María Conchita Alonso, born Maríá Concepción Alonso Bustillo on June 29, 1955, in Cienfuegos, Cuba, is a Cuban-American actress, singer, and former beauty queen. Her family moved to Venezuela when she was five years old, and she was crowned Miss Teenager World in 1971.

She later became the first runner-up in the Miss Venezuela 1975 competition and placed in the top seven of the Miss World pageant the same year. Her early life was marked by her passion for the arts, and she began her career as a model and actress in Venezuela.

Her music career took off with the release of her first gold album and number one song "Love Maniac" in 1979, under the name Ambar. She gained international fame with her Spanish-language song "Vamos a Bailar," written for the soundtrack of the film "Scarface". Her second album, "María Conchita," released in 1984, established her as an international singing star in the Spanish-speaking market and earned her three Grammy Award nominations.

María Conchita Alonso made her Hollywood film debut in "Moscow on the Hudson" (1984) alongside Robin Williams. She went on to star in several notable films, including "The Running Man" (1987), "Colors" (1988), and "Predator 2" (1990). She was the first Latin American actress not born in the United States to star in a Broadway musical, "Kiss of the Spider Woman," in 1995.

She has received several gold and platinum records and has been nominated for multiple awards. She was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award as Best Leading Actress in 1996 for her role in "Caught". She is also known for her activism, particularly in support of LGBTQ rights. She became a U.S. citizen in 2007 and continues to be an influential figure in the entertainment industry.