María Isabel Díaz Lago is a Cuban actress born on July 4, 1964, in Havana, Cuba. She graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte de Cuba, specializing in acting, and is one of the most recognized Cuban actresses for her roles in iconic films from the 80s and 90s.
His first appearances in front of an audience were made when he was a teenager. He was 16 or 17 years old and was already performing in the theater group of his pre-university institute, Antonio Guiteras, alongside singers Tanya, Mayra de la Vega, and Carlos Varela, actors Daysi Quintana, René de la Cruz (jr.), and theater director Víctor Varela. His first significant role came while he was still a student at ISA: A Bride for David (1985), which marked his debut on the big screen.
During a five-year period from 2010 to 2015, he/she lived in Miami and was part of the Couch team of the program Ana María Polo Caso Cerrado for the Telemundo network.
Since 1996, she has lived in Spain where, with its ups and downs, the difficult stages typical of emigration, and periods of 'absence', she has continued her career as an actress on the big screen with titles like Volver (2006), thanks to which she became the first Cuban Almodóvar Girl for her performance in this film alongside Penélope Cruz, and on the small screen in series such as Aída (2008) and Vis a Vis, a Spanish television series that had 4 seasons and great audience success. The series aired from 2015 to 2019, and in it, Isabel played the role of Sole. Thanks to this work, her name has definitively entered the ranks of recognized actors in Spain. She won, among others, an Ondas Award for Vis a Vis, and in 2016 and 2017 she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Actors and Actresses Union Awards.
He has acted in music video clips for Jarabe de Palo and Miguel Bosé.
In 2018, María Isabel surprised everyone with her striking physical transformation. "The chubby one," as the Cubans affectionately referred to her for her portrayal of Ofelia, a character that brought her fame in Una novia para David, had lost 42 kilos, leaving behind the appearance that we had recognized for so many years.
In October 2020, he received an honorary award at the Social World Film Festival, a competitive event that has been held for 10 years on the Sorrento Coast in Italy.
In September 2020, it was announced that María Isabel was part of the cast of the series Patria, the first production of HBO Europe, which premiered on September 27, 2020, and has received very positive reviews.
Filmography:
A Bride for David (1985), Supporting Roles (1989), Life in Pink (1989), Hello Hemingway (1990), Fortune, What You Have Desired (1991), The Blueprint (1993), Melodrama (1995), Heat… and Jealousy (1996), Things I Left in Havana (1997), Until Victory Always (1998), The Nights of Constantinople (2001), Stones (2002), Fruits in the Café (2003), A King in Havana (2005), Three Years in Paradise (2005), Crazy for Sex (2006), Return (2006), The Argentine (2007), The Bad One (2007), Masala (2007), Modesty (2007), Radio Love (2007), Nauralgia (2011), Crossing Moments (2012), An Autumn Without Berlin (2015), The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste García (2018)
Television Appearances (lead, supporting, or guest roles):
Red Damscus (1987, TVC Cuba), For Love (1988, TVC Cuba), The Hidden Seed (1988, Tve, Icaic), The Hour of the Witches (1991-94, children's, TVC Cuba), Conflicts-Sinflicts (1990, TVC Cuba), Thank You, Doctor (1990, TVC Cuba), Enma, the Marked Woman (1990, TVC Cuba), Konrad, the Boy Who ... (1990, TVC Cuba), Pocholo and His Gang (1993-94, children's, TVC Cuba), Between Partitions (1996, TVC Cuba), Gabriel in Havana (1995-96, Swiss, French, and Cuban TV), Carvalho (1998, Tv3), Lawyers (2001, A3), Central Hospital (2001, Tele5), Companions (2001, A3), Journalists (2001, Tele5), Javier No Longer Lives Alone (2001-02, Tele5), Police (2002-03, A3), The Commissioner (2003-05, Tele5), Plant 25 (2007, Forta), Aida (2008, Tele5), Vis a Vis (2015, Antena 3)
Papers in Theater:
An Inspector Calls (1983, G.T. Bertold Brecht), Where Love Grows (1983-85, National Theater of Cuba), Galileo, Galilei (1984, G.T. Estudio), The Story of a Horse (1985, G.T. Estudio), Yerma (1985, G.T. Estudio), A Doll's House (1986, G.T. Estudio), Tales from the Decameron (1987, G.T. Estudio), Enramada's Beloved (1987, G.T. Rita Montaner), Bourgeois (1988, G.T. Rita Montaner), What Will Be, Will Be (1989-93, G.T. Rita Montaner), Sibila, My Love (1992, G.T. Rita Montaner), The Cave (1994, G.T. Rita Montaner), The Stags (1995, El Público Theater Group), The Wedding (1996, El Público Theater Group), Pancha Manteca (1998, Macorina Company), Real Women Have Curves (2003, Ados Teatroa)
