María Montez

Maria Montez is a former child star, TV and stage actress and model, and later TV news presenter, from Dominican Repulic. She was named after her aunt, Hollywood star Maria Montez, "Queen of Technicolor". She was born María Montez Gracia Fiallo, the daughter of Isidoro Gracia Vidal, Hollywood actress María Montez' older brother, and Safo Zuleika Fiallo Henríquez. She was named María Montez (as 2 first names) in honor to her famous aunt deceased only the previous month. Since she was a little girl, María Montez Gracia Fiallo showed she had talent for performing. She starred in the TV program of the Dominican Republic "La Hora del Moro (1959)" and "Los Jueves de Luchy (1961)". Soon, and along with the girls Luchy Vicioso and Aida Lucía, Maria acquired great popularity in the whole country. As a teenager, she earned a scholarship from the Fundación de Crédito Educativo, and with it she was able to travel to Madrid, Spain, in order to study dramatic art. She moved with her mother Safo after her father had died. Later, she appeared in Spanish TV shows and films, being her first one the popular TV show "Escala en hi-fi (1961)"and she was also very active in theatre for many years there too. Maria also starred in international productions from films, TV and the stage from the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and France. For years she was part of the Roy Hart Theatre company in London. She married Armando Guiseppe D'Alesandro Tavarez. She stopped her artistic career when she was expecting her first child, daughter Desiree María D'Alessandro, who was born with down syndrome (ca. 1982/83). Two years later she had a son, Ricardo Joseppe D'Alessandro (b. ca 1984/85). Between December 1980 and May 1983 she was the news announcer of the pioneer "Mundo Visión (1969) News" filmed in Color Visión studios, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Since 1985 she's been working as a freelance Real Estate Agent, and since 2012 she is a Sales Manager at Gracia Realty. She graduated in psychology from the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Uerña (UNPHU) in Santo Domingo, in the year 2000 after 5 years. In 2007 she was Art Dramatic teacher in Punta Cana International School. Most recently, she appeared in the 2014 documentary "De María África a María Montez, Un mito en Technicolor (2014)".