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María Clara Alonso (born February 2, 1990 in Rosario, Argentina) is an Argentine actress, singer, and television hostess. She debuted as an actress in the 2007 Argentine remake of High School Musical. Since 2007, she has acted in various Disney Channel programs in Latin America. She currently plays "Angie" in the Disney Channel Latin America Series Violetta.[1]
Early life[]
Maria Clara Alonso was born on February 2, 1990 in Rosario, Argentina. Her mother is a pediatrician and pulmonary specialist and her father is an engineer. She is the oldest child and has two younger brothers named Agustín and Ignacio. At 2, she moved to Capitán Bermúdez, a smaller city located outside of Rosario. She and her family moved to Buenos Aires when she was eight years old.
As a child, she practiced gymnastics, swimming, and dance. Clara played field hockey and volleyball. She attended primary school at Cayetano Errico in Capitán Bermúdez and later graduated high school from Instituto Inmaculada de Castelar in Buenos Aires.
At 8, she quit field hockey and asked her parents to enroll her in musical comedy classes at "Broadway Street", an acting school in Haedo, Buenos Aires. She received lessons in tap, acting, and clown while attending. In addition, she participated in several plays such as Alice in Wonderland at the Astral theater.[2]
Acting career[]
Early career:2007-2009[]
After completing high school, Alonso decided to pursue acting full-time. One month later, she attended castings for High School Musical: La Selección.[3] Alonso was one of the twenty people selected to participate in the musical reality competition. It was broadcast on Channel 13 and Disney Channel in Argentina. She was eliminated in the tenth week,[4] but was later called back to be a member of a concert tour throughout Argentina. Subsequently, she was also cast in her first acting role as "Clari" in the Argentine film version of High School Musical.
During a tour stop in La Rioja, Argentina for the film's concert, she attracted the attention of Disney Channel Latin America producers who cast her as a hostess in "Zapping Zone", a youth-targeted celebrity entertainment show for Argentina. She hosted the program alongside Daniel Martins and Carolina Ibarra. Due to the show's success, it began airing in other countries throughout South America.
From April 27 to May 2, 2008, she traveled to Orlando, Florida to participate in the Disney Channel Games 2008. In Latin America, the program aired from September 5 to October 3. She was part of the green team called "The Cyclones", alongside several international Disney stars such as Jason Dolley, Jennifer Stone, Chelsea Staub, Joe Jonas, Brad Kavanagh, Dylan Sprouse and team captain David Henrie. Her team finished in third place with 55 points.
On October 21, 2008, during a taping of "Zapping Zone", Alonso premiered her debut single "A mi alrededor" with the collaboration of Sophie Oliver Sanchéz. A music video was also filmed and aired throughout Latin America on Disney Channel. This was her first solo single for Walt Disney Records' label.
2010-2011[]
In 2010, she starred in the Disney Channel mini-series Highway: Rodando la Aventura which is the fourth original production of Disney Channel Latin America. The series tells the story of a group of eight friends in a motorhome traveling throughout Latin America. Alonso played a young perfectionist, who was obsessed with cleanliness and order.[5]
That same year she began working as a voice-over actress on the Spanish-language version of the Disney Channel series Pecezuelos.[6]
In August 2010, she traveled to São Paulo, Brazil to shoot a two-part episode for the Disney Channel series "Cuando toca la campana", which is based on the original US version, As the Bell Rings. She played Jennifer, a new student in the final days of the school year. The first part of the episode aired on Disney Channel on December 1, 2011, while the second part of the episode was aired on December 8, 2011.
After spending more than four years on "Zapping Zone", Alonso announced her departure from the show on August 12, 2011.
2012 to present[]
In March 2012, she appeared in an episode in the Disney XD series Latin America show, "Peter Punk", where she played "Piranha", a very determined teenage punk.
In 2012, she was cast as "Angie", the estranged aunt and music teacher of the title character, in the tween musical Disney Channel seriesVioletta.[7] Alonso also lent her vocals to several recordings featured on the series first and second seasons. Filming for both seasons occurred in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The show was also filmed additional scenes in Madrid, Spain for the second season.
In February 2014, Alonso began rehearsals for the musical theatre production, Groupie in Buenos Aires. The play is based on Beatles songs and their cultural and social impact in Buenos Aires in 1963. It premiered at The Cavern in Buenos Aires on June 4, 2014.[8][9] Alonso played "Sandra" in the production.
On March 21, 2014, Alonso confirmed with fans via her official Twitter account that she would continue playing "Angie" for the third season ofVioletta.[10]
During March and April 2014, she traveled to Milan, Italy to film, Angie e le ricette di Violetta ("Angie and Violetta's recipes" in English), a special cooking v-log mini-series based on Violetta. In the series, Angie briefly travels to Italy to improve her cooking skills with help via video-chatting from a friend, Olga. The role was Alonso's first Italian-speaking part. The series is expected to have 20 episodes. After filming the mini-series, Alonso returned to Argentina to work on the third and final season of Violetta, which premiered on July 28, 2014.[11][12] The series will air on June 9, 2014 on the Disney Channel in Italy.
Personal life[]
At 19, she moved from Castelar to Belgrano, a neighborhood in the northern Buenos Aires, to further pursue her acting career. She speaks some English. In 2013, Alonso began studying Italian in order to begin working in Italy.[3]
Filmography[]
Films[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | High School Musical: El Desafio | Clari | High School Musical Argentine version. Debut role. |
| Tinker Bell | Victoria | Spanish-language voiceover |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | High School Musical: La Selección | Herself/Contestant | Reality show |
| 2007–2011 | Zapping Zone | Herself | Hostess for Disney Channel Latin America |
| 2008 | Disney Channel Games | Herself | The Cyclones/Green Team |
| 2010 | Highway: Rodando la aventura | Clari | Lead role, Disney Channel Latin America |
| 2010 | XXIV Premios Anuales de la Academia | Herself | Television Hostess |
| 2010–2014 | Pecezuelos | Bea (voice) | Spanish-language voiceover |
| 2011 | Cuando toca la campana | Olga Jennifer González | 1 episode, Disney Channel Latin America |
| 2012 | Peter Punk | Yamila ″Piraña″ | 1 episode, Disney XD Latin America |
| 2012–present | Violetta | Angie Carrará | Lead role, Disney Channel Latin America |
| 2014 | Angie e le ricette di Violetta | Angie | Lead role, Debut Italian-speaking role. Violetta spin-off mini-series |
Theatre[]
| Year | Production | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Groupie | Sandra | Musical |
Discography[]
- Singles
- ″A mi alrededor″
- Soundtracks albums
- 2010: Highway: Rodando la aventura
- Promotional singles
- ″¡Ven ya!″
- ″Amigas por siempre″
- ″La voz″