Rocio Banquells

María del Rocío Banquells Núñez, recognized among Mexican pop and telenovela enthusiasts simply as María Banquells, entered the world in Monterrey on June 22, 1958. Her father, the established actor and director Rafael Banquells, and her mother, actress Dina de Marco, created an environment in which María and her siblings naturally gravitated toward the performing arts. Sisters Mary Paz and Silvia Pasquel together with brother Rafael each achieved recognition as performers in their own right. Banquells first appeared before the cameras beside her father in the telenovela Gutierritos, an experience that led directly to the stage production Los Años Imposibles, again under his direction, and then to her motion-picture debut in Mujercitas in 1972. After seven years and nearly a dozen substantial roles, she secured her place in Mexican television as Esther Salvatierra in the widely followed Los Ricos Tambíen Lloran. Her stage work continued through the early 1980s and reached a milestone in 1985 with the release of her first album, Rocio Banquells. Its lead track, “Luna Mágica,” quickly became one of the decade’s most frequently interpreted ballads. Buoyed by that reception, Banquells issued nearly one album annually for more than ten years; among the strongest entries were the 1987 release Entrega Total and the 1992 album A Mi Viejo, both of which reached Billboard’s Top Ten on the regional Mexican chart. Following almost ten years without new recordings, she returned with Nací Para Ti in 2007. After completing her portrayal of Ofelia in the series Pasión, Banquells captured the album live at the historic Teatro de la Ciudad, presenting two discs of her best-known material. The project entered the Top 100 of the Mexican sales charts.