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Laura Zapata

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Laura Zapata
Zapata in 2024
Born
Laura Guadalupe Zapata Miranda

(1956-07-31) 31 July 1956 (age 70)
Mexico City, Mexico
Other nameLaura Zapata de Sodi
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active1974–present
SpouseJuan Eduardo Sodi de la Tijera (divorced)
Children2
Relatives

Laura Guadalupe Zapata Miranda (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlawɾa ɣwaðaˈlupe saˈpata miˈɾanda] born 31 July 1956)[1] is a Mexican actress, singer, and dancer. She is widely known for her antagonist roles in many telenovelas.

Life and career

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Born in Mexico City, Zapata is the daughter of Guillermo Zapata Pérez de Utrera (a Mexican boxer, model, and businessman) and Yolanda Miranda Mange. She is the maternal sister of Thalía (also a singer and actress), Federica, Gabriela, and Ernestina Sodi. Yolanda died in 2011 and Ernestina died in 2024.

Zapata is a singer, dancer and actress of stage, film, and television. In the 1992 Televisa production Maria Mercedes, one of Thalía's first telenovelas, Zapata played the antagonist opposite Thalía.

Zapata was married to Juan Eduardo Sodi de la Tijera. She has two sons, Claudio Sodi and Patricio Sodi.

Public image

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Kidnapping incident

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On 22 September 2002, Zapata and her sister Ernestina were kidnapped outside a theater in the Cuauhtémoc borough of Mexico City, when Zapata had just finished her performance in The House of Bernarda Alba.[2] The criminal group known as "Los Tiras" initially demanded a ransom of US$5 million from the family, reportedly taking advantage of their younger sister Thalía's marriage to Tommy Mottola. Zapata later stated that the family negotiated the payment.[3] Zapata was released on October 10 of that year, while Ernestina was freed later that month,[4] ransom that Thalía paid.[5]

In the years that followed, the family became estranged amid a series of disputes. In 2005, Zapata produced the play Cautivas, which reenacted her kidnapping.[6] The rift deepened in 2006 following the publication of Ernestina's memoir Líbranos del mal, in which she recounted her experience, and suggesting that Zapata complicated the negotiations by revealing to the kidnappers that they were sisters, and insinuating that she may have orchestrated the kidnapping; claims that Zapata has consistently and categorically denied.[7] Neither Thalía nor their mother Yolanda publicly defended Zapata in response to the claim.[7]

Political views

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In July 2003, following her kidnapping the previous year, Zapata registered as a candidate for federal deputy for the National Action Party (PAN) in the 26th federal electoral district of the Federal District. She was not elected and did not run for public office again.[8]

Zapata has criticized the administrations of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Claudia Sheinbaum, both members of Morena. Zapata has used derogatory language to describe Morena supporters, referring to them as "lackeys", "cowards" and "freeloaders", and claimed that Mexico is "a country of lazy people".[9] In June 2025, she criticized Sheinbaum for traveling on a commercial flight to the G7 summit and referred to her using offensive terms, stating that she looked like an "indita" and "classless".[10] Civil organizations filed complaints with the National Council to Prevent Discrimination, arguing the use of discriminatory and classist terms.[11]

Acting credits

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Films

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Year Title Role Notes
1976 Alas doradas Unknown role Debut film
1978 El patrullero 777 Señorita en delegación
1979 La guerra de los pasteles Azucena
1980 Nuestro juramento Nancy
1981 La cosecha de mujeres Unknown role
2002 Cuatro piernas Sole
2012 Marcelo Señora Martha
2019 La peor de mis bodas 2 Doña Leonor
2023 La peor de mis bodas 3

