Biography
Who is Ana Alicia?
Early life and education
Born in Mexico City, her birth name is Ana Alicia Ortiz Torres. Her father, Carlos Celestino Ortiz, and mother, Alicia Torres, operated businesses in Acapulco. She had three siblings. When she was six, her father passed away. The family relocated to El Paso, Texas, where she lived with her mother, siblings, grandmother, and uncle.
She graduated from high school in 1972 and received a scholarship to Wellesley College. While at Wellesley, she won the lead role in the play Crawling Arnold. During a summer break, she auditioned for The Adobe Horseshoe Dinner Theatre in El Paso. She accepted a recurring acting position there, which allowed her to work with professional actors. She eventually left Wellesley College to pursue a drama degree at the University of Texas at El Paso. This move allowed her to live closer to her mother and brothers. She also obtained her actor's equity card during this time. Her first professional role under an AEA contract was in The Odd Couple.
Television and film career
After graduating in 1977, she moved to Los Angeles. She landed the part of Alicia Nieves on the daytime soap opera Ryan's Hope. She worked on that production for fifteen months before moving to Los Angeles part-time. During this period, she attended Southwestern Law School at night. She eventually decided to focus exclusively on acting.
She appeared in multiple guest roles, including episodes of Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. In 1979, she played Drusilla in the television movie The Sacketts. She also starred as the love interest in the 1981 film Coward of the County alongside Kenny Rogers. Her most prominent role came in 1982 when she joined the cast of Falcon Crest. She played the character Melissa Agretti for seven seasons until 1988. Later, she appeared in films such as Halloween II and Romero. She also performed in the television movie Miracle Landing in 1990.
Music and public service
During her time on Falcon Crest, she showed her musical abilities by singing on the show. She performed the song Goody Goody, which was originally composed in 1936. She also sang Body and Soul, a track written in 1930 that later became a jazz standard.
Beyond acting, Ana Alicia dedicated time to advocacy work. She served as the national spokesperson for The Humane Society of the United States. She has also participated in the Golden Eagle Awards, where she presented honors to recognize Hispanic achievements in media. In 2010, she appeared in a promotional video for the Norwegian program Gylne Tider. This project involved a group of celebrities filming a cover version of the Beatles track Let It Be.
Marriage and personal details
Ana Alicia was married to the entrepreneur and producer Gary R. Benz. The couple wed on April 24, 1994. Their marriage lasted for twenty-two years. They officially divorced in 2016. She has maintained a professional career in both television and film since the late 1970s.
Birthday and age
Ana Alicia was born on December 12, 1956, which makes Ana 69 years old today. That birthday falls under the Sagittarius sign. Ana shares the date with 43 other famous people.
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