Juan Alfonso Baptista

Juan Alfonso Baptista Díaz (Caracas, September 9, 1976), also known by his nickname, "El gato", is an actor and Venezuelan model.

Biography

Early years

Juan Alfonso Baptista was born on September 9, 1976 in Caracas (Venezuela). He is the son of the lawyer, Inés María Díaz and is the older brother of Miguel and Adriana.

He completed his primary studies at the Santo Tomás de Villanueva School and his secondary education at the Chaves School Institute, where he also took theater classes for 3 years. He has a degree in Dentistry from the Santa María University and in Advertising from the New Professions Institute. He also did a Basic Acting Workshop with Luis Manzo and a Choreography Workshop at Nubeluz. He speaks English in an American and British accent.

Before dedicating himself to acting, he was a member of the minor leagues of the Venezuelan National Soccer Team, playing as a goalkeeper from the age of 13.

He has participated in different solidarity events for children such as: Social work aimed at giving human warmth to children in the recovery area of the Vargas Hospital, Children's Day (Poliedro de Caracas) in 1996, Youth Day (Poliedro de Caracas) in 1997, Hospital de San Juan de Dios in 1996 and Children's Orthopedic Hospital (1997-1998).

Acting career

He has participated in soap operas produced by different countries, such as Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, the United States and Spain. He began his career as an actor in 1995, with the play La Boda and immediately began to be taken into account to participate in other projects, due to his great quality as an actor. His television debut was in 1997, when he participated in the Venezuelan soap opera, A todo corazón, where he received his nickname of "El Gato". In 1997, he hosted Fiesta Navideña de 1997 in Venevisión (Venezuela).

Juan Alfonso was inactive for two years, due to facial paralysis at the age of 19, and for which he spent more than a year in rehabilitation to speak again, recover the mobility of his face and even be able to sleep well. In In 1999, he returned to acting and recorded the telenovela Enamorada.

In 2000 he made the Venezuelan telenovela, Hechizo de amor, and My destiny is you, a Mexican telenovela. In 2001 she filmed the Mexican telenovela, Como en el cine. In 2002 she again filmed a Mexican soap opera, Agua y Aceite, and obtained a role in the popular soap opera, Gata Savage. This blockbuster was a success in Spain, Latin America and other Hispanic population.

In 2003 he hosted the program A que no te dares on Univisión Network, and was one of the three male protagonists in Pasión de Gavilanes, which had a great television impact. Fiction represented a great leap for the actor, since it was the successful and high-profile soap opera that catapulted him to international fame thanks to his character, Óscar Reyes, an ambitious and handsome young man who, together with his brothers, tried to avenge the death of his little sister, falls in love with Jimena (Paola Rey), one of his biggest enemies

In 2004 he starred in The Woman in the Mirror in which he once again shared love scenes with Paola Rey. This time, the character he plays is Marcos Mutti, a womanizing chemical engineer who falls at the feet of his new coworker, Maritza Ferrer, a girl who keeps many secrets.

These two novels allowed him to become well known, especially in Spain, where as a result of these works several job opportunities arose for him in both film and television. In 2005 he made several starring cameos in Spain alongside his partner, Michel Brown. The famous Spanish series Aqui No Hay Quien Viva, or the series so popular at the time, A Tortas Con La Vida and El authentic Rodrigo Leal, took advantage of his stay in the country to invite them to act in the series.

At the end of 2006 he participated in the fourth edition of the Spanish program Mira qué baila on TVE, where he showed his dancing skills, winning most of the galas and finally finishing in second position, for behind the gymnast Estela Giménez.

Between February 2007 and April 2008 he recorded a telenovela in Colombia called La Marca del Deseo for the Telefutura channel. His character was called Luis Eduardo Santibáñez, an architect concerned with nature who falls in love with a girl who later turns out to be his sister (Stephanie Cayo). In May 2008 he recorded an episode for the second season of Tiempo final, broadcast on FOX, in which he works again with Paola Rey.

In 2009, he participated in the successful Spanish series, Without tits there is no paradise where he played Guillermo Mejía, the antagonist of the third season.

In 2011 he starred in Sacrificio de mujer alongside Marjorie de Sousa, and also acted that same year as the antagonist in the Colombian soap opera La Teacher de Inglés on Canal Caracol. That year she appears in an episode of the Colombian soap opera, A Corazón Abierto. In 2011 she also made the leap to cinema, filming the films, Secrets, Lies and Dead, El Cartel de los Sapos and appeared in the Spanish-Colombian film, The Hidden Face starring Spanish actors, Clara Lago and Quim Gutiérrez.

In 2012 he participated in four episodes of the Colombian series, Lynch and in an episode of Los Rey. In 2013 she appeared in eight episodes of Mentiras Perfectas, and in one episode of La Madame, and in Comando Élite.

In 2014 he acted in four episodes of the series, El Capo 3. In 2015 he played Ramón Cabrera in the soap opera, Celia. The story focuses on the life and career of Cuban singer, Celia Cruz. In 2016 he stars in the Colombian soap opera, Las Vega's, and records the film, Pablo (El Juego del Amor) by Sebastián Vega.