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1974 Mundo de juguete Unknown role
1977 La venganza Violeta
1977 Acompáñame Karla
1978 Mamá campanita Irene
1980 Juventud Modesta
1984 Los años felices Flora
1987–88 Rosa salvaje Dulcina Linares Main cast
1992 María Mercedes Malvina del Olmo
1995 Pobre niña rica Teresa
1997 Esmeralda Fátima Linares de Peñarreal Recurring role
1998 La usurpadora Zoraida Zapata Guest star
1999 Rosalinda Verónica del Castillo Recurring role
2001 Mujer bonita Celia 10 episodes
2001 La intrusa Maximiliana Limantur de Roldán Main cast
2005 Soñar no Cuesta Nada Roberta Pérez de Lizalde Recurring role
2008–09 Cuidado con el ángel Onelia Montenegro Viuda de Mayer Main cast
2010 Zacatillo, un lugar en tu corazón Doña Miriam Solórzano de Gálvez
2013 Todo incluido Luz María González
2014 The Stray Cat Lorenza Negrete de Martínez Main cast
2017 El Bienamado Bruna Mendoza
2021 MasterChef Celebrity México Herself Contestant (Season 1); 5th place[12]
2022 Siempre reinas Herself Season 1[13]
2023 Top Chef VIP Herself Contestant (season 2); runner-up[14]
2023–24 Secretos de villanas Herself Main Cast (season 2–3)[15]
2026 La casa de los famosos Herself Contestant (season 6)[16]

Discography

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Studio albums

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  • Primera llamada (1981)
  • Te propongo (1993)
  • Cielo rojo (2018)

Awards and nominations

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YearAwardCategoryNomineeResult
1988TVyNovelas AwardsBest Female AntagonistRosa SalvajeWon
1993María Mercedes
2011Best First ActressZacatillo, un lugar en tu corazónNominated
2009Premios People en EspañolBest Female AntagonistCuidado con el ángel
2010Premios de la Agrupación de Periodistas Teatrales (APT)[17]Silvia Pinal Awards for Best Actress12 Mujeres en PugnaWon
Premios de la Asociación de Cronistas y Periodistas Teatrales (ACPT)[18]Best Actress in MonologueNo seré feliz, pero tengo marido

References

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  1. ↑ "Laura Zapata". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  2. ↑ "Singer's Sisters Apparently Abducted". Los Angeles Times. 2002-09-25. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  3. ↑ Staff, Billboard (2003-04-04). "Police Nab Suspects In Kidnapping Of Thalia's Sisters". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  4. ↑ "The Americas: Mexico: Kidnapped Writer Freed". The New York Times. 29 October 2002. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  5. ↑ Ginestra, Mauricio (2024-11-09). "Ernestina Sodi, Thalía's Sister and Camila Sodi's Mother, Dies at 64". Latin Times. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  6. ↑ "Laura Zapata cambia el final de Cautivas". People en Español (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  7. 1 2 "Laura Zapata explodes against Thalía: "What am I supposed to envy: her small waist or her husband?"". People en Español. Archived from the original on 2025-11-16. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  8. ↑ S.A.P, El Mercurio (2003-07-01). "La actriz Laura Zapata cambia las telenovelas por la política". Emol (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  9. ↑ ""México es un país de huevones, de estira la mano": Laura Zapata insultó así a AMLO y sus seguidores". www.proceso.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  10. ↑ Daily, BELatina (2025-06-25). "Actress Laura Zapata, Thalía's Sister, Criticized for Calling Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum 'Indita'". BELatina. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  11. ↑ en, Por Marco RuizSeguir (2025-06-22). "Derechos Humanos de Oaxaca rechaza expresión 'clasista' de Laura Zapata a Sheinbaum; procederán al Conapred". infobae (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  12. ↑ "La villana de las telenovelas, Laura Zapata, se une a MasterChef Celebrity". tvazteca.com (in Spanish). 19 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  13. ↑ Reyes, Vicky (6 October 2022). "Siempre Reinas, el divertido reality de Netflix con Laura Zapata y Lucía Méndez". Glamour (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "Final de Top Chef VIP 2: fecha, hora y quiénes luchan por el ansiado premio de los $100,000". telemundoatlanta.com (in Spanish). 17 July 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Amézquita Pino, Carolina. "Laura Zapata es más villana que nunca en nuevo proyecto". People en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  16. ↑ Oyola, Gerardo (4 February 2026). "More Stars, More Drama: Telemundo's La Casa de los Famosos Ignites New Tensions with the Arrival of Laura Zapata, Caeli and Yina Calderón, Premiering, Tuesday, February 17 at 7pm/6c". NBCUniversal News Group (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  17. ↑ VIP Latino "Silvia Navarro nominada los Premios APT"
  18. ↑ Premios ACPT a lo mejor de 2010 Archived 2014-03-18 at the Wayback Machine
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