Leonor Varela was born on December 29, 1972 in Santiago de Chile, Chile, the daughter of 'Leonor Palma' .
She is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Italian.
Formerly engaged to Billy Zane , her co-star from the miniseries "Cleopatra" .
Beat out 35 other actresses to play the title role in "Cleopatra" .
Appeared on the cover of thirteen separate editions of the Maxim magazine, each naming a different North American city as the greatest on Earth.
Daughter of Leonor Palma , a massage therapist, and Francisco Varela , a famous biologist, neuroscientist, and philosopher.
After graduating from the Ecole du Passage and the Conservatoire Superieur de Paris, she was ready for the big screen.
Her family fled to Costa Rica, leaving behind the brutal dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
As a child, she got to see her homeland another time when her family returned to Chile.
Her stay in Chile was brief, and she soon found herself in Germany, then back in Chile, and finally in France in her late teens.
She is of Chilean (including Galician Spanish) ancestry. On her mothers side, she is also said to have some French, Hungarian, Syrian, and German roots.
She lived in Paris from the age of 14.
Has 3 siblings, Alejandra, Javier and Gabriel.
Was featured as #11 in Maxim Magazines "Hot 100 of 2002" supplement.
Has actively participated in various ecological causes like "Save the Whales Again!".
Has been a vegetarian since the age of 12.
Her favorite actresses are Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett.
Has a French bulldog called Monroe, or simply Mo.
Ranked #69 in FHMs "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" special supplement.
Friend of the Mexican director Guillermo del Toro.
Her favorite place in California is Carbon Beach, Malibu.
Member of NGOs for the conservation of the environment like WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), Global Green USA, Oceana (Osean Conservation Group) and Centro Ballena Azl (Chile).
Support the candidates campaign of Chilean president Michelle Bachelet.
One of her favorite writers is Milan Kundera.
Her maternal grandfather Daniel Palma Robledo (born in the north of Chile in October 1915), a former Communist Party member until 1951, was kidnapped by DINA, Pinochets political police, on August 4, 1976, and to this day is a missing person.
(June 2008) Led huge Anti-whaling Rally on the Eve of the 2008 Meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Santiago, Chile.
(January 2009) Filming a documentary about Aysn and its natural beauty in Chile.
Has been in a relationship with Lucas Akoskin since 2011. They have 2 children together.
Gave birth to her 1st child at age 39, a son named Matteo Akoskin on November 20, 2012. Childs father is her boyfriend [now husband], Lucas Akoskin.
Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 42, a daughter named Luna Akoskin on February 25, 2015. Childs father is her husband, Lucas Akoskin.
