Greidys Zaldívar (née: Greidys Gil Nimo; born November 18, 1980, in
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.reality show/beauty contest Nuestra Belleza Latina. After weeks of competition and eliminations, Gil won the grand prize of $200,000 and a contract with Univision and earned the title of Nuestra Belleza Latina 2009. She won the challenge of the "50 Mas Bellos" and formed part of the ''50 Mas Bellos of the People en Espanol'' magazine.
Early life
Greidys Gil was born in Havana, Cuba, on November 18, 1980. She was raised in the town of San Antonio de Las Vegas by her mother Kenya Nimo and her grandmother Blanca Rosa Piñero. Her father, Esnel Gil, emigrated to the United States in 1980 during the Mariel exodus without having the opportunity to return to Cuba or to meet Greidys until 14 years later.
Kenya and Esnel remarried other partners and had other children. Gil has mentioned that for her there are no half brothers or sisters, "Jackeline Gil and Yendry Mendez are my siblings even if we are not from the same father or mother."
From a very young age, Gil always had an inclination for the arts and complemented her studies with singing lessons, dance, fine arts and theatre. For several years, she practiced rhythmic gymnastics and musical aerobics and her teachers thought of her as multifaceted. At 14-years-old, she was diagnosed with
Nephrotic Syndrome
Nephrotic syndrome is a collection of symptoms due to kidney damage. This includes proteinuria, protein in the urine, hypoalbuminemia, low blood albumin levels, hyperlipidemia, high blood lipids, and significant edema, swelling. Other symptoms ...
, which caused her to interrupt her studies for one year and kept her from continuing her art education. She later went back to school but this time she enrolled at the University of Jose Antonio Echevarria where she graduated with a degree in industrial engineering.
In 2005, Gil decided to leave Cuba and emigrate to the United States looking for better opportunities and pursue new interests. She was quoted with saying, "I came to the United States with nothing but a bag full of dreams". In 2011, she was able to bring her mother from Cuba, and in 2014, she was able to bring her brother.
Career
Gil's first experience of fame and recognition came via the ''Nuestra Belleza Latina Show'', a hit beauty pageant reality show on the Univision Network. She was the chosen winner of the show's third season. She was also selected as one of the top most beautiful people by the ''Magazine People en Español''. She has been called the international beauty queen Cuba has longed for in the past 50 years by her fans and admirers in Cuba due to the absence of any type of international beauty pageants on the Island country.
From 2009 to 2011, Gil was awarded an exclusive contract with Univision, representing the Network in all of its events in and out of the United States and worked as jury, reporter or co-host. She was invited co-host in the popular morning radio show at Amor93.1 of the SBS Network, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
In 2010, she made her acting debut on
Univision
Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the L ...
's first
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...
, ''Eva Luna''. She then went on to play the roles of Tamara in ''Corazon Valiente'', Silvia Villalobos in ''Rosario'', and Karla in ''Marido en Alquiler''.
Endorsements & Commercials
Gil has featured in the commercials of various companies, such as,
Maybelline
Maybelline New York (formerly The Maybelline Company and Mabelline and Co.), trading as and commonly known as simply Maybelline ( ), is an American multinational cosmetics, skin care, perfume, and personal care company, based in New York City. ...
,
Garnier Fructis
Garnier () is a mass market cosmetics brand owned by the French company L'Oréal. Garnier produces hair care and skin care products.
Launch
''Laboratoires Garnier'' was founded in France in 1904 by Alfred Amour Garnier. The company's first pr ...
,
State Farm Insurance
State Farm Insurance is a group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Founded in 1922, it is the largest property, casualty and auto insurance provider in the United ...
,
AT&T
AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...
Gil is active in several non-profit community organizations such as
Amigos For Kids
Amigos Together For Kids (DBA: Amigos For Kids) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded in 1991 dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect by valuing children, strengthening families and educating communities. The group was founded by ...
, Go red de corazón, Family Builders USA foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation and several other benefits. Currently planning an organization to help children with renal deficiencies and more specific Nephrotic Syndrome.
In 2009 she was recognized as a Hispanic Woman of Distinction.
In 2012, she was recognized in Exponica Internacional, Feria de las Americas XXII Aniversario, for her artistic capabilities as well as support and participation in the Hispanic community.
In 2014, she became engaged to her longtime boyfriend Luis Zaldivar where they currently reside in Miami. The two married in January 2015 in the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
.Ya se Caso Greidys Gil fotos /ref> On February 10, 2016, the couple welcomed their first child, a son, Lucan Mílan. In 2018 they welcomed a daughter Grace.
Filmography
Telenovelas
* 2010: '' Eva Luna'' as Claudia Jimena ( Venevision & Univision)
* 2012: ''
Corazón Valiente
Corazón (Spanish "heart") may refer to:
Film and TV
* ''Corazón'' (film), a 1947 Argentine film
* Corazon, an episode from season 6, of ''Criminal Minds''
* Corazon, the alias of a minor character in the manga series One Piece
Music Albums
* ...
'' as Tamara (Telemundo)
* 2012: ''
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...
'' as Silvia (Venevision & Univision)
* 2013: ''
Marido en Alquiler
''Marido en alquiler'' is an American telenovela premiered on Telemundo on July 10, 2013, and concluded on January 13, 2014. The telenovela is created by the Venezuelan author Perla Farías, based on the Brazilian drama written by Aguinaldo Si ...
'' as Karla (Telemundo)
Television programs
* ''Miss Venezuela'' as jury
* ''Reina Hispanoamericana'' as jury
* ''El Gordo y la Flaca show'' as reporter and co-host
* ''Nuestra Belleza Latina'' as co-host (4th season)
* ''Parade of Roses in Pasadena'' as co-host
* ''Don Francisco'' as invited artist
* ''Sabado Gigante'' (Galavision) as co-host
* ''Tardes Calientes'' (Univision Radio) as co-host