Laura Natalia Esquivel

This article is about the Argentine actress. For the Mexican writer, see Laura Esquivel. For the Costa Rican author, see Natalia Esquivel.
Laura Esquivel
Esquivel in 2017
Background information
Birth nameLaura Natalia Esquivel[1]
Also known asLaura Esquivel
BornBuenos Aires, Argentina
OriginBuenos Aires
GenresPop, latin pop, teen pop
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano, ukulele
Years active2003–present
LabelsEMI Televisa Music; Independent

Laura Natalia Esquivel (born on 18 May 1994 in Buenos Aires, Argentina), known professionally as Laura Esquivel, is an Argentine actress and singer, who gained international popularity for her debut as a child actress in the role of Patricia "Patito" Castro in the popular Argentine children's telenovela, Patito Feo (2007–08).

Biography

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She is the only daughter born to two doctors in Buenos Aires. Her father is a urologist and her mother is a gynecologist. Her paternal grandfather, Horacio, who died before she was born, was a set designer. She is the only member of her family who is involved in show business. Until she was 18 years old, she did not travel or work on sets without one or both of her parents present. She had a sheltered upbringing due to her career as a child performer. [2]

Early Career

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From the age of 7, Laura took singing, acting, piano and dance lessons in her native Argentina. She was first introduced to the general public on reality-musical format Codigo F.A.M.A. Argentina which was aired across Latin America in 2005. She was chosen to represent Argentina in the international version of the show and was one of the finalists in 2005.

Afterwards, she appeared in a tribute to Roberto Gómez Bolaños (Chespirito) in 2005 and in the variety show Sábado Gigante. She was also chosen as one of the leads in the musical Peter Pan which had a long run in Buenos Aires.

In 2005, Argentina's most-watched show, Showmatch, did a segment on talented kids. Her segment, in which she sang Disney songs, achieved extremely high ratings and big repercussion. Because of that, Marcelo Tinelli offered her a development deal and she was soon chosen as the lead in Patito Feo, a child-oriented telenovela produced by Ideas del Sur.

The stars of Patito Feo: Brenda Asnicar (l.) played antagonist Antonella Lamas Bernardi, while Esquivel (r.) played the title role of Patricia "Patito" Díaz-Rivarola Castro (2006)

Patito Feo began filming in 2006 in Buenos Aires. Its soundtrack achieved multiple platinum certifications and a Gardel Award. The show was also a huge success, achieving high ratings and sold-out stadium concerts all over Latin America; it received a nomination for the International Emmy Awards in 2008 for the Children and Young People category.[3]

After two seasons, Patito Feo ended in 2008. Laura continued touring with the cast throughout Argentina and Latin America. In 2008, the show became a huge success in Europe, especially in Turkey, Italy and Greece. She and the cast of Patito Feo toured in Italy with a stage production based on Patito Feo and was also chosen by Mediaset as one of the leads in a telenovela they will produce in Argentina. Esquivel learned Italian and starred in the Italian movie, Un paradiso per due alongside her former Patito Feo castmate Gaston Soffritti in 2009. The following year, Esquivel was cast in the Italian movie, Natale in Sudafrica. In 2010, while touring Italy and Greece, Laura signed an endorsement deal with Monnalisa to promote its Teenager line Jakioo. In 2011, Laura spent the majority of her time touring in Italy and Greece to promote the theatrical versions of Patito Feo. She is also a hostess on the Argentine teen TV show, Mundo Teen.[4]

In 2013, she was cast as "Merlina Addams" in the Argentine musical, Los Locos Addams, based on The Addams Family television series. For her work, she won a Hugo Award for Best New Actress.[5]

Due to the success of Los Locos Addams, she was offered a role as a contestant on a new singing competition, Tu cara me suena. From 2013 to 2015, she regularly appeared on the show, where she interpreted famous songs in the style of the original performers. She won the series in 2017 when she performed a duet singing the 1981 Lionel Richie and Diana Ross song, Endless Love. [6]

Transition to adult acting roles and career as a solo singer (2021 to present)

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She had a role in the Amazon Prime television mini-series, Maradona, sueño bendito, in 2021. The show premiered internationally on October 21, 2021 on Amazon Prime.[7] In 2022, she performed in the Spanish-language Argentine production of Kinky Boots. The role marked a transition in her career from child star to a more mature role. She previously auditioned in 2019 for a role in the musical during its first season of shows but was not successful. [8] Later, she was called by the show's producers a year later in 2020 and was offered the role of "Lauren" after the previous actress dropped out. [9]

In January 2018, she released her debut single, Siento que lo haré. [10] Her EP, Un rato, which was released for streaming platforms on May 10, 2024. The EP features original songs composed by Esquivel and was self-released without the aid of a record label.

