Dayanara Torres

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Torres and the second or maternal family name is Delgado.
Dayanara Torres
Torres in 2011
Born
Dayanara Torres Delgado

(1974-10-28) October 28, 1974 (age 50)
Toa Alta, Puerto Rico
Occupation(s)Actress, singer, model, writer
Height173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2000; div. 2004)​
Children2
Beauty pageant titleholder
Title
Hair colorDark Brown
Eye colorBlue
Major
competition(s)

Dayanara Torres Delgado (born October 28, 1974) is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, model, and beauty queen who won Miss Universe 1993.[1]

Torres was discovered at age 17 while walking through the Plaza de Toa Alta in her hometown, and was invited to represent Toa Alta in the annual Miss Puerto Rico pageant. She won the pageant and the right to represent Puerto Rico in the 1993 Miss Universe pageant.[2] In 1992, she participated in the Miss International pageant and became a semi-finalist. The same year, she earned second place at the Queen of the World contest.

Torres won the crown in the Miss Universe pageant held in Mexico in May 1993. Torres's victory in the pageant caused some controversy because of the claim that she was still a minor;[3][4] however, Torres had turned 18 several months before the contest. Her victory also raised some eyebrows,[citation needed] as she did not top any of the pageant's segments. When Torres returned home to Puerto Rico, she was received with a parade.

During and after her reign as Miss Universe, she became an ambassador for UNICEF, traveling through Asia and Latin America in support of the organization. She created the Dayanara Torres Foundation which has provided scholarships to poor students in Puerto Rico and the Philippines.[5] In 1994, she went to Manila to crown the new Miss Universe and during the ceremony, she sang "A Whole New World" as a duet with Peabo Bryson.[6]

  1. ^ Mitchell, Barbara. "Dayanara Torres, Miss Universe 1993 – The Latinx Almanac". Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  2. ^ Torres, Dayanara; Torres-Alvarez, Jeannette (2008-06-03). Married to Me: How Committing to Myself Led to Triumph After Divorce. Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 75–. ISBN 9781440633263. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  3. ^ "Dayanara Torres". Bellazon. 9 November 2005. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  4. ^ "The Reliable Source". The Washington Post. 1993-05-26. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  5. ^ "Dayanara Torres | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  6. ^ "Former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres Reveals She Beat Cancer". When In Manila. 2020-04-09. Retrieved 2020-05-01.