Born in Cuba, but raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Maria Conchita Alonso was crowned Miss Teenager of the World in 1971 and later as Miss Distrito Federal became the first runner up in the Miss Venezuela 1975 competition placing later that year in the top seven of the Miss World 1975. She became a popular actress in Latin America, working in ten telenovelas (soap operas) and starred in a quartet of Venezuelan films. She was also a popular singer, and has three Grammy nominations. In 1982, she emigrated to the US, and made her Hollywood film debut in 1984 in Paul Mazursky's Moscou à New York (1984), opposite Robin Williams. In 1995 she was playing "Aurora/Spider Woman" in a Broadway production of "Kiss of the Spider Woman", making her the first South American woman to star on the Great White Way.
