Ana Alicia American actress Date of Birth: 12.12.1956 Country: USA

Biography of Ana Alicia

Ana Alicia Ortiz was born on December 12, 1956, in Mexico City. Her parents were both hardworking individuals, with her mother holding a managerial position at a clothing factory, and her father being an entrepreneur. At a young age, Ana's parents moved to the United States, settling in El Paso, Texas.

After completing high school in 1973, Ana received a scholarship to attend Wellesley College. However, she decided to pursue her passion for acting and enrolled at the University of Texas at El Paso to study dramatic arts. It was during this time that she landed her first professional role in the play "The Odd Couple" at The Adobe Horseshoe Dinner Theater in El Paso, starring alongside Bob Denver.

In 1977, Ana moved to Los Angeles, where she began the typical routine for aspiring actors, attending auditions and casting calls. Her luck changed when she was cast as Alicia Nieves in the daytime soap opera "Ryan's Hope." However, she had to relocate to New York City for the filming. After a year and three months, Ana returned to the West Coast and resumed auditions while studying law at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

Although she had some success in minor roles in various television series such as "Battlestar Galactica," "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century," "Quincy M.E.," and "McClain's Law," Ana's career began to stall. She decided to dedicate herself fully to acting and, after four years, landed the role of scheming heiress Melissa Agretti in the soap opera "Falcon Crest." She replaced actress Delores Cantú, who played Melissa in one episode in early 1982. Melissa, portrayed by Ana, became one of the most beloved and simultaneously hated characters in the show, gaining a large fan base. She proved to be a worthy rival to the show's super villain Angela Channing, played by the elegant Jane Wyman. Ana appeared in a total of 178 episodes out of 227, with her last episodes airing in 1989, a year before the show's finale.

After "Falcon Crest," Ana Alicia had only a few minor roles. She appeared in the film "Romero" in 1989 and had a brief stint in television series such as "Life Goes On," "Murder, She Wrote," and "Renegade." In 1990, she starred in the made-for-TV movie "Miracle Landing," based on the real-life incident involving Aloha Airlines Flight 243 in April 1988. This marked her last acting role before she returned to El Paso to be with her family.

On April 24, 1994, Ana married Gary Benz, with whom she has two children.