La usurpadora

La usurpadora
Genre	Telenovela Romance
Format	Serial drama
Created by	Inés Rodena
Written by	Inés Rodena Carlos Romero Dolores Ortega
Directed by	Beatriz Sheridan Nathalie Lartilleux
Starring	Gabriela Spanic Fernando Colunga Libertad Lamarque Chantal Andere Alejandro Ruiz Adriana Fonseca Dominika Paleta
Opening theme	La Usurpadora By Pandora
Ending theme	La Usurpadora By Pandora
Country of origin	Mexico
Language(s)	Spanish
No. of episodes	102
Production
Producer(s)	Salvador Mejía
Location(s)	Mexico
Cinematography	Jesus Najera Jesus Acuna Lee Alejandro Frutos Ernesto Arreola Manuel Barajas
Running time	46 minutes
Production company(s)	Televisa
Distributor	Televisa
Broadcast
Original channel	Canal de las Estrellas
Original run	February 9, 1998 – July 24, 1998
Chronology
Preceded by	María Isabel and Huracán
Followed by	El Privilegio de Amar
External links
[www.esmas.com Website]

La Usurpadora (The Usurper) is a Mexican romantic drama telenovela produced by Salvador Mejia Alejandre and originally broadcast on Canal de las Estrellas from February 9, 1998 to July 24, 1998. It starred Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga. This was one of the last telenovelas to feature Libertad Lamarque, who here portrayed the character of Abuela Piedad Bracho. The show's premise revolves around a pair of twin sisters who were separated when they were young, and as adults the younger sister is forced to act as a "replacement" for her wealthy twin who wants to temporarily leave her husband and his family to enjoy a life of luxury with multiple lovers.

Synopsis

Paola and Paulina(Gabriela Spanic) are twin sisters who were separated at birth. Paulina is a good young woman who lives in poverty. Paola is the evil sister of the two who is married to a wealthy man named Carlos Daniel Bracho. When the twins cross paths by chance, Paola blackmails Paulina to take Paola's place in the Bracho home while she takes a year-long vacation with her lover. Abandoned by her fiancé Osvaldo and following the death of her sick mother, Paulina submits to Paola's plan. Everyone were so shocked that Paola walked and her idea to be paralyzed is all a lie and her fabrication. Gema and Isabel warned Carlos Daniel that Paola is a not a so loving and sweet dove as he thought she is just a manipulative person who makes miserable to all people surround her even her sister Paulina.

