Love With a New Dawn") with new dance versions of her hits and new themes like "Un nuevo amanecer" ("A New Dawn") was her debut presentation at Teleton 2008 in México. This CD is due to be released sometime in May 2009. With the released of a new covers of her hits in Mexico she proves why she is everybody's favorite gaining great attention and becomes an instant hit on sells by amprofon, focusing on the new music giving great presentations on TV, radio and returning in a special role in "Mi Pecado" ("My Sin") a soap with a special part as key to the story development. That brings her to another small special invitation as a charm of luck in the Mexican version of Mi Gorda bella. She comebacks in 2010 with another CD with mariachi as part of her fourth CD contract deal with Sony music. "Canto un homeaje a mi compadre" ("I Sing a Tribute to My Co-Father) with great songs and a video Amor de un rato ("Love For a While"), a single which gains another good seller.

In 2011, Lucía starred in Mexico the telenovela Esperanza del Corazón ("Hoping Heart"), with Fernando Allende and the Mexican Broadway star Bianca Marroquín. Also in 2011, she was inducted into the Paseo de las Luminarias (Plaza of the Stars) for her work as a recording artist and in television.

Albums

Singles

Video clips