Talisa Soto

Talisa Soto Headshot

Actress • Model

Birth Name: Miriam Soto

Birth Date: March 27, 1967

Age: 57 years old

Birth Place: Brooklyn, New York

Spouses: Costas Mandylor, Benjamin Bratt

Highly attractive model-turned-actress, Talisa Soto was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Northampton, Massachusetts, but admittedly retains the Puerto Rican accent of her household. Soto walked into modeling when she was 15, working in Italy as well as for British VOGUE out of Paris. Despite a successful modeling career that saw her land the covers of Vogue, Glamour and Mademoiselle, among others, she yearned to act. Returned to States, her break came as India, the Puerto Rican girlfriend, in "Spike in Bensonhurst" (1988). The next year, she was Bond Girl Lupe Lamora in "License to Kill." TV work followed, including the USA network movie "Silhouette" (1990) and the HBO anthology, "Prison Stories: Women Behind Bars" (1991), in which Soto's dramatic skills were on display. Although she had supporting parts in the films "The Mambo Kings" (1992) and the direct-to-video "Hostage" (also 1992), Soto continued to try her hand at TV in the series "Harts of the West" (CBS, 1993-94). In the latter, she was featured as the granddaughter of a Native American owner of the town's general store.

In 1995, Soto found herself in two high-profile features, opposite Johnny Depp in "Don Juan De Marco" and as the "secret weapon" Princess Kitana in "Mortal Kombat." (In 1997, Soto reprised Kitana in the sequel "Mortal Kombat: The Annihilation.") She also returned to her modeling roots posing for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and appeared on its accompanying TV special. She also landed a supporting role in Michael Cimino's "Sunchaser" (1996), starring Woody Harrelson.Soto stayed out of the limelight for the next several years but reemerged in the 2001 film "Pinero" about Miguel Pinero, whose urban poetry is recognized as a pre-cursor to rap and hip-hop. It starred Benjamin Bratt whom Soto married in May of 2002, causing her perhaps the most media attention of her career. Also in 2002, she appeared in the film "Ecks vs. Sever" alongside Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas.

Credits

Mission Street Rhapsody

Actor
Ana
Movie
2009

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever

Actor
Rayne Gant
Movie
2002

Piñero

Actor
Sugar
Movie
2001

Island of the Dead

Actor
Melissa O'Keefe
Movie
2000

Flypaper

Actor
Amanda
Movie
1999

Flight of Fancy

Actor
Mercedes Marquez
Movie
1999

C-16

Guest Star
Rosemary Vargas
Show
1997

Tres Formas de Vivir

Actor
Amanda
Movie
1997

Mortal Kombat: AnnihilationStream

Actor
Princess Kitana
Movie
1997
4%

The Corporate Ladder

Actor
Susan Taylor
Movie
1997

The Sunchaser

Actor
Navajo Woman
Movie
1996

Vampirella

Actor
Vampirella
Movie
1996

Don Juan DeMarco

Actor
Doña Julia
Movie
1995

Mortal KombatStream

Actor
Princess Kitana
Movie
1995
47%

Harts of the WestStream

Actor
Cassie
Series
1993
55%

The Mambo KingsStream

Actor
Maria Rivera
Movie
1992
79%

Hostage

Actor
Joanna
Movie
1992

Prison Stories: Women on the Inside

Actor
Rosina
Movie
1991

Silhouette

Actor
Marianna Herrera
Movie
1990

Licence to KillStream

Actor
Lupe Lamora
Movie
1989
79%

Spike of Bensonhurst

Actor
India
Movie
1988