Alexandra Braun Waldeck (, born May 19, 1983) is a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

n actress,

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

and

beauty queen A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

who won the

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

edition of

Miss Earth Miss Earth is an annual international major beauty pageant based in the Philippines that advocates for environmental awareness, conservation and social responsibility. Along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss International, it is one ...

, an annual international

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the Physical attractiveness, physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of Per ...

promoting

environmental awareness Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...

. Braun won four international

best actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

awards in various

film festivals A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending up ...

all over the world for her portrayal of the lead role in the movie, "Uma" at the

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

, Monaco International Film Festival, the Milan International Film Festival and the Georgia Latino Film Festival in Atlanta; the film also won recognition in the "Film of the World" category at the International Film Festival of India and won best foreign film at the

Burbank International Film Festival The Burbank International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held since 2009 in Burbank, California, United States. It was founded by Val Tonione, and awards are distributed to filmmakers that have focused on social and environmental i ...

in the United States.

Early life and background

Growing up in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

, Braun graduated

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

Marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to empha ...

and

Advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

. Her family was from Germany but migrated to Venezuela after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Braun competed in the 2005

Miss Venezuela Miss Venezuela (Spanish: ''Organización Miss Venezuela'') is the national beauty pageant of Venezuela, traditionally held in September. It is preceded by two or three months of preliminary events, with the awarding of corporate prizes. The fi ...

pageant, and represented

Nueva Esparta The Nueva Esparta State (in Spanish: ''Estado Nueva Esparta'', ), is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. It comprises Margarita Island, Coche, and the largely uninhabited Cubagua. The state has the smallest area, and is located off the nort ...

where she placed first runner-up; she was then selected by Sambil Model Caracas to represent Venezuela at

held in

Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

. She was crowned

Miss Earth 2005 Miss Earth 2005, the 5th edition of the Miss Earth pageant, was held on October 23, 2005, in Quezon City, Philippines. A total of 80 candidates from around the globe took part in the event. At the conclusion of the pageant, Alexandra Braun of ...

on October 23, 2005, where eighty contestants from all over the world took part in the competition. Braun also won the Best in Swimsuit. She was the first Venezuelan to win the competition. Her win made Venezuela the second country after

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

to win all of the "Big Four" pageants. Braun crowned her successor,

Hil Hernández Hil Yesenia Hernández Escobar (born 1 December 1984) is a Chilean journalist, model, environmentalist, and beauty queen who won Miss Earth 2006 pageant becoming the first Chilean to win the coveted crown. Personal life Hernández was born in ...

, during the 2006 Miss Earth pageant finale on November 26, 2006, held at the

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numbe ...

in Manila, Philippines. Her Miss Earth Venezuela successor,

Marianne Puglia Marianne Pasqualina Puglia Martinez is a Venezuelan actress, model and beauty queen. She won Miss Earth - Fire title in 2006. Pageantry & Modelling At the age of 20, she won Miss Aragua 2005 title and participated in Miss Venezuela 2005 contest ...

, was crowned Miss Earth Fire, the equivalent of 3rd runner up. She now has a career as an actress in Venezuela.

Miss Earth reign

During her Miss Earth reign, she met the

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...

at the Malacañan Palace, which she considered as one of her most memorable experiences. Upon her return to Venezuela after winning the Miss Earth competition, Braun immediately spearheaded a

reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands ( forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A debat ...

program in Caracas,

Maracaibo ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...

and

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

with the help of Sambil Organization, the franchise holder of

Miss Earth Venezuela Miss Earth Venezuela is an annual beauty pageant in Venezuela. The winner of Miss Earth Venezuela obtains the right to represent the country in the Miss Earth pageant, an annual international major beauty pageant that advocates for environmenta ...

contest. It was followed by the launching of the SAMI Tree Program, a fund-raising activity that educates children on the importance of protecting trees to save the environment. In April 2006, she travelled to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, together with the

Miss Earth Foundation Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or " Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, i ...

to co-host the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...

UNEP The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...

gala event, The

Champions of the Earth The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established Champions of the Earth in 2005 as an annual awards programme to recognize outstanding environmental leaders from the public and private sectors, and from civil society. Award details T ...

, an annual awards programme to recognize outstanding environmental leaders at a policy level. She co-hosted the awarding ceremony on April 21, 2006, with Eric Falt, UNEP Director of Communications and Public Information. As Miss Earth winner, Braun travelled the world to participate and promote environmental awareness programs with the Philippine-based Miss Earth Foundation. She also visited several countries including

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and

Life after Miss Earth

Braun's victory in Miss Earth 2005 has made her a household name in Venezuela and different parts of the world specially in modeling business. She started in a new stage of her life when she announced the launching of her own accessories brand name ¨DiBraun Accessories¨ with her twin sister Karina. She has appeared in a variety of magazines right after her reign including Philippine's 'Women's Journal', Variedades, Man, Ocean Drive,

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment *Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim ...

, Urbe, Que Pasa (Chile) and more. Braun is now an established model in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

appearing in numerous television spots, magazines and advertising campaigns in countries such as Philippines,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, Honduras, Costa Rica,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and her home country Venezuela. She started her career as an actress in Venezuela with her first movie directed by Abraham Pulido produced in 2012 and show to public in May 2015, ¨Hasta que la muerte nos separe¨ is about a model who falls in love with a boxer based on the novel Othelo by William Shakespeare. She started to make her first appearance in theatre in the play ¨Boeing Boeing¨ directed by Tullio Cavalli in August 2013. In 2014 she started her first soap opera called ¨Amor Secreto¨ on T.V. Channel VENEVISION, as Alejandra Altamirano as the antagonist of the history. It was launched in May 2015. In 2016 she was called for performing her second teather play called "Cronicas desquiciadas". In 2016 she made her second movie as the lead role in the movie "UMA" directed by Alain Maiki. In January 2017 started her third feather play called "Relatos Borrachos". In May started a new TV project called "Ellas aman, ellos mienten" and also at the same time started a movie project "Blindados" directed by Carlos Malave. In October 2018 she became Member of the ACACV Venezuelan Arts and Science Cinematography Academy

Career background

Beauty contests

Braun competed in the following pageants:

Catalogs

Ambassador non-profit organizations

Filmography

In December 2017, Braun won Best Actress at the Monaco International Film Festival called the ''Angel Film Awards'' for her performance in a love story movie ''Uma,'' which was produced in Italy by the production company Epic In Motion & AMZ along with Natalia Denegri's Trinitus Productions. The movie also won the Best Film, Best Editing, Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor awards. Braun's performance in the movie Uma further earned her best actress awards in the Milan International Film Festival and the Georgia Latino Film Festival in Atlanta. In February 2018, she then won the Best Actress for the fourth time for the movie Uma at the

which is produced by the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

which screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shorts from approximately 50 countries.

References

External links

*
Brief biography and interview

- Latest interview with Miss Earth, Alexandra Braun, on winning the beauty competition and how it has changed her life
Portfolio
Alexandra Braun Waldeck's modeling portfolio {{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Alexandra 1983 births Living people Miss Earth winners Miss Earth 2005 contestants People from Caracas Venezuelan female models Venezuelan television presenters Venezuelan people of German descent Venezuelan beauty pageant winners Venezuelan women television presenters