Cast

• Gabriela Spanic as Paulina Martinez / Paola Bracho † - Main heroine (finally married with Carlos Daniel) / Main villain (Ends up comatose in the hospital after the accident finally dies)
• Fernando Colunga as Carlos Daniel Bracho - Main hero, husband of Paola, finally married with Paulina
• Libertad Lamarque as Abuela Piedad Bracho - grandmother of Carlos Daniel
• Chantal Andere as Estefania Bracho - Sister of Carlos Daniel, villain
• Dominika Paleta as Gema Durán Bracho - In love with Carlos Daniel, villain
• Mario Cimarro as Luciano Alcantara - Lover of Paola
• Marcelo Buquet as Rodrigo Bracho - Brother of Carlos Daniel
• Juan Pablo Gamboa as Willy Montero - Husband of Estefania, villain (ends up in jail)
• Paty Díaz as Lalita - Maid at Bracho's house
• Alejandro Ruiz as Leandro Gomez - Worker at Bracho factory
• Giován D'Angelo as Donato D'Angeli - Lover of Paola
• Anastasia as Viviana Carillo - lover of Willy
• Jessica Jurado as Patricia Bracho - Wife of Rodrigo
• Antonio De Carlo as Osvaldo Resendiz
• Magda Guzmán as Fidelina - Abuela Piedad's personal assistant
• María Solares as Lisette Bracho
• Segio Miguel as Carlitos Bracho
• Nuria Bages as Paula Martinez † - Mother of Paola and Paulina
• Ninón Sevilla as Cachita
• María Luisa Alcalá as Filomena
• Tito Guízar as Panchito - Gardener at Bracho's house
• Enrique Lizalde as Alessandro Farini
• Mario Carballido as Amador
• Adriana Fonseca as Veronica Soriano - Secretary of Carlos Daniel
• Jaime Garza as Merino
• Meche Barba as Abigail Rosales
• Renata Flores as Estela - Secretary of Estefania
• Javier Herranz as Dr. Varela
• Arturo Peniche as Lic. Edmundo Serrano - Suitor of Paulina
• Miguel de León as Douglas Maldonado
• Silvia Derbez as Doña Chabela
• Silvia Caos as Cenobia Rojas
• Irán Eory as Lourdes
• René Muñoz as El Mojarras
• Azela Robinson as Elvira- Nurse,Paola's accomplice (dies on the scene of the accident)
• Rafael Amador as Dr. Galicia
• Miguel Córcega as Braulio
• Rebeca Manríquez as La Tamales
• Maricruz Nájera as Emiliana
• Angelina Peláez as Ricarda
• Humberto Elizondo as Silvano Pina
• Andrea García as Celia Alonzo
• Eduardo Luna as Mauricio Artiana
• Sara Montes as Eloina
• Adriana Nieto as Beatrice
• Jessica Salazar as Isabel
• Laura Zapata as Abogado Zoraida Zapata
• Renata Flores as Estela
• Consuelo Duval as Macrina
• Gloria Morell as Zenaida
• María Morena
• Melba Luna as Doña Francisca
• Julio Monterde as Dr. Peraza
• Héctor Alvarez
• Claudia Castillo
• Nayeli Dainzú
• Jesús Lara
• Emiliano Lizárraga as Pedro
• Gabriela Tavela
• Irma Torres as Eulalia
• Fernando Torres Lapham as Dr. Mendive
• Gabriela Carvajal as Adela
• Ricardo Hernandez
• Javier Herranz as Dr. Varela
• Raquel Morell
• Oscar Morelli as Juez Castro
• Adalberto Parra
• Hector Parra as Lic. Juan Manuel Montesinos
• Ester Rinaldi
• Fernando Saenz as Lic. Mayo
• Claudia Vega
• Amara Villafuerte
• Ernesto Arreola
• Manuel Barajas
• Jesus Najera Saro
• Karina Duprez
• Yadhira Carrillo as Raquel/villain, Special Guest at Mas Alla de la Usurpadora

Production

Gabriela Spanic has a twin sister in real life, Daniela Spanic, who is a model. Daniela was approached by the producers of the show to appear in one scene where Paola and Paulina physically fight, as the sequence would have been too difficult to achieve by camera trickery. La Usurpadora was nicknamed in spanish, "The queen of the ratings" while broadcasted for Univision in 2000. Although the mexican telenovela garnered massive ratings, it received no awards from the yearly award shows. La Usurpadora wasn't the first Spanic's soap playing twins, she had already played two identical women in Como Tu, Ninguna but they were non-relative as in La Usurpadora. She played the roles just in the last stage of the story. Gabriela later starred in Televisa's 2001 La Intrusa where she once again took on roles similar to La Usurpadora, except both sisters were good characters.

Sequel

La Usurpadora was followed by a two hour special, Más Alla De La Usurpadora which is set a year after the events of the original telenovela. Again produced by Salvador Mejia Alejandre and directed by Beatriz Sheridan, it starred many familiar cast members, including Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga, and introduced a new character, Raquel, played by Yadhira Carrillo.

Synopsis

Paulina and Carlos Daniel are blissfully happy with their new baby girl, Paulita. Problems arise when Paulina falls ill and consults a doctor who tells her that she has cancer and will die in a few months. Paulina keeps her illness a secret from her family, but asks Raquel, Paulita's caregiver, to marry Carlos Daniel after she dies. Raquel, who has been secretly in love with Carlos Daniel, is delighted. When Paulina lets Abuela Piedad in on her secret, Abuela Piedad insists that her family deserves to know. Paulina has a panic attack, and sees a vision of Paola in a mirror, telling that she will see her in hell for robbing her of her family. When Carlos Daniel learns of her illness, he comforts Paulina and decide to make the best of the time they have remaining together. Raquel cannot wait to take over Paulina's role, so she puts poison in Paulina's wine. Paulina drinks and immediately faints, but Raquel faints as well. Both women are taken to the hospital, where they learn that Paulina is not sick, but is in fact pregnant. However, Raquel has accidentally swallowed the poison; she seeks forgiveness and eventually makes a full recovery. Back at the Bracho home, Carlos Danieland Paulina reveal the happy news to everyone. Overjoyed, the family takes a picture and it says "And they lived happily for the rest of their lives". The credits roll, and the audience cheers.

External links

• La Usurpadora at the Internet Movie Database