Biography
Who is Talisa Soto?
Early life and modeling start
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Talisa Soto grew up as the youngest of four children. Her parents moved the family from Puerto Rico to New York City and later settled in Northampton, Massachusetts. She attended public schools in Massachusetts during her youth.
At age 15, she signed with Click Model Management. She began modeling during her summer vacations from school. Shortly after signing, she traveled to Paris to work on a layout for Vogue magazine, which was photographed by Bruce Weber. Talisa Soto finished her high school education in Northampton before pursuing modeling full-time.
Modeling career highlights
Talisa Soto established a successful career in the fashion industry. She appeared on the covers of British and American Vogue, as well as British Elle, Mademoiselle, Self, and Glamour magazines. Her modeling work included international advertising campaigns for brands such as Cartier, Calvin Klein, Clarins, Revlon, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
In 1990, the magazine People named her one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. She also appeared in the 1995 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Maxim magazine ranked her at number 58 on their Hot 100 Women list in 2002.
Acting roles and film work
She made her film debut in the 1988 comedy Spike of Bensonhurst, playing the character India. That same year, she appeared as Maria Rivera in The Mambo Kings and secured the role of Bond girl Lupe Lamora in the James Bond feature Licence to Kill.
Talisa Soto performed in more than twenty films throughout her career. Her credits include playing Kitana in the 1995 film Mortal Kombat and its sequel Mortal Kombat Annihilation. She appeared as Doña Julia in the romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco. Later roles included playing Sugar in the 2001 film Piñero and Ryne in the 2002 movie Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever.
Personal life and family
Talisa Soto married actor Costas Mandylor in 1997, and the couple divorced in 2000. She later married actor Benjamin Bratt on April 13, 2002, in San Francisco. The pair had originally met a decade earlier during a casting audition and grew closer while filming Piñero in 2001.
The couple has two children together. Their daughter, Sophia Rosalinda Bratt, was born in December 2002, and their son, Mateo Bravery Bratt, arrived in October 2005. In 2022, it was revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic, but she has since been declared cancer-free.
Birthday and age
Talisa Soto was born on March 27, 1967, which makes Talisa 59 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Talisa shares the date with 43 other famous people.
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