Cristina Saralegui (born January 29, 1948, Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban American journalist, actress and talk show host, well-known for hosting the Spanish-language eponymous show, Cristina.
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Early life and journalism career
Following the Cuban Revolution, Saralegui fled with her family to Miami in 1960 at the age of 12. Saralegui and her family lived on Key Biscayne, where she also attended school.
After graduating from Academy of the Assumption in 1966, Saralegui was a student at the University of Miami. In 1973 she began an internship at the magazine Vanidades, where she taught herself to write Spanish, as she had nearly all of her formal schooling in the United States and only functioned in Spanish at the oral level. Saralegui eventually worked her way up to editor of the Spanish version of Cosmopolitan magazine in 1979. She led Spanish Cosmopolitan through most of the 1980s.
El Show de Cristina
In 1989, Saralegui decided to transfer her journalism success to television, launching a Miami-based Spanish-language talk show, El Show de Cristina (The Cristina Show) to Univisión.
During the 1990s, Saralegui's show increased in popularity. Prominent guests included Shakira, Don Francisco, the former members of Menudo, Selena, Celia Cruz, Thalía, Julio Iglesias, Alejandro Fernández, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Sussan Taunton, Jorge Ramos, Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio Estefan, Jr., Gloria Trevi, Chayanne, Ricky Martin, Niurka, Noelia, Anaís, RBD, George Lopez, Jennifer Lopez, Alexandra Cheron, Amelia Vega, Angelica Vale, Angelica Maria and others. In one of her most widely viewed shows, she put Edgardo Díaz face-to-face with one of the former members of Menudo, Ralphy Rodríguez, so they could confront each other over allegations of abuse that Rodríguez had made against Díaz. On another show, Gloria Trevi spent a large amount of time as she spoke about her life.
Saralegui went on to publish her own magazine, Cristina: La Revista (Cristina: The Magazine) and several books. She is often referred to as "the Spanish Oprah".[1][2]
She also had a short lived English-language talk show in 1992, Cristina, which was carried on the CBS owned-and-operated stations in major markets, but was cancelled after half a season.
Acting career
Saralegui debuted as an actress on Nickelodeon's Taina with Ernesto Espinoza as the school's principal. In 2001, she began a recurring role as tía (aunt) Cristina Lopez on the American soap opera Passions. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 7060 Hollywood Boulevard, in commemoration of her television and acting achievements.
Family
Saralegui has been married since 1982 to Marcos Avila, a former member of the Miami Sound Machine music band. She has three children: Cristina Amalia (nicknamed "Titi", from Saralegui's first marriage to Tony Menendez), Jon Marcos, and Stephanie (both from her marriage to Avila).
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | George Lopez (TV series) | Lydia | 2 episodes:George Has Two Mommies & Would You Like a Drumstick or a Kidney? |
Web Presence
Currently, Cristina has joined forces with AARP to help bring awareness within the Latino community about the benefits AARP has to offer. They have created ¡Amigos Live!, an online interactive video that puts you right in the action. Fully custom-fitted to the users needs. Similar to many other viral videos being spread around the internet, this specific video has concentrated its efforts on the Latin community. A first of its kind.
References
- ^ "Look Out Oprah: Here Comes Cristina". 20/20 (ABC News). 2001-07-05. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123879&page=1. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
- ^ Streisand, Betsy (2003-03-09). "Latino Power". U.S. News & World Report (U.S.News & World Report, L.P.): pp. 3. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/030317/17hispanic.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
External links
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