Ana Belén (born Maria del Pilar Cuesta on May 27, 1951 in Madrid, Spain) is one of the most relevant Spanish personalities in arts and music. With a musical career that spanned over the last 40 years she has also accomplished a great success as an actress, in feature films, television and theatre. She sang in public for the first time in a radio contest at the age of ten. She didn't win that year, but won the next year. Her early singing caught the attention of a movie producer who introduced her to the cinema audiences as "Ana Belen" in the movie "Zampo y Yo" when she was thirteen. Ana didn't want to become a child-star and focused on her studying. It wasn't until she finished drama school that she went back performing in public, being theater her prefered way to do so. She did small incursions in movies till she was offered major parts. In 1973 she was cast opposite Víctor Manuel in Morbo and he became her husband as well as the composer of the songs included in her first album. In 1982 she released "Ana en Rio", an album with Brazilian music that included the song "Balance" and became an instant hit. In 1986, took one more step and became one of the first female movie directors in Spain with the movie "Cómo ser mujer y no morir en el intento" which earned her the Gold Medal of Spanish Cinematographic Academy. That year concluded with another major success, a tour with Victor Manuel and many special guests of which they released a live album: "Mucho mas que dos". The success of this tour lead to a new one, "El Gusto es Nuestro" with Miguel Rios, Joan Manuel Serrat y Victor Manuel. She releases several albums through the 90's that achieve great success like "Veneno para el Corazon" that included Spanish versions of Cole Porter songs among others, "Mirame" full of duets with the most important Spanish voices or "Lorquiana[album]", a double CD with popular songs and poems of Federico García Lorca. The new century finds her busy with filming and recording songs. Albums "[album artist=Ana Belen]Peces de Ciudad" or "Viva l'Italia" are released as she appears on stage plays and her name is on some of the most acclaimed films of the moment. In 2006, she is currently touring with her husband Víctor Manuel across Spain with "Una Cancion Me Trajo Aqui", a CD+DVD has been released of their very first performance in Segovia.She also has a new album in the works and a new movie pending.
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