Isabella Castillo

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Castillo and the second or maternal family name is Díaz.

Isabella Castillo Díaz (born 23 December 1994) is a Cuban-American actress and singer best known for her role as Graciela "Grachi" Alonso, the lead character of the Nickelodeon fantasy television series Grachi, for which has released several songs. Castillo has also starred on the telenovelas Tierra de reyes, El Señor de los Cielos and Malverde: El Santo Patrón, as well as the musical film La Usurpadora: The Musical.

Isabella Castillo
Castillo in 2023
Born	Isabella Castillo Díaz (1994-12-23) 23 December 1994 (age 29) Havana, Cuba
Occupations	Actress singer
Years active	2008–present
Spouse	Matías Novoa ​ ​ (m. 2019; div. 2021)​
Website	isabellacastillo.com
Signature

Biography and career

Isabella Castillo was born on 23 December 1994, daughter of singer^[1] Delia Díaz de Villegas^[2] and percussionist^[1] José Castillo. Her older sister is Giselle, a pianist and music teacher.^[1] In 1997, at the age of three, she emigrated to Belize, moving to Miami, Florida, some months later. At the age of five, she debuted as a singer in one of her mother's concerts: from that moment, she began to take dancing, singing and acting lessons,^[3] studying music at Musical Procenter and winning four times the Grand Prize at the Youth Fair of the Florida International University.^[3] On 26 March 2005, she won the first prize as Most Promising in the Children Singing Division at the USA World Showcase^[3] and on 15 July, she took the stage on the Manuel Artime Theater in Miami in the musical Fantasia en Disney; she also participated in the contest Best New Talent in Los Angeles and in the concert offered by the Israeli Embassy for Cuban people living in the USA.^[3] In 2007, she gained the Magnet Outstanding Performance recognition at the South Miami Middle Community School^[3] and she was invited to honor the neo-elected president of Israel Shimon Peres.^[3] Again in 2007, persuaded by the producer Óscar Gómez, she started an intensive course of acting with Cuban actress Lili Rentería, preparing for the audition in Madrid for the musical El diario de Ana Frank – Un canto a la vida;^[3][4] moving in Spain with her family, after three rounds of auditions she was given the main role.^[5] The musical, which opened on 28 February 2008,^[3] won her the Gran Via Award as Best Revelation in a Musical.

Back in the United States in 2009, she began her acting career in Telemundo on the telenovela El fantasma de Elena (2010), in which she played as seventeen-year-old girl Andrea Girón;^[1] at the end of Elena, she got the role of Grachi, the main character of the homonymous telenovela of Nickelodeon Latin America.^[6][7][8] During the broadcast, in February 2012, of the second of three seasons,^[9] Castillo participated in the musical Grachi: El show en vivo. Thanks to Grachi, between 2011 and 2012, Castillo won the Favorite Actress award at the Kids' Choice Awards México,^[10] Kids' Choice Awards Argentina and Meus Prêmios Nick, becoming also the first to win the Favorite Latin Artist award at the 2012 Kids' Choice Awards.^[11]

On 21 February 2013, she signed with Warner Music Latina^[12] for her first album, Soñar no Cuesta Nada, released on 23 April.^[13] In March, Castillo won the Favorite Latin Artist Award for the second time at the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards.^[14] In September 2014, singer Patricio Arellano published his third album, featuring a duet with Castillo titled "Que duermas conmigo".^[15] On 21 October, it was announced that Castillo was cast in the telenovela Tierra de reyes and portrayed the dual role of Alma Gallardo and Verónica Saldívar. She also appeared on ¿Quién es quién?. Meanwhile, she acted in Araceli Álvarez de Sotomayor's Tacones enanos, a Spanish theater play, from 9 December 2015 to 10 January 2016.^[16][17]

Filmography

Film roles

Year	Title	Roles	Notes
2023	La Usurpadora: The Musical	Valeria and Victoria	Lead role

Television roles

Year	Title	Roles	Notes
2010–2011	El fantasma de Elena	Andrea Girón	Recurring role
2011–2013	Grachi	Graciela "Grachi" Alonso	Lead role (seasons 1–3); 205 episodes
2014–2015	Tierra de reyes	Alma Gallardo and Verónica Saldívar	Main role; 135 episodes
2015–2016	¿Quién es quién?	Tania Sierra	Supporting role; 86 episodes
2016	Yo soy Franky	Luz	Recurring role (season 2); 41 episodes
2017	Vikki RPM	Roxana "Rox" Cruz	Main role; 59 episodes
2017	Milagros de Navidad	Marina	Episode: "Un milagro en la cocina"
2018–2024	El Señor de los Cielos	Diana Ahumada[18]	Main role (seasons 6–9)
2018	El Recluso	Linda Morris	Recurring role
2019	Club 57	Amelia	Main role
2021	Malverde: El Santo Patrón	La China Navajas	Main role
2024	Sed de venganza	Fernanda Ríos / Regina Castaño[19]	Lead role

Discography

Albums

Title	Album details
Soñar no Cuesta Nada	Released: 23 April 2013[13] Formats: CD, digital download Label: Warner Music Latina
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination

