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IMDbPro

Leonor Varela(I)

  • Actress
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Leonor Varela
Set in middle America, a small town, low-income suburbia.
Play trailer1:43
American Cherry (2023)
27 Videos
82 Photos
Leonor Varela was born on December 29, 1972 in Santiago de Chile, Chile, the daughter of Leonor Palma, a massage therapist, and Francisco Varela (Francisco Javier Varela Garcia), a biologist, neuroscientist, and philosopher. Her family fled to Costa Rica, leaving behind the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. They subsequently resided in Germany, USA, and France, where Varela studied.

In the '90s she appears in the Chilean soap Tic Tac (1997), and in other French and Europeans productions like Pony Trek (1995), Sous le soleil (1996), Shooting Stars (1997), A Legend to Ride (1997), Le juste (1996), or Bouge! (1997). Her career in Holywood began in 1998, when she joined the cast of The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) when she starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, and she appeared in The Bible Collection: Jeremiah (1998) opposite Patrick Dempsey. The following year (1999), she played the title character in the ABC TV movie "Cleopatra" (1999) (TV) opposite her future fiancé Billy Zane and Timothy Dalton

She appeared in The Tailor of Panama (2001) as Marta and in Texas Rangers (2001) as Perdita opposite Ashton Kutcher. In 2002 she appeared as the fanged vampire princess Nyssa in the action film Blade II (2002) opposite Wesley Snipes and Kris Kristofferson and directed by Guillermo del Toro. After that came Paraíso B (2002) as Gloria and in Pas si grave (2003) as Angela.

Varela also had a short recurring role in the Fox Television show Arrested Development (2003) as the original Marta. She was nominated for the Ariel Award in 2005 in the category of Best Actress for Innocent Voices (2004). She also had a non-recurring role in Stargate: Atlantis (2004).

In 2005 she appeared playing Adela in Americano (2005), and her following projects included Goal II: Living the Dream (2007) as the journalist Jordana Garcia, Where God Left His Shoes (2007) with John Leguizamo and the TV series produced by Jennifer Lopez Como ama una mujer (2007).

In the 2008 Sundance Film Festival she screened Sleep Dealer (2008) and the Larry Bishop's Hell Ride (2008), opposite Michael Madsen and Eric Balfour and produced by Quentin Tarantino.
BornDecember 29, 1972
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornDecember 29, 1972
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations total

    Photos82

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    + 75
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    Known for

    Wesley Snipes in Blade II (2002)
    Blade II
    6.7
    • Nyssa
    • 2002
    Anton Yelchin in Odd Thomas (2013)
    Odd Thomas
    6.8
    • Odd's Mother
    • 2013
    Promotional Poster
    The Tailor of Panama
    6.1
    • Marta
    • 2001
    Goal II: Living the Dream (2007)
    Goal II: Living the Dream
    5.8
    • Jordana Garcia
    • 2007

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actress



    • Paris: Verano en Vestidos (2023)
      Paris: Verano en Vestidos
      Video
      • Paris Model 1
      • 2023
    • Ava Torres, Matty Cardarople, Hanna Griffiths, John Honey, Larsen Thompson, and Hart Denton in American Cherry (2023)
      American Cherry
      4.8
      • Louise Stein
      • 2023
    • Marcia Gay Harden, Margherita Buy, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Hudson, Jacqueline Fernandez, Anne Watanabe, and Cara Delevingne in Tell It Like a Woman (2022)
      Tell It Like a Woman
      3.8
      • Tala
      • 2022
    • Miénteme (2022)
      Miénteme
      4.8
      • Eva
      • 2022
    • The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future (2022)
      The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future
      5.9
      • Cecilia
      • 2022
    • Damon Wayans and Seann William Scott in Lethal Weapon (2016)
      Lethal Weapon
      7.8
      TV Series
      • Sofia
      • 2018
    • Tai and Jenna Ortega in Saving Flora (2018)
      Saving Flora
      5.7
      • Isabella
      • 2018
    • Kodi Smit-McPhee in Alpha (2018)
      Alpha
      6.6
      • Shaman Woman
      • 2018
    • Sharon Stone, Famke Janssen, Ellen Burstyn, Tony Goldwyn, and Gilles Marini in All I Wish (2017)
      All I Wish
      5.2
      • Bianca
      • 2017
    • Leonor Varela and Colin Egglesfield in Murder in Mexico: The Bruce Beresford-Redman Story (2015)
      Murder in Mexico: The Bruce Beresford-Redman Story
      5.5
      TV Movie
      • Monica Beresford-Redman
      • 2015
    • Kate Mara and David Oyelowo in Captive (2015)
      Captive
      5.4
      • Sgt. Carmen Sandoval
      • 2015
    • Helen Hunt and Brenton Thwaites in Ride (2014)
      Ride
      5.7
      • Danielle
      • 2014
    • Ripley: My Bra (2014)
      Ripley: My Bra
      Video
      • Leonor Varela
      • 2014
    • Luke Perry and Anna Claire Sneed in A Fine Step (2014)
      A Fine Step
      5.3
      • Liliana Bolívar
      • 2014
    • Ripley: Vestidos & Blusas (2013)
      Ripley: Vestidos & Blusas
      Video
      • Ripley Model
      • 2013

    Producer



    • Leonor Varela, Edith González, and Ari Borovoy in Deseo (2013)
      Deseo
      4.5
      • associate producer
      • 2013
    • Ariel Levy and Lucy Cominetti in Qué pena tu vida (2010)
      Qué pena tu vida
      5.6
      • associate producer
      • 2010

    • In-development projects at IMDbPro

    Verified affiliations

    Learn more at IMDbPro
    SAG-AFTRA

    Videos27

    Wrong Turn At Tahoe
    Clip 0:33
    Wrong Turn At Tahoe
    Wrong Turn At Tahoe
    Clip 0:36
    Wrong Turn At Tahoe
    Wrong Turn At Tahoe
    Clip 0:36
    Wrong Turn At Tahoe
    Wrong Turn At Tahoe
    Clip 0:16
    Wrong Turn At Tahoe
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:04
    Official Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:43
    Official Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:42
    Official Trailer

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative names
      • Léonor Varela
    • Height
      • 5′ 6½″ (1.69 m)
    • Born
      • December 29, 1972
      • Santiago, Chile
    • Spouse
      • Lucas AkoskinApril 15, 2013 - August 2023 (divorced, 2 children)
    • Children
        Matteo Varela Akoskin
    • Parents
        Francisco Varela
    • Other works
      2007: Appeared in a commercial for Martini with George Clooney
    • Publicity listings
      • 2 Interviews
      • 1 Article
      • 5 Pictorials
      • 5 Magazine Cover Photos

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      She is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Italian.
    • Quotes
      In this business, if you don't have the capacity to step back and have some sort of relativity about things, you're screwed.
    • Nickname
      • Leo

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