Ecuadorian actress Maria Elisa Camargo knew she wanted to be an artist since childhood when she got asked from SíTV to be part of the kids show Dr. Expertus'. At 17 she moved to Bogotá where she began her studies in economics at the University of Andes. In 2005 she auditioned for El Factor X (Colombia's X Factor). After several months of auditions, she reached the main show, under the guidance of Jose Gaviria, playing tracks from artists Lara Fabian, David Bisbal and Shakira. Maria Elisa then appeared on various RCN shows, eventually landing a role on the telenovela Floricienta. After this she was hired to play Mary Joy in La Marca del Deseo (Mark of Desire) with Stephanie Cayo and Alfonso Baptista. This was her first exposure on American television, as La Marca was made by RCN for Univision, and also her first leading role and singing opportunity. In 2009 she moved to Mexico City and started auditioning in Televisa until she got her first shot in Verano de Amor (Summer of Love) in which she played Isabella, the villain of the story. She also played Monica in Hasta Que el Dinero Nos Separe (For Love or Money) with latino stars Pedro Fernandez and Itatí Cantoral. In 2010 she portrayed Kristel in Llena de Amor (Fill Me With Love) as one of the villains alongside Altair Jarabo and Azela Robinson, and this got her recognized by Telemundo, who later contracted her for a star role in "Flor Salvaje". Her real shot in Mexico and what got her in the map was Televisa's Porque el Amor Manda, prime time Telenovela starred by latino legends Fernando Colunga and Carmen Salinas. She played the hilarious villain "Patricia Zorrilla" and stole the show! It was an absolute success and this immediately got her the star status. This lead to Univision inviting her to compete as one of the stars of Mira Quien Baila (Latino version of Dancing With the Stars) showing her surprising skills as a dancer and after a month of competition, Telemundo Studios signed her as their prime time star for their next two projects: "En Otra Piel"/Part of Me (global success) and "Bajo el Mismo Cielo"(Under the Same Sky) which created a new record for Telemundo being the first show at 9pm gaining more ratings than its direct competitor, Univision. That year, Maria got invited to be a part of People en Español Magazine "50 most beautiful". She's now enjoying the popularity of her last telenovela airing now in USA and internationally, and living in L.A. to pursue English roles in TV and movies.
