Teresa Ruiz (actress)

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Teresa Ruiz
TeresaRuiz111.jpg
Ruiz at a press conference for the film Father Stu
NationalityMexican, American
OccupationActress
Years active2006–present

Teresa Ruiz López is a Mexican-American actress.

Ruiz is best known for portraying cartel queen Isabella Bautista in the first two seasons of Narcos: Mexico as well as Maria in the American comedy-drama television series Mo that premiered on on Netflix. In 2022 Ruiz starred in the biographical drama film Father Stu opposite Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson. Ruiz has been awarded several Best Actress awards internationally and is a Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio.

Contents

Career

Ruiz appears in the 1st and 2nd seasons of the Netflix original series Narcos: Mexico playing Isabella Bautista, a long time friend (and partner in crime) of Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo. [1]

In 2022 Ruiz starred in the film Noise (Spanish: Ruido) a Mexican-Argentine drama film directed by Natalia Beristáin and written by Beristáin, Diego Enrique Osorno & Alo Valenzuela Escobedo. The film won the Spanish Cooperation Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

She also played the character Nadia Basurto in the political thriller Aquí en la Tierra [2] a co-production between Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna's production company La Corriente del Golfo and Fox Networks. The 8-episode drama series written and directed by some of Mexico's most renowned filmmakers was the only Latin American title competing in the inaugural edition of Cannes Film Festival: Series. [3]

Teresa Ruiz in 2020 TeresaRuiz.jpg
Teresa Ruiz in 2020

Ruiz appeared in Gregory Nava's controversial film Bordertown alongside Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas. The story was based on the murders of women in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua and had the endorsement of Amnesty International.

Ruiz co-starred in the film The Delivery next to Mickey Rourke, an action movie parody directed by Louis Leterrier and appeared in Michael Bay's The Last Ship.

Ruiz went on to play the main character in Gerardo Tort's Round Trip (or Viaje Redondo in Spanish), for which she won several Best Actress awards including the Guadalajara's International Film Festival's Mayahuel, the Prix d'Interprétation Féminine at the Amiens International Film Festival in France and the India Catalina in Colombia; as well as Mexico's Academy Award: Ariel.

Other film works include Carlos Bolado's Tlatelolco; the film tells the story of the 1968 massacre of protesting students in Mexico's capital and Jose Luis Gutierrez-Arias' remake of the classic Spanish film Marcelino Pan y Vino. She played the Mexican Golden-Era actress and dancer Meche Barba, also known as The Mexican Venus, in the biopic Cantinflas about iconic Mexican actor Mario Moreno Cantinflas.

Ruiz was Executive Partner of the production company Machete, which won the Caméra d'Or at the 63 Cannes film festival for the film Año Bisiesto, directed by Michael Rowe. [4]

Theater work

In 2014 Ruiz played the part of Veronica in The Actors Studio production of Stephen Adly Guirgis's The Motherfucker with the Hat . The play was produced by Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn and Al Pacino and opened in Los Angeles in September 2014.

She also played young Frida Kahlo in Ofelia Medina's Cada Quien su Frida; the play had its worldwide premiere at the International Cadiz Theater Festival in Spain, then went on to tour in Cuba, Denmark, the UK, Mexico and the US.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2006Bienvenido PaisanoPiffanyDirected by Rafael Villaseñor Kuri [5]
2008 Bordertown Cecilia RojasDirected by Gregory Nava
2010 Año Bisiesto ProducerMachete Producciones
Marcelino Pan y Vino CruzDirected by Jose Luis Gutierrez
Viaje RedondoLuciaProduced by Mantarraya - Jaime Romandia Directed by Gerardo Tort
2011Cherry PalaceUnknownThis film remains unfinished
Nos Vémos, PapaProducerMachete Producciones
2012TlatelolcoLichaProduced by Fernando Sariñana Directed by Carlos Bolado
Colosio: El AsesinatoAlejandra IgleciasProduced by Monica Lozano Directed by Carlos Bolado
Ciudadano BuelnaActressDirected by Felipe Cazals
Mariachi Gringo AshleeDirected by Tom Gustafson
2013 Cantinflas Meche Barba Directed by Sebastian del Amo
2015Gringo HoneymoonRosalitaDirected by Alexandra Debricon
The DeliveryLa ReynaDirected by Louis Leterrier
2021 The Marksman RosaDirected by Robert Lorenz
2022 Father Stu CarmenProduced by Mark Wahlberg Directed by Rosalind Ross
Noise Abril EscobedoDirected by Natalia Beristain
2024The Dog ThiefAndreaDirected by Vinko Tomičić Salinas [6]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2011El Encanto del AguilaXacinta Televisa
2013 Major Crimes Monica Garcia Warner Brothers
2014 Gang Related Marissa 20th Century Fox Television
2015 The Last Ship Teresa TNT
2018 Aquí en la Tierra Nadia Basurto Fox Networks
2018-2020 Narcos: Mexico Isabella BautistaNetflix
2019 The House of Flowers Marilu Netflix
2021 Luis Miguel Azucena Netflix Recurring (season 2), 5 episodes
Main (season 3), 4 episodes
2022 Mo Maria Netflix Recurring

Awards

Won 7 awards & 9 nominations:

Guadalajara International Film Festival

YearCategoryFilm
2009 Mayahuel de Plata Viaje Redondo

Amiens International Film Festival, France

YearCategoryFilm
2009 Prix d’interprétation féminine Viaje Redondo

Colombia International Film Festival

YearCategoryFilm
2010 India Catalina Viaje Redondo

Mexican Academy Awards

YearCategoryFilm
2010 Ariel Viaje Redondo

Canacine Awards

YearCategoryFilm
2012Best ActressViaje Redondo

Peabody Awards

YearCategoryFilm
2023Entertainment Mo

References

  1. Briones, Isis (Nov 30, 2018). "What This 'Narcos: Mexico' Star Wants You To Know About Her Character". Forbes.
  2. Usón, Víctor (May 18, 2018). "Murders, Mafia And Corruption In Gael García Bernal´s Portrait of Power". El Pais.
  3. Wiseman, Andrea (March 13, 2018). "Canneseries Sets First Competition Lineup With Gael García Bernal, Mafia Crime-Drama". Deadline.
  4. Young, James (August 28, 2010). "Machete Ramps Up Slate: Camera d'Or-Winning Shingle Sets Three Pics". Variety.
  5. "Filmmakers begin taking in Brownsville - Brownsville Herald: Community". Wayback Machine/The Brownsville Herald . 2005-04-05. Archived from the original on 2020-01-20. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  6. "The Dog Thief, 2024 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca Festival . Retrieved 2025-04-13.