In 2017 he is one of the protagonists of the film, Back to School, and acts as an antagonist in the biographical series, Pambelé. Between 2017 and 2018 he participates from the second to the end of the series, in the Colombian series, Without breasts there is paradise .

In 2018 he appeared in the miniseries Heredadas, and appeared in a minor role in the Colombian web series distributed by Netflix, Distrito Savage.

In 2020 he acts in the Colombian series, Analía's Revenge, and appears in an episode of Chichipatos. In 2021 she participates in ten episodes of Nurses.

In 2022 he returns to his character of Óscar Reyes in the second part of Pasión de Gavilanes joining the new cast along with his colleagues Mario Cimarro, Danna García, Paola Rey, Natasha Klauss, Kristina Lilley and Zharick León among others.

Personal life

Juan Alfonso had a romantic relationship for 6 years with the actress Gaby Espino, until 2001. In 2004 he began another courtship with the model Natalia Paris until 2010. The actor was also related to the actresses, Stephanie Cayo and Paola King who is only united by a great friendship.

The Venezuelan married María Fernanda Barreto in 2011, but a few years later they announced that they were separating.

The actor has demonstrated his passion for sports and music, which he usually shares on social networks such as Instagram. In addition to continuing to play soccer as an amateur, he practices horseback riding.

Filmography

Cinema

• Back to school (2017) — Braulio Valentín
• The Game of Love (2016) — Daniel
• The poster of the (2011) — Gustavo
• The hidden face (2011) — Ramírez
• Sex, lies and dead (2011) — Daniel

Television

• Nurses (2021) — Dr. Roberto Peláez
• Decisions: some win, others lose (2020) — Gabriel Méndez, Ep: alleged guilty
• The Revenge of Analy (2020) — Mark Salinas
• Chichipatos(2020) — Matías
• Wild district(2019) — Bermúdez
• Heirs (2018) — Roque
• Without boobs there is paradise (2017-2018) — Martin Cruz
• Pambelé (2017) — Ezequiel Mercado
• Las Vega's (2016-2017) — Vicente Correa
• Celia (2015-2016) — Ramón Cabrera
• Chapter 3 (2014) — Gabriel Aldana "Pitre"
• Madame (2013) — Felipe Baena
• Perfect lies (2013-2014) — Felipe
• The King (2012) — Pedro Luis Malvido Lozano, Peluso
• The Joe, the legend (2012) — Iván Nava
• Lynch (2012) — Eduardo Muñoz
• Open heart (2011) — Hugo
• The English Teacher (2011) — Luis Fernando Caicedo
• Women ' s sacrifice (2011) — Luis Francisco Vilarte
• Without boobs there is no paradise (2009) — Guillermo Mejía, Baby
• Final time (2008) — J.R.
• The mark of desire (2007) — Luis Eduardo Santibáñez Nurey
• The real Rodrigo Leal (2005) — Himself
• To cakes with life (2005) — Himself
• There is no one living here (2005) — He himself
• The woman in the mirror (2004-2005) — Marcos Mutti
• Pasión de gavilanes (2003-2004, 2022) — Oscar Reyes Guerrero
• Wildcat (2002) — Bruno Villalta
• As in cinema (2001) — Carlos Escudero, Charlie
• Brother of love (2000) — René Castro
• In love (1999) — Ricardo Contreras, Ricky
• That's life. (1998) — King
• To heart (1997) — Mujica Elijah, the Cat

Theatre

• A Apartment is rented. Author: Leonardo Villalobos. Cantor Children's Theatre / Maracaibo, Venezuela.
• The Widow and the Three Foxes. Author: Germán Gutiérrez / Caracas, Venezuela.
• La Boda. Author: Bertold Brecha / Caracas, Venezuela. (1995)

Awards and nominations

• Artist's House Award 1997- Nomination of the Actor Revelation
• Gold Tiuna 1998 - Nomination of the Best Youth Actor.
• Golden Tiuna, 1998. Best Youth Actor by the soap opera That's Life.

• New York ACE Award, 2000. Male TV Face.

• Great Eagle of Venezuela, 2000. Best cast actor for the Enamored soap opera.

• Palmas de Oro, Mexico, 2000. Best young actor for the Enamored soap opera.

• Mara de Venezuela, 2000. Best young actor for the Enamored soap opera.

• The Mexican Golden Sun, 2000. Best Young Actor for the Enamored soap.

• Great Eagle of Venezuela, 2001. Best Young Actor by the soap opera Love Hechizo.

• Palmas de Oro Mexico, 2001. Best Foreign Telenovela Castor Actor by Love Hechizo.

• Mara de Venezuela, 2003, Best Young Actor by the soap opera Gata Salvaje.

• Mara de Oro Venezuela, 2004, Best National Actor in the Foreign by the soap opera Pasión de Gavilanes.

• Two Gold 2004, Best Venezuelan Actor on the Foreign by the soap opera Pasión de Gavilanes.

• Premio Mara de Venezuela, 2004, Mejor Actor protagónico por la telenovela Pasión de Gavilanes.