Who is Victoria Ruffo?
And… Who is this woman? How she became the Queen of soap operas?. María Victoria Eugenia Guadalupe Martínez del Río Moreno, a girl who used to be call “pecas” (freckles) by her mother, born on May 31st, 1962 at Mexico City, Mexico, she is Geminis at the zodiac. She is Guadalupe Moreno and Ramón Martínez del Río´s naughtiest daughter, the Gaby and Marcela´s older sister, Mariana’s aunt, Omar Fayad´s wife, and José Eduardo, Victoria Jr and Anuar´s mother.
Victoria always was a naughty and rebellious girl who did not like school very much but since then, shew knew her calling without any doubt: become an international actress. And she did, after 40 years of career, Victoria is one of the most salient actress.
Her career began at the end of the seventies when she started doing more than 3000 fotonovelas (photo comics) and some tv commercials. Her debut on television was in 1978 as a host at the TV show “Variedades de Medianoche” along with Manuel “El loco Valdés”. At the beginning of the eighties she had a brief participation also as a host in XETU alongside with René Casados.
Victoria has dedicated her career completely to soap operas, she has made 20 stories, which in 16 she has had the lead role. Those achievements expose her exceptional capacity to lead a cast (falta una línea) and her capacity as an actress. Her first steps in melodramas was in 1980 when Mexican director Ernesto Alonso gave her first opportunity as an actress, in an antagonist role named “Rosario” in “Conflictos de un Médico”. After her impeccable performance in Alonso’s production, Victoria got another role at “Al Rojo Vivo” in 1982 as Miguel Palmer´s daugther. In that same year again, Ernesto Alonso was looking for her but this time also with Victoria’s younger sister Gabriela to be part of “Quiéreme Siempre”.
Continuing in 1982, Victoria Ruffo becomes part of the youth cast of the soap opera “En Busca del Paraíso”. And this is how Victoria started growing strongly. The 80’s were completely for her, successfully that in 1983 for the very first time she got the lead role of the soap opera “La Fiera” alongside with Guillermo Capetillo.
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Since Victoria was young and basically a beginner, people wouldn't see her as “La Gata” but through each chapter of the soap opera the audience realize she was capable to make a better version of “Natalie” in her way. Furthermore, the same year she won the TVyNovelas Award as a Best Youth Actress. It had a big impact whit this work, even after 36 years, Victoria still remember as “La Fiera”.
In 1985 another lead role is offer to Victoria, at this time for the soap opera “Juana Iris” sharing credits with Valentin Trujillo. After two years, in 1987 again she got the lead role in Ernesto Alonso’s soap opera named “Victoria”. This was her third lead role but the first one in a project with “El Señor Telenovela” (Mr. Soap Opera) Ernesto Alonso.
It was in 1989, when she consolidated her career as an actress when she played “María López” in “Simplemente María”, soap opera that made her become an international star, this production made the world know and fall in love with her, is one of the most viewed soap operas worldwide, translated in seven languages and that in Russia became a phenomenon.
For the Russians it was a story that will remain in their hearts, and when she visit Russia the nation was paralyzed, there is even a generation of girls by the name of María because of her character in the soap opera. Even that time, the water and light service were intermittent but during the visit of Victoria it wasn't so she can a a great visit.
Victoria’s career continuing growing and in 1993 the producer Carlos Sotomayor gave her the opportunity of another lead role of the soap opera “Capricho” as Cristina Aranda, sharing credits with Humberto Zurita, Diana Bracho and first actress María Teresa Rivas. In 1995 she joined to the cast of the soap opera “Pobre Niña Rica” as a protagonist with the character of Consuelo Villagrán alongside with the actor Ariel Lopez Padilla.
At that point, the whole wide world was in love with the sweet Victoria: Russia, Italy, Mexico, Latin America. In 1998 another project is offer to her, she starred “Vivo Por Elena” as Elena Carvajal in Juan Osorio’s production alongside with Saúl Lizaso. This production was one the most popular in that time.
At 2000 Televisa announces a new remake for the soap opera “Pecado Mortal” but this time under the name of “Abrázame Muy Fuerte”, Victoria plays the character of a women who is blind and is constantly abused by her husband. Again, Victoria with the character of Cristina Álvarez de Rivero, proved she will remain forever in the memory of the audience, she was able to create her own version of the character. Until today the soap opera is one of the most relevant in television.
In 2005 it was unthinkable that Televisa did a remake number four of “La Madrastra”, since the third version had been a failure while the second version under the name “Vivir un Poco” was a success. Since the last version was a failure, few people bet on the new project, however the creation of María Fernández Acuña in charge of Victoria was impeccable, turning this project into another world success.
