Who was Karla Alvarez?
Mexican actress Karla Mercedes Alvarez Baez was born under the zodiac sign Libra on 15 October 1972, in Mexico City. She had 23 acting credits and is perhaps remembered best for starring as Isabel Rivas in all 98 episodes of the 1996 romantic series “Mi Querida Isabel”, which also starred Ernesto Laguardia and Jacqueline Andere, and follows Isabel and her brother who believe that their mother’s been dead for 20 years while she’s actually in jail.
Karla died on 15 November 2013, aged 41; she suffered respiratory failure caused by pneumonia. She was also struggling with alcoholism, had an illness and an eating disorder.
Education and early life
Karla was raised alongside her sister Valerie Alvarez in Mexico City, by their father Carlos Alvarez and mother Mercedes Baez; Karla rarely spoke about her parents in public because she respected their privacy. Her sister Valerie was once also an actress, and is perhaps known best for having appeared in the 1994 action adventure comedy movie “Street Fighter”, which starred Jean-Claude Van Damme and was nominated for two awards.
Karla was attending a local high school when she began dreaming about becoming a famous actress or model; her passion for acting began when she joined her school’s drama club and started appearing in various plays performed there.
She matriculated in 1991 and then didn’t enroll at college, wanting to focus on acting; it was in the following year that Karla appeared in her first TV series, playing Rosario Munoz in 82 episodes of the romantic drama “Maria Mercedes”. It starred Thalia, Carmen Salinas and Arturo Peniche, and follows the life of a poor girl who sells lottery tickets.
Roles in TV series
The year 1993 saw Karla star as Andrea in all 100 episodes of the romantic adventure “Buscando el Paraiso”, which also starred Yolanda Andrade and Pedro Fernandez, and follows the lives of a group of young people.
She could then have been seen appearing in an episode or two of the drama “Agujetas de Color de Rosa” and the romantic drama “Prisionera de Amor”, and in 1995, Karla starred as Julia Garciain in the romantic drama “Acapulco, Cuerpo y Alma”, which also starred Elsa Aguirre and Cecilia Gabriela, and follows a woman searching for love in Mexico.
The remainder of the ‘90s saw Karla appear in the 1998 romantic drama “La Mentira” (lead role), the 1999 romantic action “Alma Rebelde”, and the 2000 romantic drama “Mujeres Enganadas”.
Karla Álvarez (October 15, 1972 – November 15, 2013) Mexican actress best known for her roles including Maria Mercedes and Alma Rebelde and as a contestant for Big Brother VIP in 2003. Her last TV appearance was Qué Bonito Amor just before her death. pic.twitter.com/7orAYtX4Be
— NoT🖤ForgotteN (@the_memorypage) November 24, 2017
In 2001, she starred as Violeta Junquera in all 135 episodes of the family action “The Outsider”, which also starred Dominika Paleta and Silvia Manriquez, and follows Rodrigo Junquera who’s about to die and has asked his youngest son’s nanny Virginia to marry him so that she would continue to take care of his children. Karla was then cast to appear in the crime thriller “Mujer, Casos de la Vida Real”, the family drama “Vivan los Ninos” and the romantic drama “Inocente de Ti”.
In 2006, she played Florencia San Llorente de Aragon in all 127 episodes of the romantic drama “Heridas de Amor”, which starred Jacqueline Bracamontes, Guy Ecker and Enrique Lizalde, and follows the lives of a millionaire man and his three daughters, one of whom will inherit his fortune. The remainder of the 2000s saw Karla appear in the romantic comedy “Las Tontas no Van al Cielo”, the romantic comedy “Un Gancho al Corazon” and the romantic drama “Camaleones”.
The year 2011 saw her play Susana in the episode “Donde Hubo Fuego…” of the drama “Como Dice el Dicho”, while the year 2012 saw her appear in the episode “Adictos a la Infidelidad” of the comedy “Adictos”. Karla’s final role was playing Irasema in 99 episodes of the romantic musical “Que Bonito Amor”, which starred Jorge Salinas, Danna Garcia and Arturo Peniche, and follows a young millionaire who’s fallen in love with a humble young woman.
Roles in movies
Karla had only a single film role, as she spent her career focused on winning roles in TV series.
She played Rubi in the 2007 drama “La Santa Muerte”, written and directed by Paco del Toro, and which starred Julio Casado, Ana Sofia Camacho and Wendy Braga. It follows various people whose lives changed after they joined the cult La Santa Muerte.
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Other credits
Some of Karla’s talk-show appearances were in “Dia de Perros”, “Vas o no Vas con Boletazo” and “Incognito”.
Love life and relationships
Karla preferred to keep the details of her love life to herself but it’s known that she was married twice.
Her first husband was American-born Mexican actor Alexis Ayala; he has 64 acting credits and is perhaps known best for playing Leon Carvajal in 23 episodes of the 2018 drama series “Amar a Muerte”. Karla and Alexis married in 1994 but divorced in the following year for unknown reasons.
In 2004, she married Antonino D’Agostino, an Italian former professional soccer player who played with Cagliari and Atalanta in Serie A; they remained married until Karla’s untimely death.
Karla had no children.
Interesting facts and hobbies
Karla spent most of her career portraying villainous women.
She was a philanthropist, and often donated money to charity organizations working with underprivileged children.
Karla loved to travel and h,er career took her to various Latin American countries, while she also visited various US states and European countries; her dream travel destination was Paris, France.
She was into fashion, and was a bit of a shopaholic as she often went shopping for clothes.
Karla loved animals and had several, including dogs, cats and horses.
One of her favorite actresses was Anita Page, and some of Karla’s favorite films were “The Broadway Melody”, “Our Modern Maidens” and “Our Dancing Daughters”.
Net worth, height and age
Karla would’ve been 51 today. She had brown eyes and hair, was 5ft 5ins (1.65m) tall and weighed around 145lbs (66kgs).
Karla’s net worth, at the time of her death was estimated at over $5 million.