Her self-titled debut album was released worldwide for streaming on 23 August 2024. The album features 10 songs written by Esquivel and was met with critical praise for its honest and introspective material by Billboard Magazine Argentina. The album, like her previous solo material, was released without a record label. Esquivel performed the album in its entirety, to rave reviews, on 19 September 2024 at the popular Buenos Aires nightclub, La Trastienda. [11] [12]

Personal Life

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Esquivel resides in Buenos Aires. She was raised in the San Telmo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. [13] She dated Argentine TV producer, José Barrientos, for three years from 2014 to 2017, who was 10 years her senior.[14] She has been in a relationship since 2017 with Facundo Cedeira, who works as a political journalist. They met at a bar in Buenos Aires. [15] In May 2024, she shared with the Argentine press that she struggled with anxiety and depression due to the global popularity she gained as a result of Patito Feo's success. [16] Despite the popularity of Patito Feo, Esquivel was bullied during the series' airing by people who recognized her in public. In her 20s, she attended therapy for several years for the bullying and self-esteem issues she faced in childhood. [17]

Esquivel attended the same school with many of her childhood classmates while working as a child actress. [18] She studied for two and half years at Escuela Mitra in Buenos Aires and is a certified vocal coach. She graduated high school at 18 and later studied speech therapy at the University of Argentine Social Museum in Buenos Aires. Esquivel considers herself to be a private, quiet person. She stated to the Argentine press in 2022 that she does not have friends in the entertainment industry and she shuns attending media events. Her closest friends are her former high school classmates. [19][20] She is fluent in English and Italian, in addition to her native Spanish. She has performed songs on television in Italian and Hebrew, in addition to Spanish and English. She is a fan of Celine Dion and has performed several covers of Dion's songs on various reality competition TV shows in Argentina. [21]

Discography

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Filmography

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Year Project Role Notes
2007–08 Patito Feo Patricia "Patito" Castro Main cast; Acting debut
2009 Un paradiso per due Margherita TV film (Italian film)
2010 Natale in Sudafrica Laura Rischio Film
2010 Mundo Teen Herself Hostess
2011 Maktub Linda Film
2013 Lola, Aprendiz de musa Lola TV series
2013–15; 2017 Tu Cara Me Suena Contestant Reality series/Winner of the 2017 series
2017 Divina, está en tu corazón Divina Main cast
2021 Maradona, sueño bendito, Claudia Supporting role; Amazon Prime TV series

Theatre

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  • 2003: Peter pan, todos podemos vuela (Spanish-language adaptation as Niña Perdida and Wendy)[22]
  • 2009-2010: Patito Feo (stage adaption as Patito)
  • 2013: Los Locos Addams (Spanish-language musical as Merlina Addams)
  • 2022: Kinky Boots (Spanish-language musical as Lauren, premiered in Argentina)

References

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  1. ^ "Esquivel Laura Natalia". cuitonline.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  2. ^ Rago, María Ana (April 7, 2022). "Laura Esquivel y su gambeta a la fama: "Quiero tomarme el subte toda mi vida"". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  3. ^ "Patito Feo en los Emmy Awards 2008". Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  4. ^ "Laura Esquivel habló por primera vez de la depresión que sufrió: "Sentía mucha oscuridad"". GENTE Online (in Spanish). July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  5. ^ "Laura Esquivel habló por primera vez de la depresión que sufrió: "Sentía mucha oscuridad"". GENTE Online (in Spanish). July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "Jey Mammon, Laura Esquivel y Migue Granados, los ganadores de Tu cara me suena". infobae (in European Spanish). November 24, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  7. ^ "Maradona: Sueño Bendito, las intérpretes de Claudia Villafañe destacaron su resiliencia para acompañar a Diego muchos años". El Diario NY (in Spanish). October 26, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  8. ^ "Laura Esquivel: "Gracias al análisis pude reconstruirme de la presión que me generaba el medio"". es-us.vida-estilo.yahoo.com (in Spanish). April 7, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  9. ^ "Laura Esquivel y su debut en Kinky Boots: "Es muy desafiante"". CNN (in Spanish). Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  10. ^ Litoral, El. "Laura Esquivel presenta su primer corte "Siento que lo haré" en costanera". El Litoral (in Spanish). Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "Laura Esquivel presentó su primer disco en La Trastienda con un show a pura emoción". Pronto (in Spanish). September 20, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  12. ^ "BIllboard - Laura Esquivel presenta su álbum debut: "Es el resultado de todo lo que viví en la última década"". www.billboard.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  13. ^ "BIllboard - Laura Esquivel presenta su álbum debut: "Es el resultado de todo lo que viví en la última década"". www.billboard.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  14. ^ "Tras separarse de su novio varios años mayor, Laura Esquivel se reencontró con el amor: ¡conocé al afortunado!". infobae (in European Spanish). December 27, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  15. ^ "De Patito Feo al altar: cómo se conocieron Laura Esquivel y su novio". Lmneuquen.com (in Spanish). May 23, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  16. ^ "Laura Esquivel habló por primera vez de la depresión que sufrió: "Sentía mucha oscuridad"". GENTE Online (in Spanish). July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  17. ^ Lapadula, María (September 19, 2024). "Laura Esquivel, feliz con su renacer tras poder dejar atrás momentos de oscuridad: "Fue traumático todo lo que pasé"". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  18. ^ "Laura Esquivel: el bullying que sufrió durante años, la ansiedad que experimentó y el nuevo paso en su carrera". LA NACION (in Spanish). October 24, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  19. ^ "Laura Esquivel habló por primera vez de la depresión que sufrió: "Sentía mucha oscuridad"". GENTE Online (in Spanish). July 30, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  20. ^ Rago, María Ana (April 7, 2022). "Laura Esquivel y su gambeta a la fama: "Quiero tomarme el subte toda mi vida"". Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  21. ^ Sourtech. "Laura Esquivel y el estreno de Kinky Boots: "Me considero más cantante que actriz"". Big Bang! News (in Spanish). Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  22. ^ "Laura Esquivel: el bullying que sufrió durante años, la ansiedad que experimentó y el nuevo paso en su carrera". LA NACION (in Spanish). October 24, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
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