Angélica Aragón, born Angélica Espinoza Stransky on July 11, 1953, in Mexico City, is a renowned Mexican actress, singer, and director.
Raised in a culturally rich environment, she grew up amidst the worlds of entertainment and intellectual pursuits, shaped by her family’s artistic legacy.
Her early education took place at prestigious institutions such as The Modern American College, The Sierra Nevada School, and The French-Mexican High School in Mexico, before she pursued formal training at the esteemed London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), where she honed her skills in theater and dance.
Despite initial aspirations to study medicine, Aragón’s path led her into the performing arts, where she has become a trailblazer, blending emotional depth with social commentary in her roles.
Siblings
Angélica has a younger sister, Vindia Espinoza Stransky.
Vindia, who tragically passed away in 2008, grew up alongside Angélica in their mother’s home in Mexico City’s Colonia del Valle neighborhood, especially after their parents’ divorce when Angélica was just three years old.
On her mother’s side, Angélica has two half-siblings, Jacqueline and John.
Career
Aragón’s career spans over five decades, evolving from tentative theatrical beginnings to commanding roles across multiple mediums, where she has consistently pushed boundaries in storytelling and representation.
Her entry into the industry came in the early 1970s, supported by her father’s connections; she made her television debut in a small role in the telenovela El amor tiene cara de mujer in 1971, followed by an extra part in Alejandro Jodorowsky’s surreal film La montaña sagrada in 1973.
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After training in London, she returned to Mexico in 1980, quickly ascending in Televisa productions under producer Valentín Pimstein, starting with minor parts in Sandra y Paulina and El hogar que yo robé.
Her breakthrough arrived with the lead in the iconic telenovela Vivir un poco in 1985, which catapulted her to national fame for portraying a resilient woman navigating love and hardship.
Transitioning to cinema in 1986 with Los dos frailes, she built a robust filmography, including Lamberto Quintero (1987) alongside Antonio Aguilar and Goitia: un dios para sí mismo (1989), a biopic of painter Francisco Goitia.
The 1990s marked her Hollywood crossover with The Harvest (1993) featuring George Clooney and the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds (1995) directed by Alfonso Arau, opposite Keanu Reeves.
Back in Mexico, she shone in Novia que te vea (1994) and the box-office hit Sexo, pudor y lágrimas (1999).
The 2000s brought further acclaim with the controversial El crimen del Padre Amaro (2002) and her return to telenovelas via Mirada de mujer (1997), a groundbreaking series about a mature woman’s romance that shattered stereotypes and became a cultural phenomenon on TV Azteca.
As a director, she helmed the socially charged play Tengamos el sexo en paz in 1999 and contributed as assistant director to Picking Up the Pieces (2000), working with luminaries like Woody Allen.
Later highlights include voicing a character in Disney’s Moana (2016) for Latin American audiences, starring in Diego Luna’s Mr. Pig (2016), and recent works like Son of Monarchs (2020) and Infelices para siempre (2023).
Accolades
Aragón has secured three Ariel Awards, Mexico’s highest film honor: her first in 1995 for Best Supporting Actress in Novia que te vea, the second that same year for Cilantro y perejil, and the third in 2003 for her riveting performance in El crimen del Padre Amaro.
A 2016 Ariel nomination for Best Actress in a Minor Role in Mr. Pig further highlighted her enduring prowess.
On television, her portrayal in Mirada de mujer garnered her a TVyNovelas Award for Best Lead Actress, alongside multiple Bravo and ACE Awards recognizing her telenovela excellence.
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