Patricia Velásquez

Patricia Carola Velásquez Semprún (born 31 January 1971) is a Venezuelan actress, model, and philanthropist. As an actress, she is known for her portrayal of Anck-su-namun in the 1999 film The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns.

In 2002, Patricia started the Wayùu Taya Foundation, a foundation committed to improving the living conditions of the indigenous communities in Venezuela.

Early life
Velásquez was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, the fifth of six children of a mestizo father and a mother of the indigenous Wayuu people. Velásquez's parents were both teachers, and her father, who also worked for UNESCO, was assigned to other countries. Velásquez grew up with her family in France, Venezuela and Mexico.

She is fluent in English, Spanish, French, and Italian.

Career
From 1995 to 2000, Velásquez studied acting in Los Angeles and New York. She walked runways in ready-to-wear fashion shows for designers such as Chanel, Chloé, John Galliano, Claude Montana, Dolce & Gabbana and many others. Velásquez appeared in print ads for Chanel's Allure, Monsoon, Roberto Verino's Verino fragrance, among others.

During her modeling career, she appeared on multiple covers like Vogue, Bazaar,and Marie Claire.Velásquez served as the face of Cover Girl for eight years, marking her as their first Latin supermodel to transition into mainstream media.

Velásquez played Meela Nais / Anck-Su-Namun in the 1999 film The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns.

She had a special appearance on "Breaking the Girl" video of the alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. She also appeared on the Rod Stewart video "Leave Virginia Alone" and others, such as Ricardo Montaner "Para Llorar" and George Michael "Spinning the Wheel."

In 2002, Velásquez founded The Wayuu Taya Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the Wayuu, an indigenous people located in northwestern Venezuela and northern Colombia. In 2010, after the devastating Haiti earthquake, she had the Wayuú Tayá Foundation commission a special symbol of hope to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. It was sold with the slogan: Keep the "H" Close to Your Heart—Help Haiti Hope.

Velásquez was appointed UNESCO Artist for Peace (Goodwill Ambassador) in June 2003, in the context of the International Decade for the World’s Indigenous People. She was honored in recognition of her actions for protection of the Wayúu indigenous people in Latin America and for safeguarding their cultural heritage.

in 2006, Velasquez was critically acclaimed for her debut stage performance in the lead role of School of the Americas at the Public Theater in New York City.

Velásquez played the character of Begoña on several episodes of The L Word during its 5th season (2008). She had a recurring role on the television series Arrested Development playing Marta Estrella. On CSI: Miami, in the episode "From the Grave", she appeared as a guest star, playing Celia Gonzalez. She had a recurring role in the first season of Rescue Me playing Nez. She also guest appeared on Ugly Betty and Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series, season 9) She also voiced the character Marisol Díez Delgado in the SSX franchise and Unuratu on the Tombraider game.

She received the “Women Together” award at the United Nations on 2009. The Awards Ceremony recognizes the valuable contribution of men, women, and institutions dedicated to the creation of a more equal society

Velásquez competed on behalf of the charity Wayúu Tayá Foundation on the twelfth season of The Apprentice.

On 2015, LA Femme Film Festival gave Velásquez their Humanitarian Award.

On August 30, 2018, the Organization of American States (OAS) appointed Velásquez as Goodwill Ambassador for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas during a ceremony at its headquarters in Washington, DC.

Velásquez was honored by the Human Rights Campaign with the 2018 Visibility Award in New England.

In 2019, she played Patricia Alvarez in the horror film The Curse of La Llorona.

In 2020, Velásquez played Nurse Velasquez in Malignant , Mariela Vicuna in Brut Force, and Meg in List of a Lifetime where she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the 2022 Imagen Awards.

In 2024, Patricia was featured in Time magazine. Additionally, she took on the lead role in Maya, a film addressing human trafficking, directed by Julia Verdin. Furthermore, Patricia is set to appear in No Address, a film spotlighting homelessness, slated for release later this year.

Patricia has spoken at TED Conference, The Clinton Global Initiative, The Human Rights Campaign, and numerous other venues.

Personal life
Velásquez has a daughter named Maya.

In February 2015, Velásquez released her memoir "Straight Walk", recalling her journey from poverty to international acclaim. She came out as a lesbian, saying that she wanted to set an example of honesty for her daughter. Velásquez is currently in a relationship with Canadian social venture philanthropist, social advocate, and business investor Alison Lawton.