- Ara Celi
Infobox actor
caption =
birthdate = birth date and age|1974|5|31
birthplace =El Paso, Texas Ara Celi (born
31 May ,1974 ) is a Mexican-American actress active in American film and television. She had a starring role in the minor 1997 dance movie "Looking for Lola," but she is probably best known for her role as Ampata Gutierrez aka "Inca Mummy Girl " from season two of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (also 1997).Celi, a
Latina , [ [http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/austinmovies/entries/2006/09/18/a_latina_in_hollywood_ara_celi.html Article: "A Latina in Hollywood"] ] was born Araceli Valdez inEl Paso, Texas , one of six children. She attendedJ. M. Hanks High School , graduating in 1992. While at Hanks, she apperared in student productions of "Splendor in the Grass", "Crimes of the Heart", and "The Wiz." She later attended theUniversity of Texas at El Paso . While there, she entered and won the GuyRex Mrs. Texas Pageant (1994), later becoming a semifinalist in The GuyRex Miss World USA pageant (also 1994). [ [http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/75R/billtext/doc/HR00822I.doc Texas House of Representatives resolution to recognize Araceli Valdez] , 1997 (.doc format)] [ [http://www.jimmyspageantpage.com/world-usa.html "Miss World USA Titleholders"] ]She moved to Mexico at age 18 where she had a role on a Spanish language soap opera. After three months she decided to move to Los Angeles where she landed a guest appearance on "". She made several other guest appearances in television series including "
Nip/Tuck " (pilot episode), and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".In 1999, she played Raquel Dion Santos in a nine-month attachment to "
All My Children ". [ [http://www.soapcentral.com/amc/news/990720-celiout.php "Soap Central" article] ] She was also in "Bruce Almighty ", "American Beauty" and "", playing Esmeralda. One of her last film roles was in the independent feature, "Go Fish" (2000), directed by Lawrence L. Simeone.She was married in 2000 to Robert Godines, a financial advisor, and in 2006 they moved the
Texas Hill Country near San Antonio to start a family. They have two children, a boy and a girl. Ara Celi is a spokesperson for a local automotive dealership and she and her husband own a barbering franchise in San Antonio. [Nicole Ochoa, [http://nsidemd.com/business/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=93 "Pursuit of Passion"] , "Inside San Antonio" (online), 24 August 2007. Accessed March 15, 2008.]References
External links
*imdb name|id=0148043
* [http://www145.pair.com/zoom44/simeone/behindthescenesLSEPK.html Ara Celi during the filming of "Go Fish"]Persondata
NAME=Celi, Ara
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Actor
DATE OF BIRTH=May 31 ,1974
PLACE OF BIRTH=El Paso, Texas , U.S.
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=
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