Dayanara Torres

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dayanara Torres Delgado (born on October 28, 1974 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, model and former Miss Universe.

1 Approached by Fame
2 Dayanara in the Philippines
3 Return to Puerto Rico
4 Personal Information
5 Discography
6 Movies
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Approached by Fame

When she was 17, she was approached while walking by her hometown and was invited to represent Toa Alta in the annual Miss Puerto Rico Pageant. Even though she had little experience in modeling she won it and went to represent Puerto Rico in the Miss Universe Pageant.

The pageant was celebrated in Mexico in May 21, 1993 and Torres ended up winning the crown. Torres' victory in the pageant caused some controversy because it was claimed she was still a minor. However, Torres had turned 18 several months before the contest.

Her victory did also cause some raised eyebrows as she did not win neither the preliminary round nor the semifinals. In this light, some pageant fans believed that the delegates from Colombia, Venezuela, and Australia should have placed higher given their leading scores during the above mentioned rounds. It has become puzzling to some as she was not in a leading position in neither the swimming suit, evening gown, nor interview competitions. In fact, Torres placed 6th, 5th, and 6th place respectively in the above competitions; all five of the other finalists outscored her in at least two (if not all three) competitions. Many believe Miss Colombia, Paula Andrea Betancourt, should have won the Miss Universe title to the extent that one of the pageant's judges, José Luis Cuevas, was outraged that Dayanara beat the Colombian delegate. Despite all this, stunning Torres was received in Puerto Rico with a massive parade.

During and after her reign, she became an ambassador of UNICEF traveling through Asia and Latin America in support of the organization. She even created the Dayanara Torres Foundation which provided scholarships to poor students in Puerto Rico and the Philippines. In 1994 she went to Manila to crown the new Miss Universe. During the ceremony, she sang a duet with Peabo Bryson.

[edit] Dayanara in the Philippines

After the 1994 Miss Universe pageant, Dayanara won the hearts of Filipinos and was swarmed with offers to do product endorsements, tv guestings, and even movies. She lived in the Philippines for five years becoming a huge celebrity in the country, even starring in more than 10 movies, including a film with Filipino actor and singer Gary Valenciano called "Hataw Na." During that time, she also filmed Linda Sara, a Puerto Rican film directed by Jacobo Morales where she was paired with fellow Puerto Rican singer, Chayanne. The film was released in 1994. She also became a staple figure on Philippine television every Sunday on the show "ASAP", which gave her the title 'Dancing Queen' because of her impressive dancing skills.

During her time in Philippines, she had a relationship with Filipino cinema actor Aga Muhlach (he is now married to Charlene Gonzalez, Miss Philippines-Universe 1994).Dayanara and Aga first met each other on the set of her first Philippine movie, Basta't Kasama Kita. Then started their colorful relationship which lasted for four years. She also learned Tagalog, the main language of the country.

[edit] Return to Puerto Rico

Dayanara Torres and Marc Anthony during her wedding in 2002

She returned to Puerto Rico in 1998 and released her first album (and the only, as of now) called Antifaz. It reached the top of the Billboard charts through Latin America and the Philippines. She also starred in several theatre productions in the island. That same year, a Dayanara doll was released and sold out in the island and in the Philippines.

In 2000, she met fellow Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony and got married on May 10. During this time, Torres retired from the public scenery and dedicated herself to her family. They had two sons together, Cristian (b. 2001) and Ryan (b. 2003). In 2002, the couple announced a separation, but reconciled, renewing their vows in Puerto Rico in December of that year in a massive ceremony. However, in June 2004 the couple finally divorced. Less than a week later, Anthony married the actress and singer Jennifer Lopez. At the end of 2005, she had a brief romance with actor Terrence Howard.

On September 1 of the same year, she debuted in an American soap opera, playing a small role in The Young and the Restless. The soap's management was impressed enough to express their desire to have her in further episodes.

On March 6, 2006, Torres had emergency surgery in New York, to correct an intestinal obstruction that was detected after she had felt pain during a flight from Los Angeles the day before.

[edit] Personal Information

She has two older brothers (José and Joey) and a younger sister (Jeannette).
When she was a child, she enjoyed dancing, swimming, and horseback riding, some of which she still practices today.
She finished her studies in Colegio Santa Rosa in Bayamón, Puerto Rico with the intention of going to college to become an orthodontist.

On October 2006, Ms. Torres was tapped by mega discount chain Walmart to be their public face in effort to attract high end shoppers.