| Vanessa Delgado Bio |
[20 Jun 2008|12:12am] |
- Vanessa Raquel Delgado was born June 25, 1976, making her on her way to her 33rd birthday. Born in the Bronx, New York to Graciela Vega-Delgado and Cristian Delgado. Both parents come from Puerto Rico and moved to New York right before her birth. Her mother Graciela is a music teacher at local high school and has her own band, while her father is a police officer for the NYPD.
- Is the oldest of three children, one brother, Anthony, and one sister, Eva. Not to mention numerous cousins that she grew up with.
Vanessa has been involved with music and dancing all her life. As a child, she would go to with her mother to some of her local gigs and fell in love with performing. Her parents had always taught her the typical salsa, merengue, and bachata growing up. At every gig or family party, little Vanessa would be the first one on the dance floor or the child that everyone cheered when dancing. Her parents saw her passion for dancing and signed her up for dance classes when she was 6 and she kept dancing from then on.
- At age 10, Vanessa signed up for her first talent show, the dancing category was all full so Vanessa took a chance with singing, with no one other than her family hearing her sing. Her rendition of “All Cried Out,” was a hit among her school. Vanessa loving both singing and dancing began taking voice lessons from her mother.
- Since the talent show, Vanessa would sing with her mother and her band, and performing at local talent show, mixing both
her passions, dancing and singing. Her introduction to the stage was when Vanessa was 15, after some friends dared her to try out for the school’s musical, West Side Story. Vanessa won the lead role of Maria. She later became a stage favorite in high school, getting the leads or supporting roles in the musicals in school.
- Vanessa was your typical high school student; she worried about boys and college. As much as Vanessa loved the stage, it was very rare for people to make it in this industry. She opted to go to LeMoyne College, majoring in education, but her passion for theater and performing continued as she continued performing in anything she could get into. She even made it on the school’s dance team and chorus ensemble.
- While at college, Vanessa fell in love with a graduate student during her junior year. His name was Michael Haughton. He was Vanessa’s biggest supporter and the love of her life. After her graduation, the two became engaged and moved to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Michael, believing so much in his fiancée’s talent, set her up on an audition for RENT.
- Vanessa tried out for the workshop of RENT, and was so surprised that Jonathan Larson took a chance on her for the part of Mimi Marquez. From there on she continued to be on Broadway, off-Broadway, and some national tours.
- Things turned for the worst after her tour of West Side Story, after planning her wedding to Michael they finally set a date, January 29, 2000. Having filmed a Law and Order:SVU episode the week before, she was finally ready to marry the love of her life. Tragedy occurred, Michael and Vanessa decided to go out to dinner three days before their wedding, on the way to their apartment their car was hit by a drunk driver and Michael died in Vanessa’s arms. Instead of her wedding, she was attending his funeral.
- Vanessa did not perform for a year after Michael’s death. A friend of Michael’s offered her a role as Nala in “the Lion King.” She did not take the role originally, but her family dragged her out and made her perform. A move saved her, now she is on Broadway again performing as Nina Rosario in “In the Heights.” Every performance that she has, she dedicates it to Michael.
- Vanessa is a very passionate person with a fiery temper. She has mostly closed herself off from love, believing a love like she had only comes once in a lifetime. She has a passion for life and tends to live it to the fullest. She tends to set her sights on something and go after it.
- Vanessa believes in giving back to her community, she considers herself very lucky and wants to make other kids feel the same way.
- Vanessa hobbies are shopping, working out, and going out whenever she can.
- Her biggest goal is to become a mom, but thinks it will never happen.
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