At the end of the year 2005, Victoria becomes the First Lady of Pachuca and takes over the DIF-Desarrollo Integral para la Familia (Comprehensive Development for the Family), alternating her work with acting since in 2007 she flies to Bogota, Colombia to star the soap opera under her name, “Victoria” by RTI and Telemundo. The project was a big success, she was able to conquer the world again and until today the soap opera has been seen in more than 35 countries.
Going back to Mexico, in 2008 under Carlos Moreno´s production, she takes the character of Macarena in the new remake of “Cadenas de Amarguras” but this time called “En Nombre del Amor” where she managed to soften the toughest and make the audience plead that in this version her character did not disappear, however, the story demanded it and there was nothing more to say than goodbye to the sweet Macarena Espinosa.
In October of 2001, she star the new version of “Cristal” called “Triunfo del Amor” where her character Victoria Sandoval allows her to show a new facet because she represents a woman of strong and decisive character, leaving aside the classic selfless protagonist. It was not the villain that she wants to do so much, but she was able to demonstrate her capabilities as an actress.
Her development as an actress has not only been on television as she has also adventured into cinema with films such as “Discoteca de Amor”, “Una Sota y un caballo” “De pulquero a millonario” y “Perro Callejero”, among others. In theater she has experienced comedy, demonstrating her versatility as an actress in plays like “Esta Chica es una Fiera”, “Huevo de Pascua”, “Ninette y un señor de Murcia”, “Tú ¿Qué harías por amor?” y “Las Locuras del Matrimonio”. In 2009 with “Las Arpias” we discover her side as a “Femme Fatale” to then delve a little into the drama with the play of Tennessee Williams “Dulce Pájaro de Juventud” where the character fits her perfectly, a sweet and seductive woman.
In 2012 she continues to demonstrate who is the queen of soap operas by starring “Corona de Lágrimas” where her character is the endearing Refugio Chavero, a single mother, selfless woman who fights for the well-being of her children: Patricio, Mundo e Ignacio. In this story many mothers felt identified with Refugio and this is where Victoria is named “The Queen of Tears”. Again she was awarded by the TVyNovelas Awards as Best Lead Actress.
For 2014 the producer Jose Alberto Castro wants Victoria again for his new project, the new version for television of the movie “La Malquerida” where she plays Cristina Maldonado, a woman whose love rival is her own daughter. A strong story for society, however, Cristina Maldonado manages to make the audience fall in love.
In 2016 Victoria Ruffo participates in “Las Amazonas” a version of the success story “Niña Amada Mia”. She stars at Ines Huerta, the nanny of Victoriano’s daughters, the love of her life whom she had a relationship in the past. In the same year she becomes the First Lady of the State of Pachuca and parallel to her acting career, Victoria supports her husband at the DIF Hidalgo, where it has a great team that works day by day for the most needy people at that state.
Since January 2018 Victoria is part of the cast of the play “Las Arpias” with shows within the Mexican Republic, a tour that extends to Ecuador, Costa Rica and The United States and a short season in Mexico City from July 13th at the same year.
In 2019 she continues with “Las Arpias” but this time with a new version of the play “Las Arpias Recargadas” which was released March 22nd in Monterrey, Nuevo
León and touring in other cities in the Mexican Republic, The United States, Central America, South America, Panama and many cities in Peru.
In 2019 she returns with a new project “Cita a Ciegas” which means a great challenge, a character that involves comedy on TV, something that she has never done for soap operas. She stars the character of Maura, a little impertinent, funny and sometimes a unbearable mom, in other words, a hatefully adorable woman but capable of giving love to her daughters and husband. One more time she manages to make the audience to fall in love with her character.
Victoria is currently in the prime of her career, she is a mature actress with great experience and above all she is a pretty woman who can handle her talent the way she wants, she can do comedy, drama, melodrama. She can be the seductive woman and the devoted mother.
Victoria is one the best Mexican actresses of all time. You cannot talk about soap operas in Mexico without mention Victoria Ruffo, she is an icon of mexican soap operas and she is consider the Queen of Tears. However we know she is much more than that, so much that her fans, coworkers and people from the media call her “The Queen”.
Quite apart from her excellent acting quality, she has garnered the appreciation and respect of viewers from many countries around the world for her talent, her simplicity, her charisma, her good humor and her kind way of being.
Victoria, your life has been surrounded by: hard work, rehearsals, professionalism, laughter on the forums, the thrill of the premieres, being recognized by the audience and of resounding success. Thank you for all the love you give in each of your projects. Thank you for teaching us that dreams come true.
DIF
Sistema DIF Hidalgo (System for Integral Family Development)
Victoria Ruffo de Fayad
Besides being an actress, Victoria also is in charge of the DIF in the State of Pachuca.
As leader of this institution, Victoria Ruffo supports her husband, Governor of the State of Hidalgo, Omar Fayad, working day by day to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the population in vulnerable situations. Together with her team, Victoria oversees the implementation of social assistance policies, programs and projects that increase the capacities of this population, and this allow them to achieve better human development.