Nacho Figueras | |
|---|---|
 Figueras in 2011 | |
| Born | Ignacio Figueras Bermejo (1977-03-04)March 4, 1977 (age 48) Venticinco de Mayo,Buenos Aires Province, Argentina |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Sports career | |
| Sport | Polo |
| Rank | 6-goal handicap |
| Team | BlackWatch Polo Team |
Ignacio "Nacho"Figueras Bermejo (Spanish:[iɣˈnasjofiˈɣeɾasβeɾˈmexo], born March 4, 1977) is anArgentinepolo player and model with a 6-goal handicap.[1] Dubbed the "David Beckham of polo",[2] Figueras is considered to be the most famous polo player in the world. He currently co-owns and plays forBlack Watch Polo Team.[3][4] Since 2005, Figueras has been the face ofRalph Lauren'sBlack Label. In 2015,models.com ranked him in the top eighteen of theirMoney Men.[5]
Ignacio Figueras Bermejo was born on March 4, 1977, inVeinticinco de Mayo, Buenos Aires. He was raised in a middle-class family[6] on a small farm outside the city.[7] His father was close friends with polo playerLucas Monteverde.[8] Figueras began playing polo at age 9 with Monteverde during weekend visits to his estate.[8] At the age of 14, he moved into Monteverde's estate so he could ride horses daily and take polo more seriously.[7]
Figueras began playing polo professionally inParis at age 17.[7] "I was my own groom," Figueras spoke of the experience, "I would take care of the horses and then go play in the matches. It was a low-budget gig."[7] InBridgehampton, New York he joined White Birch, a team shared at the time byPeter Brant andNeil Hirsch.[9] He currently plays for and is captain of theBlackWatch Polo Team, a team he co-owns withHirsch.[10][11]
When he was approached by the photographerBruce Weber 12 years ago, at a dinner party held by Kelly Klein, ex-wife ofCalvin, inThe Hamptons, he hoped modelling might help him buy more squirrelly mounts. "Then I realised that I could make extra money, and raise awareness of the sport."[12] Nacho started modelling forRalph Lauren in 2000, eventually become the face of Ralph Lauren Black Label in 2005, and has been under contract since.[2][13] In May 2009, he was made the face of the World of Polo fragrances, including Polo Black, Polo Blue and Polo Modern Reserve.[14][15]Black Watch is also a label under the Ralph Lauren umbrella, offering tight polo shirts emblazoned with Nacho's number 2, an idea of Figueras' to make it a billion-dollar brand. In June 2009, he was voted the second most handsome man in the world by the readers ofVanity Fair magazine with 15% of the vote, far behindRobert Pattinson, who drew 51%,[16] and ahead ofBrad Pitt, who drew 12%.[17] Despite his success in the modeling arena, polo continues to be his passion. He says his mission in life "is to bring polo to the world a little more,"[18] doing his best to raise the profile to the sport of polo however he can.[2] To that end, he has helped organize matches such as theVeuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic exhibition inGovernor's Island,New York; the edition on June 27, 2010, also featured Britain'sPrince Harry.[19] In October 2010, Nacho Figueras co-hosted the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic with Cameron Silver in Los Angeles at Will Rogers state park attracting celebrities and socialites like Minnie Driver, Mischa Barton, Donovan Leitch and Rachel Zoe. He appeared as himself in the 44th episode of the CW television seriesGossip Girl, third-season premiere "Reversals of fortune", aired in 2009. On September 28, 2009, Figueras was a guest onThe Oprah Winfrey Show inChicago. The show was titled "Meet the Most Famous People in the World". In one of the segments on the show, Nacho gave Oprah's reporterAli Wentworth a private polo lesson. Nacho Figueras also makes frequent appearances inThe Ellen DeGeneres Show TV show as he is a great friend of the hostEllen DeGeneres.
Figueras has been married to fellow ArgentineDelfina Blaquier, a photographer and former model, since 2004. The couple currently have four children, Hilario born in 2000, Aurora born in 2005, Artemio born in 2010 and Alba born in 2013.[19]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Polo Kid | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2010 | 13 | Handler #3 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | Himself | ||
| 2009 | Gossip Girl | Himself | Episode: "Reversals of Fortune" | |
| 2010 | Entertainment Tonight | Himself | ||
| 2010 | E:60 | Himself | Segment: "Nacho Figueras" | |
| 2011 | Conan | Polo Tutor | Episode: "Eat, Love, Lather, Rinse, Repeat" | |
| 2012 | 60 Minutes | Himself | Segment: "The Sport of Kings" | |
| 2012–2019 | CBS This Morning | Himself | 4 episodes | |
| 2012 | Home & Family | Himself | Guest | |
| 2013 | Good Day L.A. | Himself | ||
| 2013 | Chelsea Lately | Himself | Guest | |
| 2013 | Pura Química | Himself | Guest | |
| 2014 | The Real | Himself | Episode: "Sheila E./Nacho Figueras" | |
| 2016 | American Latino TV | Himself | Guest | |
| 2017–2021 | The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Himself | 4 episodes | |
| 2018 | Good Morning America | Himself | Guest | |
| 2024 | Polo | Himself | 5 episodes |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
