Dayanara Torres | |
|---|---|
 Torres in 2011 | |
| Born | Dayanara Torres Delgado (1974-10-28)October 28, 1974 (age 50) Toa Alta, Puerto Rico |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, dancer, singer, model, writer |
| Height | 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title | |
| Hair color | Dark Brown |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Major competition(s) |
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Dayanara Torres Delgado (born October 28, 1974) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, singer, model, and beauty queen who won theMiss Universe 1993 pageant.[1] and she was the third Puerto Rican to winMiss Universe sinceMarisol Malaret in1970 andDeborah Carthy Deu in1985 to do so.
Torres was discovered at age 17 while walking through the Plaza deToa Alta in her hometown, and was invited to representToa Alta in the annualMiss Puerto Rico pageant. She won the pageant and the right to represent Puerto Rico in the 1993Miss Universe pageant.[2] In 1992, she participated in theMiss International pageant and became a semi-finalist. The same year, she earned second place at the Queen of the World contest.
Torres won the crown in the Miss Universe pageant held in Mexico in May 1993. Torres's victory in the pageant caused some controversy because of the claim that she was still a minor;[3][4] however, Torres had turned 18 several months before the contest. Her victory also raised some eyebrows,[citation needed] as she did not top any of the pageant's segments. When Torres returned home to Puerto Rico, she was received with a parade.
During and after her reign as Miss Universe, she became an ambassador forUNICEF, traveling through Asia andLatin America in support of the organization. She created the Dayanara Torres Foundation which has providedscholarships to poor students in Puerto Rico and the Philippines.[5] In 1994, she went to Manila to crown the new Miss Universe and during the ceremony; she sang "A Whole New World" as a duet withPeabo Bryson.[6]
After the 1994 Miss Universe pageant, Torres landed several film roles, made television appearances, and received offers to endorse products. She became a celebrity in the Philippines and lived in the country for five years.[6] During her time in the Philippines, Torres learned to speakTagalog, the national language of the country.[7] Torres endorsedPantene shampoo in 1998-1999.[8]
She appeared in more than 10 films, includingHataw Na, a film with Filipino actor and singerGary Valenciano[6] (who is half-Puerto Rican). During that time, she also filmedLinda Sara (1994), a Puerto Rican film directed byJacobo Morales in which she was paired with fellow Puerto Rican singer,Chayanne. She also became a staple figure on Philippine television every Sunday on the showASAP Mania, where her dancing skills gained her the informal title "Dancing Queen".
Torres returned to Puerto Rico in 1998 and as a singer released her only album titledAntifaz. It reached the top of theBillboard charts inLatin America. She also starred in several theater productions on the island. That same year, a "Dayanara"doll was released and sold out in both Puerto Rico and the Philippines.[citation needed]
On September 1, 2005, Torres debuted in an Americansoap opera, playing a small role inThe Young and the Restless. The program's producers expressed an interest in future appearances.[citation needed] To date, Torres has not made any other appearances on the show.[citation needed] Torres later starred inWatch Over Me, aMyNetworkTV primetime drama.
In 2008, Torres was included inPeople magazine's "Most Beautiful People" list. During the celebration ceremony, Torres stated she authored the self-help bookMarried to Me when she failed to find a book to help her with her 2003 separation fromMarc Anthony in bookstores.[9]
In 2017, Torres returned to the Philippines to serve as a judge for Miss Universe 2016, along with guest appearances on Philippine television.[10]
In February 2017, Torres was asked if she could appear on a romantic TV series with her former boyfriend and leading manAga Muhlach; she said she was more than willing to do so.[11]
Torres has two older brothers, José and Joey, and a younger sister, Jeannette.[12] Upon completion of her high school studies at Colegio Santa Rosa[13] inBayamón, Torres expressed interest in going to dentistry college to become anorthodontist.[2][14]
While living in the Philippines, Torres was in a five-year relationship with Filipino actorAga Muhlach (who is now married toCharlene Gonzalez, a Miss Universe 1994 top six finalist); Torres and Muhlach met on the set of her first Philippine film,Basta't Kasama Kita ("As Long as I'm with You").[14]
Torres married singerMarc Anthony on May 9, 2000, inLas Vegas,Nevada. The marriage resulted in two sons, Cristian Anthony Muñiz (b. February 5, 2001) and Ryan Anthony Muñiz (b. August 16, 2003). Their marriage was allegedly "rocky",[15] and the two separated, after just two years of marriage, in summer 2002. They later reconciled and renewed their vows in a ceremony in Puerto Rico in December 2002.[16]
The couple's final separation came a year later in October 2003, with Torres filing for divorce in January 2004. The divorce[17] was finalized June 1, 2004.[18]
In June 2014, a judge ruled in Torres's favor by approving a doubling of Anthony's monthlychild support payments (from $13,400 to $26,800); Torres initially sought $123,426 when it was alleged that Anthony spent only 35 days with their children in 2012, but the court discovered that he spent 71 days with them.[19]
On February 4, 2019, Torres announced that she was diagnosed withskin cancer.[20] In February 2020, she announced her completion of the last session of her radiation treatment, and shared a month later that she was cancer-free.[21]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Linda Sara | Young Sara |
| 1995 | Basta’t Kasama Kita | Princess Marinella of Bavaria / Ella |
| Hataw Na | Anna Alvarado | |
| 1999 | Type Kita… Walang Kokontra! | Isabel Torres |
| 2009 | The Nail: The Story of Joey Nardone | Amelia |
| 2013 | 200 Cartas | Yolanda |
| TBA | Solo Para Mujeres: The Movie | Diana |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Maalaala Mo Kaya: Selyo | Diane |
| 1995–1999, 2017 | ASAP | Host |
| 1995 | Oki Doki Doc | Yari |
| 1996–1997 | Eezy Dancing | Host/dancer |
| 1996 | Access Hollywood | Herself |
| 1999 | La Cenicienta | Cenicienta |
| Today with Kris Aquino | Herself | |
| 2005 | The Young and the Restless | Elise Tomkins |
| 2006 | SOP | Guest performer |
| 2006–2007 | Watch Over Me | Julia Rivera |
| 2017 | Ang Probinsyano | Mariana Dela Vega |
| Magandang Buhay | Herself | |
| It's Showtime | Herself | |
| Tonight with Boy Abunda | Herself | |
| Gandang Gabi Vice | Herself | |
| Miss Universe 2017 | Judge | |
| Mira quién baila Season 5 | Winner | |
| 2018 | Mira quién baila Season 6 | Judge |
| 2022–present | Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve | Puerto Rico host |
A judge approved a divorce Tuesday...
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mira quién baila winner 2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Miss Universe 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Daisy García (Bayamón) | Miss Puerto Rico 1993 | Succeeded by Brenda Robles (Isabela) |
| Preceded by Lizaura Quiñones | Miss International Puerto Rico 1992 | Succeeded by Brenda Robles |
Miss Puerto Rico winners in theBig Four beauty pageants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Miss Universe |  | |
| Miss World | ||
| Miss International | ||
| Miss Earth | ||
Miss International 1992 national titleholders | |
|---|---|
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
