La Veneno | |
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Born | Adra, Almería, Spain | 19 March 1964
Died | 9 November 2016 Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain | (aged 52)
Monuments | Honor plaque at Parque del Oeste |
Other names | Cristina La Veneno, Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1996–2016 |
Known for | Esta noche cruzamos el Mississippi |
Notable work | ¡Digo! Ni puta ni santa. Las memorias de La Veneno |
Cristina Ortiz Rodríguez (19 March 1964 – 9 November 2016), better known as La Veneno ('The Poison'), was a Spanish singer, actress, sex worker, and media personality. Considered one of the more important and beloved LGBT icons in Spain since her death, she rose to fame in 1996 after being discovered in the park where she worked as a sex worker by Faela Sainz, a reporter for the late-night talk show Esta noche cruzamos el Mississippi, broadcast on Telecinco from 1995 to 1997 and hosted by the journalist Pepe Navarro. She later appeared regularly on the show as well as on La sonrisa del pelícano.
Distinguished for her spectacular appearance and profane humor, La Veneno was one of the early transgender women to become widely known in Spain, and she has been recognised as a pioneering trans icon.[1] In 2020, a critically acclaimed series produced by Atresmedia following her life became a hit show in Spain.