Patricia Velasquez was born in Guajira, Venezuela, on January 31, 1971. The fifth child of six, Patricia's life was far from luxurious or glamorous. She spent the first four years of her life in Paris when her father worked for UNESCO. After Paris, her father relocated to Mexico for a few years and then returned to Venezuela. She attended San Vicente de Paul High School, and after her graduation in 1987, Patricia headed for college to study engineering and accounting. A friend of hers wanted to become a model, and one of the pictures that she sent to a casting call in Caracas included Patricia. As fate would have it, the agency wanted exotic Patricia. After a year of college studies, she left for Milan in pursuit of a modeling career.
In 1998, Patricia strutted down catwalks in ready to wear fashion shows for designers such as Antonio Berardi, Bella Freud, Corinne Cobson, Claude Montana, Jean Paul Gaultier, Salvatore Ferragamo, Dolce & Gabbana, and Owen Gaster. As for print, Patricia appeared in ads for Chanel's Allure, Monsoon, Roberto Verino's Verino fragrance, as well as everyone's favorite, Victoria's Secret. She even donned swimsuits for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Edition in 1994. Signed with Ford in New York, IMG in Paris and Models 1 in London, Patricia extended her resume from appearing in the pages of Vogue and Elle, to appearing on the big screen.
Her debut role was as Maya in the 1996 film Le Jaguar, which she followed up with a role in Eruption (aka Volcano Run) a year later. 1999 was a huge year for Patricia, as she appeared in Beowulf and No Vacancy; broke out despite a small role, as Anck-Su-Namun in the sleeper hit, The Mummy; and finally appeared in Façade (aka Death Valley). Patricia stole the spotlight from cutey Heather Graham in Committed, in a comedic turn as a waitress she was especially noticed during the screening at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. That same year, she appeared with Pras and Ja Rule in Turn It Up, and then starred in Saint Bernard & The Mummy Returns.
Even with the glamour and glitz of Hollywood, Patricia never forgets the struggling days of poverty growing up in Venezuela. After her first few modeling gigs, she bought her family a new home, made sure her 3 brothers received a college education, and still supports causes such as the advancement of Hispanics, fair treatment of indigenous peoples, and the fight against pediatric AIDS. She also launched a foundation to help Venezuelans.
