Loreto Cristina Valenzuela Valdivia (born 3 July 1954) is a Chilean actress and director, recognized for her extensive career in theater and television.

Valenzuela achieved great popularity in the play (1979), in the enigmatic and censored (1986), in the drama (1987), and for her treacherous antagonistic role in Amanda (2016).

Biography Loreto Valenzuela studied business engineering at the University of Chile's from 1972 to 1973 due to political considerations. After the 1973 military coup, a continuous persecution against leftist students began. The school was dissolved the same year, so she was forced to abandon her studies. Subsequently, she took secretarial and acting courses at the School of Communication Arts (EAC) of the Pontifical Catholic University, graduating in 1979.

In 1979 she starred with Luz Jiménez, Myriam Palacios, and Soledad Alonso in the play Tres Marías y una Rosa by David Benavente and directed by Raúl Osorio. Its success led her to tour Latin America and Europe. In the theater, she has excelled in the productions Three Sisters by Chekhov, El día que me quieras by José Ignacio Cabrujas, Invitación a cenar by Egon Wolff, and a theatrical adaptation of Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands by Jorge Amado, in addition to several plays with the outstanding company, such as Sueños de mala muerte and Oleada.

After participating in plays, Valenzuela made her television debut in 1984 with on TVN, produced by . In the telenovela she played a small but fundamental role, sharing a scene with Malú Gatica, Luz Jiménez, and Alfredo Castro.

In 1986, she obtained her first leading role, in María Elena Gertner's enigmatic La dama del balcón. Valenzuela plays three characters and earned the recognition of TV critics. The character suffers a Nazi genetic experiment that keeps her young. However, the telenovela was censored by the military regime of Augusto Pinochet. Later, she participated in Vicente Sabatini's successful miniseries La Quintrala (1987), playing Rufina, a sorceress slave. In this production, she shared credits with Raquel Argandoña, , and María Izquierdo. At the same time, she made her cinematic debut with the 1986 film , followed by in 1989.

In 2000 she returned to TVN after making special appearances on some shows. This time she participated in several productions, such as , the successful Amores de mercado (2001), and the young adult telenovela 16 (2003). Later she moved to the station Canal 13 to participate in successful productions such as Brujas and .

In 2016 she obtained her first antagonistic role in Amanda, playing Catalina Minardi, a rigid and narcissistic matriarch who suffers from a facial paralysis, owner of the estate where the protagonist returns for revenge. The character has been ranked as one of the actress's best performances, both in terms of aesthetics and idioms.

Valenzuela plays an important social role together with the CoArtRe Corporation, which works on the reintegration of Chilean prisoners into the labor market.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Director1983El 18 de los GarcíaRogelio SegundoRicardo Larraín1988MartaLuis R. VeraConsueloLuis R. Vera1990The Moon in the MirrorSilvio Caiozzi1994The ShipwreckedLeticiaMiguel Littín2001Madre de SamuelSergio Castilla2003Sex with LoveMónicaBoris QuerciaDoctora SolarCoke Hidalgo

Telenovelas Year Title Role Channel 1984 Hortencia "Tencha" Jara TVN 1986 Nora de Castaños / Regina Rey / Olga TVN 1987 Rufina TVN 2000 Norma Villegas TVN 2001 Amores de mercado Maitén García "La Morocha" TVN 2003 16 Mariana del Canto TVN 2005 Brujas Mercedes Salazar Canal 13 2006 Minerva Castillo Canal 13 2007-2008 Alicia Toro Canal 13 2011 Aquí mando yo Carmen Morales TVN 2013 Dos por uno Isidora Goycochea TVN 2014 El amor lo manejo yo Isabel Fuentes TVN 2015 Eres mi tesoro Gabriela Aldunate Mega 2016-2017 Amanda Catalina Minardi Mega 2018 Educando a Nina Chilevisión 2026 La baronesa Aurora Valdés Mega

TV series and specials Year Title Role Channel 1998 Josefa Machuca Canal 132005 La Nany Mónica Mega Madre de Macarena Canal 13 2008 El blog de la Feña Miss Maturana Canal 13

Theater

Three Sisters El día en que me quieras Invitación a cenar Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands Debajo de las polleras (2004) (2009) The House of the Spirits (2010)

Awards and nominations Caleuche Awards Year Category Work Result Best Leading Television Actress Amanda

Copihue de Oro Year Category Work Result Best Popular Actress Amanda Copihue de Oro Queen

FOTECH Award Year Category Work Result 2017 Best Supporting Actress Amanda 2017 The 7 Best Characters of the Year Amanda

Wikén-GfK Adimark Poll Year Category Work Place 2017 Best Television Actress Amanda 4th (59 points)

References

External links