Early life

Soto was born Miriam Talisa Soto in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest of four children of parents who moved from Puerto Rico. During her early childhood, her parents moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, where Soto and her siblings were raised and educated.

Career

Modeling

At the age of 15, Soto signed with Click Model Management and began modeling during summer vacations. Weeks after being signed, she traveled to Paris where she appeared in a layout for Vogue shot by Bruce Weber. She returned to Northampton after the summer to resume her schooling and would continue to model on occasion until she graduated from high school. She later appeared on the covers of American and British Vogue, British Elle, Mademoiselle, Glamour and Self magazines.

She also appeared in her first music video with former boyfriend Nick Kamen, Madonna's "Each Time You Break My Heart", directed by Tony Viramontes. Soto and Kamen were often used as models by Ray Petri: the late fashion stylist and creator of the 1980s London "Buffalo Boy" look.

Acting

In 1988, when Soto returned to the United States, she auditioned and landed the role of "India" in her feature debut, Spike of Bensonhurst, a comedy which starred Sasha Mitchell and Ernest Borgnine. In 1989, she was cast as Lupe Lamora, in the James Bond film Licence to Kill starring Timothy Dalton and as Maria Rivera in The Mambo Kings.

Soto has participated in more than twenty films, among which are: Mortal Kombat (1995) as Kitana; Island of the Dead as Melissa O'Keefe; Piñero (2001) as Sugar, starring Benjamin Bratt; and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002) as Ryne alongside Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas. Soto also made two guest appearances on the television series C-16: FBI. In 1995, she played the role of Doña Julia, one of Johnny Depp's many love interests in the tongue-in-cheek romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, Depp playing the title role. She also made an appearance in Marc Anthony's music video for "I Need to Know". In 1996, Soto played the title role in the campy film Vampirella based on the comic book character.

Magazine covers

In 1990, Soto was chosen by People as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. In 1995, she was featured in the Sports Illustrated "Swimsuit Issue". She was ranked #58 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002.

Personal life

In 1997, Soto married actor Costas Mandylor and they were divorced in 2000. She married actor Benjamin Bratt on April 13, 2002, in San Francisco. The couple have two children, a daughter Sophia Rosalinda and a son, Mateo Bravery.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	The Pope of Greenwich Village	Studio Dancer	Uncredited
1988	The French as Seen By...	French Girl	Episode: "The Cowboy and the Frenchman"
1988	Spike of Bensonhurst	India
1989	Licence to Kill	Lupe Lamora
1990	Silhouette	Marianna Herrera	Television film
1991	Prison Stories: Women on the Inside	Rosina	Television film
1992	The Mambo Kings	Maria Rivera
1992	Hostage	Joanna
1993-1994	Harts of the West	Cassie	15 episodes
1994	Don Juan DeMarco	Doña Julia
1995	Mortal Kombat	Princess Kitana
1996	Spy Hard	Seductress in Hotel Room	Credited as Desiree More
1996	Sunchaser	Navajo Woman
1996	Vampirella	Vampirella	Direct-to-video release
1997	Flypaper	Amanda
1997	The Corporate Ladder	Susan Taylor
1997	Mortal Kombat: Annihilation	Princess Kitana	Alternative title: Mortal Kombat 2
1998	C-16: FBI	Rosemary Vargas	2 episodes
2000	That Summer in LA	Marisabel
2000	Flight of Fancy	Mercedes Marquez	Alternative titles: Facing Fear Flight
2000	Island of the Dead	Melissa O'Keefe	Television film
2001	Piñero	Sugar
2002	Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever	Vinn/Rayne
2009	La Mission	Ana	Credited as Talisa Soto Bratt
2013	Elysium	Tisha	Uncredited

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film
1989	ShoWest Convention	Won	Female Star of Tomorrow	-
2002	ALMA Award	Nominated	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture	Piñero

[ Source: Wikipedia ]