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Talisa Soto (born March 27, 1967) is an American retired actress and model. She is known for portraying Bond girl Lupe Lamora in the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill and Kitana in the 1995 fantasy action film Mortal Kombat and its 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat Annihilation. Prior to her acting career, Soto worked as a model, appearing in magazines such as Mademoiselle, Glamour and Elle.
She later was featured on the covers of American and British Vogue, British Elle, Mademoiselle, Glamour and Self magazines. Soto has also been featured in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, Cartier, Clarins, Revlon, Salvatore Ferragamo, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Versace.
Soto appeared in her first music video with former boyfriend Nick Kamen, behind Madonna's song "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.
Soto appeared in more than twenty films, including Mortal Kombat (1995) as Kitana; Island of the Dead as Melissa O'Keefe; Piñero (2001) as Sugar, starring Benjamin Bratt; and (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, Johnny Depp's first love interest 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. Her last major film appearance was in Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever before retiring from acting after marrying Benjamin Bratt.
She made one more film, La Mission (2009), which was directed by her brother-in-law Peter Bratt.
In 2002, she began dating actor Benjamin Bratt; they married on April 13 in San Francisco. The two had met ten years earlier during a casting audition. During the filming of Piñero (2001) they began to develop a relationship. They married in April 2002 and their first child, daughter Sophia Rosalinda Bratt, was born on December 6, 2002; their second child, son Mateo Bravery Bratt, was born on October 3, 2005.
It was revealed in 2022 that Soto was diagnosed with breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that she has since been deemed "cancer-free".
| 1984 | The Pope of Greenwich Village | Studio Dancer | Uncredited |
| 1988 | The French as Seen by... | French Girl | Episode: "The Cowboy and the Frenchman" |
| Spike of Bensonhurst | India | ||
| 1989 | Licence to Kill | Lupe Lamora | |
| 1990 | Silhouette | Marianna Herrera | Television film |
| 1991 | Rosina | ||
| 1992 | The Mambo Kings | Maria Rivera | |
| Hostage | Joanna | ||
| 1993–1994 | Harts of the West | Cassie | 15 episodes |
| 1994 | Don Juan DeMarco | Doña Julia | |
| 1995 | Mortal Kombat | Kitana | |
| 1996 | Spy Hard | Seductress In Hotel Room | Credited as Desiree More |
| Sunchaser | Navajo Woman | ||
| Vampirella | Vampirella | Direct-to-video | |
| 1997 | Flypaper | Amanda | |
| The Corporate Ladder | Susan Taylor | ||
| Mortal Kombat Annihilation | Kitana | ||
| 1998 | C-16: FBI | Rosemary Vargas | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | That Summer in L.A. | Marisabel | |
| Flight of Fancy | Mercedes Marquez | Alternative titles: Facing Fear Flight | |
| Island of the Dead | Melissa O'Keefe | Television film | |
| 2001 | Piñero | 'Sugar' | |
| 2002 | Rayne Ecks / Vinn Gant | ||
| 2009 | La Mission | Ana | Credited as Talisa Soto Bratt |
| 1989 | ShoWest Convention | Won | Female Star of Tomorrow | |
| 2002 | ALMA Award | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Piñero |
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