Alonso is also a Grammy-nominated recording artist who, simultaneous to the filming of "Caught," made her Broadway debut as 'Aurora/Spider Woman' in Hal Prince's Kiss of the Spider Woman at the Broadhurst Theatre. Following such acclaimed performers as Chita Rivera and Vanessa Williams in the coveted role, Alonso contributed an updated vamp quality to the character and became the first Latin American born actress to star on the Broadway stage.
Born in Cuba, Alonso began her career by competing in beauty pageants, and was crowned Miss Teenager of the World in 1971 and Miss Venezuela in 1975. In Venezuela, she has appeared in four feature films, ten soap operas, and starred in and co-produced her own weekly variety show "Picante," all of which have been seen throughout the Spanish-speaking world.
Alonso soon caught the attention of American movie audiences, portraying an Italian American in love with Soviet defector Williams in Paul Mazursky's "Moscow on the Hudson." Then came Blake Edward's "A Fine Mess" (1986) in which she played Ted Danson's fiery love interest, followed by "Touch and Go" (1986) with Michael Keaton, Walter Hill's "Extreme Prejudice" (1987) opposite Nick Nolte, Paul Michael Glaser's "Running Man" (1987) with Schwarzenegger, and Dennis Hopper's "Colors," with Duvall and Penn. Her other film credits include "Blood Ties" (1986) with Brad Davis, "Vampire's Kiss" (1989) with Nicolas Cage, "Predator II" (1990) with Danny Glover, "McBain" (1991) with Christopher Walken, Bille August's "House of the Spirits" (1993) with Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Winona Ryder and Antonio Banderas, and Robert M. Young's "Roosters" (1995) with her "Caught" co-star EDWARD JAMES OLMOS.
Alonso's television success followed her to the United States as well, landing her on an NBC comedy series, "One of the Boys," in which she played a beautiful and intelligent emigrant from Venezuela. Her other credits include the HBO film "Teamster Boss - The Jackie Presser Story," in which she co-starred with Brian Dennehy, Jeff Daniels and Eli Wallach, the NBC movie "McShayne," starring opposite Kenny Rogers, and the recent ABC mini-series "Texas," based on the best-selling novel by James Michener.
Her music career has kept pace with her acting, as she has established herself as one of South America's best-selling recording artists. With ten albums to her credit, some recorded in Spanish and others in English, Alonso has received many Grammy nominations. In 1985, she received a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Artist for her album Maria Conchita, which was certified platinum internationally, and in 1988, she was nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Performance for the single "Otra Mentira Mas." Her most recent album, Imaginame, which was co-produced by Alonso, K.C. Porter and Mark Spiro, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album in 1993. Alonso co-wrote seven of the eleven songs on the album, which was released by Sony Music. Her previous four albums, including O Elle O Yo went gold, and her 1991 album Hazme Sentir received gold records in several countries. Her voice is also heard singing the theme song for the film "Scarface."
In 1990, Alonso received the Hispanic Woman of the Year award from the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation for her contribution to both the entertainment industry and to the Hispanic community, and in 1994, she was named Hispanic Entertainer of the Year for the Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Alonso's forthcoming film is "For Which He Stands," directed by Nelson McCormick and starring Eric Roberts, Robert Davi, Ernie Hudson and William Forsyth.
