Amelia Vega Polanco[2] (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈmelja ˈβeɣa]; born 7 November 1984) is a Dominican actress, model, author, singer and beauty queen. At the age of 18, she won the Miss Universe 2003 pageant, becoming the first ever Miss Universe from the Dominican Republic, as well as the youngest winner since 1994.[3]

Amelia Patricia Vega Polanco
Vega in 2010
Born
Amelia Patricia Vega Polanco

(1984-11-07) 7 November 1984 (age 39)
Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
Occupations
  • Model
  • actress
  • author
  • singer
Height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Spouse
(m. 2011)
Children5
Beauty pageant titleholder
TitleMiss Santiago 2002
Miss Dominican Republic 2002
Miss Universe 2003
Hair colorBrown
Eye colorBrown
Major
competition(s)
Miss Dominican Republic 2002
(Winner)
Miss Universe 2003
(Winner)
Websitewww.ameliavega.com

Miss Universe

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Amelia Vega

After winning the Miss Dominican Republic title, Vega represented the Dominican Republic in the Miss Universe 2003 pageant held in Panama City on 3 June 2003. She became the first delegate from this country to win the title.[4][5] At the time she was the youngest woman since 1994 to win Miss Universe and, as of 2023, is the tallest winner, standing at 6'2".[3]

Music

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After recording her first demo at 15 years old and starting her artistic career in musicals in her hometown at the same age, Amelia's first single "Pasa Un Segundito" was released by iTunes on 26 April 2010.[citation needed] It became a top Latin song in just two days. A couple months later, she released an environmental song, "Smog". She announced on her Twitter account that her complete album Agua Dulce would be released on 30 August 2011, first on iTunes. She began promoting her music in Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Panama, Dominican Republic "where she opened the concert for Marc Anthony and Chayanne in front of a crowd of 50,000 people".[6][7]

Personal life

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On 24 December 2011, Vega married Dominican NBA player Al Horford, after two years of dating.[8] They have five children together.[9]

Vega is niece-in-law of the Grammy Award–winning singer Juan Luis Guerra. She attended and graduated from Barbizon Modeling and Acting School in Santo Domingo.[10]

Vega is the sixth generation of women in her family who bears Amelia either as their first name or middle name.[11]

Vega's parents are second cousins-twice removed and both are descended from brothers José Nicolás Vega y Pichardo and José Rafael Vega y Pichardo. [nb 1]

Filmography

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  • Capitán Avispa (2024) .... Amelia Vega as (Polibya Néctar)
  • Homie Spumoni (2006) .... Amelia Vega as (Chanice)
  • The Lost City (2005) .... Minerva Eros

Books

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In 2019, Amelia Vega published her first children's book, titled Un día en la vida de Pichín, in support of children with cancer.[12]

Notes

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  1. ^ The Vega brothers were sons of José Rafael Vega y Bravo, an upper-class white Cuban with distant royal descent, and Margarita Pichardo y Contreras, of white Dominican origin and whose family belonged to la crème de la crème of the Santiago de los Caballeros's elite (her family settled in Cuba fleeing the 1805 massacre of Dominicans by the Haitian army ordered and commanded by Jean-Jacques Dessalines).[11]


References

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  1. ^ "From the oldest to the tallest winners and backstage sabotage: 11 winning facts about Miss Universe". Channel 24. 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Amelia Vega Horford (@ameliavega) • Fotos y vídeos de Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017. Amelia Vega Horford: My life is imperfectly perfect! Thank you GOD for today! 🙌🏼Ean + Alia's mom Singer – Miss Universe 03. Married to @al_horford
  3. ^ a b Miss Dominican Republic was crowned Miss Universe 2003. pageant.com (3 June 2003)
  4. ^ Amelia Vega Biography Archived 2 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "EL UNIVERSO : Noticias del Ecuador y del mundo". Especiales.eluniverso.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  6. ^ "iTunes Music – Pasa un Segundito – Single by Amelia Vega". iTunes Store. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  7. ^ "iTunes Music – Smog – Single by Amelia Vega". iTunes Store. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  8. ^ "Amelia Vega se casa con Al Horford – Hoy Digital". Hoy.com.do. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  9. ^ "Amelia Vega and Ai [sic] Horford Announce Fifth Baby". Telemundo. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Barbizon Modeling and Acting School Alumni". barbizonmodeling.com.
  11. ^ a b Larrazábal Blanco, Carlos. Familias Dominicanas (in Spanish). Santo Domingo: Academia Dominicana de la Historia.
  12. ^ Libre, Diario (31 October 2019). "Amelia Vega firmará su primer libro infantil: "Un día en la vida de Pichín" a favor de los niños con cáncer". Diario Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2024.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Miss Universe
2003
Succeeded by
Preceded by Miss Dominican Republic
2003
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Isaura Montás
Miss Santiago
2003
Succeeded by
Pamela Sued