Teresa Ruiz

Teresa Ruiz López is a Mexican-American actress.

Ruiz is best known for portraying cartel queen Isabella Bautista in the first two seasons of Narcos: Mexico as well as Maria in the American comedy-drama television series Mo that premiered on Netflix. In 2022 Ruiz starred in the biographical drama film Father Stu opposite Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson. Ruiz has been awarded several Best Actress awards internationally and is a Lifetime Member of the Actors Studio.

Early life Born in Oaxaca, Mexico, Ruiz moved to Ciudad Juárez with her parents at age 12 and Los Angeles at age 13, where she eventually enrolled in theater school. Beginning her career in Mexico, she eventually returned to the United States, becoming mentored by Martin Landau at the Actors Studio.

Career

Ruiz appears in the 1st and 2nd seasons of the Netflix original series Narcos: Mexico playing Isabella Bautista, a long time friend (and partner in crime) of Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo.

In 2022 Ruiz starred in the film Noise (Spanish: Ruido) a Mexican-Argentine drama film directed by Natalia Beristáin and written by Beristáin, Diego Enrique Osorno & Alo Valenzuela Escobedo. The film won the Spanish Cooperation Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

She also played the character Nadia Basurto in the political thriller Aquí en la Tierra a co-production between Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna's production company La Corriente del Golfo and Fox Networks. The 8-episode drama series written and directed by some of Mexico's most renowned filmmakers was the only Latin American title competing in the inaugural edition of Cannes Film Festival: Series.

Ruiz appeared in Gregory Nava's controversial film Bordertown alongside Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas. The story was based on the murders of women in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua and had the endorsement of Amnesty International.

Ruiz co-starred in the film The Delivery next to Mickey Rourke, an action movie parody directed by Louis Leterrier and appeared in Michael Bay's The Last Ship.

Ruiz went on to play the main character in Gerardo Tort's Round Trip (or Viaje Redondo in Spanish), for which she won several Best Actress awards including the Guadalajara's International Film Festival's Mayahuel, the Prix d'Interprétation Féminine at the Amiens International Film Festival in France and the India Catalina in Colombia; as well as Mexico's Academy Award: Ariel.

Other film works include Carlos Bolado's Tlatelolco; the film tells the story of the 1968 massacre of protesting students in Mexico's capital and Jose Luis Gutierrez-Arias' remake of the classic Spanish film Marcelino Pan y Vino. She played the Mexican Golden-Era actress and dancer Meche Barba, also known as The Mexican Venus, in the biopic Cantinflas about iconic Mexican actor Mario Moreno Cantinflas.

Ruiz was Executive Partner of the production company Machete, which won the Caméra d'Or at the 63 Cannes film festival for the film Año Bisiesto, directed by Michael Rowe.

Theater work

In 2014 Ruiz played the part of Veronica in The Actors Studio production of Stephen Adly Guirgis's The Motherfucker with the Hat. The play was produced by Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn and Al Pacino and opened in Los Angeles in September 2014.

She also played young Frida Kahlo in Ofelia Medina's Cada Quien su Frida; the play had its worldwide premiere at the International Cadiz Theater Festival in Spain, then went on to tour in Cuba, Denmark, the UK, Mexico and the US.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2006 Bienvenido Paisano Piffany Directed by Rafael Villaseñor Kuri 2008 Bordertown Cecilia Rojas Directed by Gregory Nava 2010 Año Bisiesto Producer Machete Producciones Marcelino Pan y Vino Cruz Directed by Jose Luis Gutierrez Viaje Redondo Lucia Produced by Mantarraya - Jaime Romandia Directed by Gerardo Tort 2011 Cherry Palace Unknown This film remains unfinished Nos Vémos, Papa Producer Machete Producciones 2012 Tlatelolco Licha Produced by Fernando Sariñana Directed by Carlos Bolado Colosio: El Asesinato Alejandra Iglecias Produced by Monica Lozano Directed by Carlos Bolado Ciudadano Buelna Actress Directed by Felipe Cazals Mariachi Gringo Ashlee Directed by Tom Gustafson 2013 Cantinflas Meche Barba Directed by Sebastian del Amo 2015 Gringo Honeymoon Rosalita Directed by Alexandra Debricon The Delivery La Reyna Directed by Louis Leterrier 2021 The Marksman Rosa Directed by Robert Lorenz 2022 Father Stu Carmen Produced by Mark Wahlberg Directed by Rosalind RossNoiseAbril EscobedoDirected by Natalia Beristain 2024 The Dog Thief Andrea Directed by Vinko Tomičić Salinas

Television Year Title Role Notes 2011 El Encanto del Aguila Xacinta Televisa 2013 Major Crimes Monica Garcia Warner Brothers 2014 Gang Related Marissa 20th Century Fox Television 2015 The Last Ship Teresa TNT 2018 Aquí en la Tierra Nadia Basurto Fox Networks 2018-2020 Narcos: Mexico Isabella Bautista Netflix 2019 The House of Flowers Marilu Netflix 2021 Luis Miguel Azucena Netflix Recurring (season 2), 5 episodesMain (season 3), 4 episodes 2022 Mo Maria Netflix Recurring

Awards Won 7 awards & 9 nominations:

Guadalajara International Film Festival Amiens International Film Festival, France Colombia International Film Festival Year Category Film 2010India CatalinaViaje Redondo Mexican Academy Awards Year Category Film 2010ArielViaje Redondo Canacine Awards Peabody Awards Year Category Film 2023Entertainment Mo