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No matter how little things are in life, you should always try to do the best you can, because you never know what can happen
~ Patricia Velasquez ~
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Patricia Velasquez was born in Guajira., Venezuela, on January 31, 1971.Raised by her educator parents in a third world country, not to mention thefifth child of six, Patricia's life was far from luxurious or glamorous. Sheattended San Vicente  de Paul High School, and after her graduation in 1987,Patricia headed for college to study engineering and accounting.Although she was being raised to go into the Venezuelan oil industry, which is practically the only choice for Indian children from Venezuela(Patricia's mother is of native heritage, from the Wayu tribe in the Amazon), a chance event led her to switch her plans.A friend of hers wanted to become a model, and one of the pictures that she sent to a casting call in Caracas included Patricia. As fate would have it,the agency wanted exotic Patricia. After a year of college studies, she leftfor Milan in pursuit of a modeling career. Up until that point, the closest Patricia came to a modeling experience was her participation in beauty pageants in her native Venezuela, which didn't affect her upcoming modeling gigs.In 1998, Patricia strutted down catwalks in ready to wear fashion shows fordesigners such as Antonio Berardi, Bella Freud, Corinne Cobson, Claude Montana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Salvatore Ferragamo, Dolce & Gabbana, and Owen Gaster. As for print, Patricia appeared in ads for Chanel's Allure, Monsoon,Roberto Verino's Verino fragrance, as well as everyone's favorite,Victoria's Secret.She even donned swimsuits for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition in 1994.Signed with Ford in New York, IMG in Paris and Models 1 in London, Patricia extended her resume from appearing in the pages of Vogue and Elle, to appearing on the big screen.Her debut role was as Maya in the 1996 film Le Jaguar, which she followed upwith a role in Eruption (aka Volcano Run) a year later. 1999 was a huge year for Patricia, as she appeared in Beowulf and No Vacancy; broke out despite asmall role, as Anck-Su-Namun in the sleeper hit, The Mummy; and finally appeared in Façade (aka Death Valley).Patricia stole the spotlight from cutey Heather Graham in Committed, in acomedic turn as a waitress -- she was especially noticed during the screening at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.That same year, she appeared with Pras and Ja Rule in Turn It Up, and then starred in Saint Bernard. Even with the glamour and glitz of Hollywood,Patricia never forgets the struggling days of poverty growing up in Venezuela. |  Patricia Velasquez Information: | Birth Name: Patricia Carola Velasquez Semprun
- sometimes credited as Patricia Velàsquez
- Velàsquez`s movie credits normally omit the acute accent over the a in her surname.
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| Education:
- San Vicente de Paul High School,
| Relationship:
- Velásquez has stated she is bisexual and dated comedian Sandra Bernhard in the mid-1990s
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- (US) 34-23.5-35 ; (EU) 86-60-89
| Spoken Languages:
- She is fluent in English, French, Italian and Spanish.
| Charities/Causes:
- Patricia Velasquez is a UNESCO Artist for Peace and is and active charity worker. Her Wayuu Taya Foundation is dedicated to improving the living conditions of Latin American indigenous groups while respecting their culture.
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| A few things you may not know about Patricia Velasquez:  Had a tough childhood with very little material possessions. This gave her a valuable lesson in appreciating any fortune bestowed upon her. As a result, she has developed a very strong character, including being a vocal spokesperson for Hispanic causes.
Patricia Velazquez has spoken out about her wild past which she has left behind. Coming from humble beginnings in poverty stricken Venezuela, Patricia found life in Paris very different. She says, "I remember I was in a club in Paris where there was a long table covered in cocaine... and there wasn't one person who wasn't famous at that table. "One night I took coke and ecstasy and smoked hash. I got a call the next morning to do my first magazine cover in Madrid, and I was so out of it I lost the job." Thankfully, this was a turning point for the actress who is half South American Indian. "I thought, 'What are you doing? Your family is in Venezuela with no water'. So I stopped."
A friend of hers wanted to become a model, and one of the pictures that she sent to a casting call in Caracas included Patricia. As fate would have it, the agency wanted exotic Patricia. After a year of college studies, she left for Milan in pursuit of a modeling career. Up until that point, the closest Patricia came to a modeling experience was her participation in beauty pageants in her native Venezuela, which didn't affect her upcoming modeling gigs.
After her first few modeling gigs, she bought her family a new home, made sure her 3 brothers received a college education, and still supports causes such as the advancement of Hispanics, fair treatment of indigenous peoples, and the fight against pediatric AIDS. She also launched a foundation to help Venezuelans. |
| Fashion TV FTV- Fashion in Films Patricia Velasquez
|  On her Role in the Mummy Returns: |
The hardest thing I had to do in the whole film was the big fight scene I have with Rachel. The training we did was insane, boxing with martial arts. We both trained for 3 months, sometimes 7 or 8 hours a day, and I did all my own stunts - in cluding the jumps and the splits - except one. I used to be a dancer, and for me it was a really good combination of dance and acting. At the start we were both a bit shy about hurting each other, but by the end we were really going for it. (Shows her hands) See, I'm still covered in little scars!
"I actually ended up in hospital for 3 days, I was so tired. It was weird, and they don't know this, but I've been to the doctor 3 times and they've been checking my heart because I pushed it so much. But I'd totally do it again. Supposedly there was this cyst that grew in the last 2 months we were training, and then right after we did the fight the cyst burst, and I ended up in The Courtland in London."
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| Always work hard, be honest, and be proud of who you are.
Clothes, thank God I can get them from designers.
Every time you play a bad girl or guy in a movie, you really come from a place of pain.
For the past 12 years my life has been travelling and living away from the ones I love, and now I live in New York.
I also feel that if you were evil, then next time around you would be very good.
I began dancing when I was just 5, and I never really wanted to become an actress because it's what every other model does.
I enjoyed working as a model a lot as it let me travel and I got to do some really interesting projects.
I have no doubt I was someone very interesting in a past life.
I think if I could have a boyfriend like my brothers I'd be really happy. But without the brother thing.
I think that comes from being a dancer and from being in the theater since I was four years old. It teaches you discipline.
"on the Character Meela and the fight between Anck su namun and Nefreteri"
I used to be a dancer, and for me it was a really good combination of dance and acting.
If there is one creature that represents my essence, it's butterflies..
“There are only so many roles for people like me, and I don't have a big name yet.”
“No matter how little things are in life, you should always try to do the best you can, because you never know what can happen.”
“I enjoyed working as a model a lot as it let me travel and I got to do some really interesting projects.”
“I haven't met anybody in the business that has such a good heart as the Fords do. For them first you are a human being and then you are a model.”
“People say many things, but at the end of the day people can say what they want.”
“I hate shopping!”
If I need something, even a pair of socks, my assistant has to get them for me.”
“I also feel that if you were evil, then next time around you would be very good.”
“You need a routine, to be able to spend some time with a person, and my lifestyle is constantly on the move.”
“There was a time when I used to live in Spain that it went really crazy with drugs and stuff like that.”
“OK, I've been very wild, but I've never really been the sort of person who goes that crazy!”
“It's, like, when you want something in life, you want it so badly that you start taking action to get it, because you want it.”
“So struggling for work here has been very good for me, but it's also been very hard to handle rejection.”
“It takes one person to give you a big chance.” |
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