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).
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
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)
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. A debut album of the same name was expected to follow but was never released. [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.
Personal Life
Esquivel resides in Buenos Aires. She dated Argentine TV producer, José Barrientos, for three years from 2014 to 2017, who was 10 years her senior.[11] 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. [12] 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. [13] Despite the popularity of Patito Feo, Esquivel was bullied by teenagers who recognized her on the street during the series' airing. She attended the same school with many of her childhood classmates while working as a child actress. [14] 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. [15][16] 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. [17]
2003: Peter pan, todos podemos vuela (Spanish-language adaptation as Niña Perdida and Wendy)[18]
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)
Related Research Articles
"I Am What I Am" is a song originally introduced in the Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles. The song is the finale number of the musical's first act, and performed by the character of Albin Mougeotte, first played by George Hearn. His version appears on the original cast album released in 1983. The song was composed by Jerry Herman.
Julieta Solange Díaz Núñez is an Argentine model and actress.
Brenda Asnicar is an Argentine actress who gained international popularity for her debut role as Antonella Lamas Bernardi in the Disney Channel television series Patito Feo.
Patito Feo is an Argentine telenovela produced by Ideas del Sur that aired in first run on Canal 13 from 2007 to 2008. After the show's success in Argentina, Disney Channel bought its broadcast rights and began broadcasting it internationally between July 2007 and March 2011 in Europe, Asia and Latin America, receiving consistently high viewership and becoming an international success of merchandise, soundtrack albums, and concert tours.
Antonio Rodrigo Guirao Díaz, known professionally as Rodrigo Guirao, is an Argentine actor.
Thelma Inés Fardin is an Argentine actress.
Zaira Tatiana Nara is an Argentine model and actress. She was viewed as a beauty icon in South America before gaining weight.
Carla Soledad "Calu" Rivero is an Argentine actress and model.
Martina Stoessel, known professionally as Tini, is an Argentine singer, actress, dancer, and model. She began her career as a child actress, by appearing on the Argentine children's television series Patito Feo (2007). Stoessel rose to prominence and emerged as a teen idol for her leading role in the Disney Channel Latin America telenovela Violetta (2012–2015), and reprised the character in the series' sequel film Tini: The Movie (2016). While on the program, she achieved success on the Latin American and European charts with multiple soundtracks.
Fabiana García Lago is an Argentine actress. She has appeared in the television series Padre Coraje, Hombres de honor, Sos mi vida and Malparida.
Juan Rafael Pacífico Dabul, known as Juan Darthés, is an Argentine former actor and singer who spent most of his life and professional career in Argentina.
Leticia Siciliani is an Argentine actress. She is best known for playing Nieves in the telenovela Esperanza mía (2015–2016) and Carmen in 100 días para enamorarse (2018).
Fabiola Andrea Yáñez is an Argentine journalist and actress who served as the first lady of Argentina from 2019 to 2023.
The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina affected the human rights situation in the country.
María Fernanda Raverta is an Argentine politician. She was, until 2023, the Executive Director of ANSES, appointed by President Alberto Fernández. She previously was Community Development of Buenos Aires Province.
Laura Russo is an Argentine politician who served as a National Deputy from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Justicialist Party, Russo was elected in 2017 in Buenos Aires Province, and formed part of the Frente de Todos bloc from 2019 to 2021.
Claudia Rosana Villafañe is an Argentine businesswoman and producer, known for being Diego Maradona's wife and the winner of the first MasterChef Celebrity Argentina edition.
Victoria Tolosa Paz is an Argentine politician and public accountant. From 2022 to 2023, she served as Minister of Social Development in the cabinet of President Alberto Fernández. Since 2023, she has been a National Deputy elected in Buenos Aires Province, a position she previously held from 2021 to 2022.
Jazmín De Grazia was an Argentine model and television presenter. She was one of the three finalists of the television modelling contest SuperM 20-02. She later worked as a host and panelist in different television shows.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