Year	Award	Category	Nominee/work	Result	Ref.
2005	USA World Showcase	Most Promising – Children Singing Division	Isabella Castillo	Won
2007	South Miami Middle Community School	Magnet Outstanding Performance		Won
2008	Gran Via Award	Best Revelation in a Musical	El diario de Ana Frank – Un canto a la vida	Won
2011	Kids' Choice Awards México	Favorite Character Female in a TV Series	Grachi	Won
	Kids' Choice Awards Argentina	TV Revelation		Nominated
2012	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Latin Artist		Won
	Kids' Choice Awards México	Favorite Actress		Nominated
	Kids' Choice Awards Argentina			Won
	Meus Prêmios Nick			Won
		Favorite TV Character		Won
2013	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Latin Artist		Won
	Kids' Choice Awards México	Favorite Actress		Nominated	[20][21]
		Favorite Latin Soloist	Isabella Castillo	Nominated
	Kids' Choice Awards Argentina	Favorite Latin Group or Soloist		Won	[22]
	Premios TKM	Female Singer TKM		Nominated	[23][24]
		CD TKM	Soñar no Cuesta Nada	Nominated
		Song TKM	Esta canción	Nominated
2017	Kids' Choice Awards Colombia	Favorite Villain	Yo soy Franky	Won

References

1. "Isabella Castillo: con sólo 15 años hace fenomenal debut en 'El Fantasma de Elena'" [Isabella Castillo: only 15, phenomenal debut in 'El Fantasma de Elena' (Elena's ghost)] (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 May 2012.
2. "Isabella Castillo hizo Baby Shower sorpresa para su hermana" [Isabella Castillo did a Baby Shower surprise for her sister] (in Spanish). 13 April 2011. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
3. "About Isabella". Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
4. "XL Semanal Magazine – Así fue el día mas largo" [XL Semanal Magazine – That was the longest day] (PDF) (in Spanish). 6 April 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2012.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
5. "Entrevista a Isabella Castillo, la voz de Ana Frank" [Interview with Isabella Castillo, Anne Frank's voice] (in Spanish). 1 August 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
6. "Grachi: Isabella Castillo es Grachi (Fotos y Videos)" [Grachi: Isabella Castillo is Grachi (photos and videos)] (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
7. "Isabella Castillo protagonizará "Grachi"" [Isabella Castillo will star in "Grachi"] (in Spanish). 30 December 2010. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
8. "GRACHI nueva serie de Nickelodeon" [GRACHI new Nickelodeon series] (in Spanish). 26 April 2011. Archived from the original on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
9. "Estreno de Grachi Segunda temporada 27 de febrero" [Grachi second season premiere on 27 February] (in Spanish). 24 February 2012. Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
10. "Isabella Castillo gana un Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award México (VIDEO) (FOTOS)" [Isabella Castillo wins a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award México (VIDEOS) (PHOTOS)] (in Spanish). 7 September 2011. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
11. "Isabella Castillo Wins Nobel Kids' Choice Award for Nickelodeon Latin America's "Grachi"". 16 April 2012. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
12. "Isabella Castillo Firma Contrato Con Warner Music" [Isabella Castillo signs contract with Warner Music] (in Spanish). 21 February 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
13. "ISABELLA CASTILLO DE "GRACHI", LANZA SU PRIMER ALBUM "SOÑAR NO CUESTA NADA"" [Isabella Castillo from "Grachi" launches her first album "Soñar no cuesta nada"] (in Spanish). 1 April 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
14. "Tiempo de votar y esperar el show" [Time to vote and wait for the show] (in Spanish). 23 February 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
15. "PATO ARELLANO EN EL VELMA – ADELANTO" (in Spanish). 26 August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
16. "Micro Theater Miami – Portfolio". Retrieved 24 December 2015.
17. "Calendario de Artes Escénicas". 16 December 2015. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
18. "Ninel Conde y otras 5 actrices que se integran a la sexta temporada de El señor de los cielos" [Ninel Conde and other 5 actresses whom join El Senor de los Cielos sixth season] (in Spanish). 30 April 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
19. Salazar, Soreny (3 June 2024). "Así es el personaje de Isabella Castillo en Sed de Venganza: "Es muy misterioso y muy complicado"". vidamoderna.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
20. "Conoce a los nominados para los Kids' Choice Awards México 2013" [Know the nominees for Kids' Choice Awards México 2013] (in Spanish). 8 July 2013. Archived from the original on 9 July 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
21. "Lista de ganadores de los Kids' Choice Awards México 2013" [List of winners of Kids' Choice Awards México 2013] (in Spanish). 31 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
22. "Dieron a conocer los nominados a los "Kids' Choice Awards Argentina 2013"" [Get to know the nominees for "Kids' Choice Awards Argentina 2013"] (in Spanish). 6 September 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
23. "Conocé los nominados finales de los #PremiosTKM" [Know the final nominees for #PremiosTKM] (in Spanish). 21 December 2013. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
24. "Conocé los ganadores de los #PremiosTKM" [Know the winner of #PremiosTKM] (in Spanish). 30 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.

External links

• Official website (in Spanish and English)
• Isabella Castillo at IMDb