TELENOVELA SUPERSTARS WILLIAM LEVY AND MAITE PERRONI TO HOST THE 25TH HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS

 Culture   Tue, June 28, 2011 12:29 PM
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Washington, DC – The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) announced today that superstars William Levy and Maite Perroni, Mexican telenovelas’ sweethearts will host the 25th Hispanic Heritage Awards; the annual celebration of Hispanic excellence and premier event of Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. William Levy, a Cuban-born actor, and Maite Perroni, a Mexican actress and singer, have agreed to jointly host the awards show which will take place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C, on September 15, 2011. 

 

The Hispanic Heritage Awards (HHAs) were established in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan and the White House as the official celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which spans from September 15th to October 15th.   Over the last 25 years, the HHAs have grown into one of the most prestigious awards in the United States, honoring Hispanic excellence, leadership, and accomplishments in the fields of Arts, Education, Leadership, Vision, Business, Math & Science, Sports and Legend. The contributions of these individuals have inspired, empowered ad improved the lives of Hispanics in the United States and the world. 

 

“We are delighted and honored that William Levy and Maite Perroni -the most popular and beloved telenovela stars of the moment- have agreed to join us as we celebrate Hispanic excellence and accomplishments.  As embodiments of excellence and accomplishments, both William and Maite have overcome obstacles to achieve great success, while always serving as an inspirational figures, which make them the perfect hosts for this year’s quarter of century celebration,” said María-Esmeralda Paguaga, Executive Producer of the Hispanic Heritage Awards (HHAs).

Paguaga said that the HHAs honorees would be announced soon. The Foundation already has an impressive list of Hispanic leaders nominated in various categories such as arts, vision, science and mathematics, education, leadership, sports and legend. “All of these categories emphasize the quality, breadth, diversity and importance of the contributions of Hispanic Americans, not just in the United States but also worldwide – moving beyond borders and overcoming language barriers,” said Paguaga.

 

Former honorees of the Hispanic Heritage Awards have included prominent Hispanics, such as Celia Cruz, Oscar de la Renta, Isabel Allende, Carlos Gutierrez, Dolores Huerta, Ellen Ochoa, Ricky Martin, Placido Domingo, Gloria and Emilo Estefan, Jose Feliciano, Tito Puente, Oscar de la Hoya, Cong. Luis V. Gutierrez, Andy Garcia, Edward James Olmos, Mana, Juan Marichal, Cristina Saralegui, Juan Luis Guerra, Alejandro Sanz, Don Francisco, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, and even Dora the Explorer!

 

The hosts, Levy and Perroni, currently are the stars of the top-rated Mexican telenovela Triunfo del Amor, which first aired last October. The couple had already played the lead characters in the also popular 2008 telenovela entitled Cuidado con el Ángel, which was first broadcasted in Mexico and began airing in the United States in September 2008 on Univision. It averaged 45.7 million viewers per evening. 

 

William Levy Gutierrez was born in Cuba in 1980 and migrated to Miami, Florida, at age 14. He studied business administration on a baseball scholarship, but eventually went into acting and worked as a model.  Since 2005, Levy has started and participated in seven telenovelas.  Levy has won four acting awards and Spanish-language magazines (including People en Español) have listed him several times as  the “most beautiful” and “most sexy” man.   He also stars as Jennifer Lopez’s love interest in her latest music video I’m Into You from her album Love?, launching worldwide on May 2, 2011. 

 

Maite Perroni Beorlegui was born in Mexico City in 1983. In addition to being an actress, she is also a singer-songwriter and gained international fame as a member of the pop group RBD (Rebelde).   She has won several recognitions among them a Premios TVyNovelas, “Best Young Actress in a Leading Role” for her performance in Cuidado con el Angel.   In 2009 and 2010, she topped Los 50 Más Bellos (50 Most Beautiful) list from People en Español. In 2010, her fans and Univision Networks named Perroni as the new “Queen of  Telenovelas.”

 

About The Hispanic Heritage Foundation:

Established by the White House in 1987, the Hispanic Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit leadership organization that inspires, identifies, prepares and positions Hispanic leaders in the classroom, community and workforce, though its year-round programs:  The Youth Awards, LOFT (Latinos on Fast Track) and the Hispanic Heritage Awards.     

 

For additional information, please visit www.HispanicHeritage.org

CONTACT:
Sponsorship Contact:
William Mecklenburg
(305) 586-4433
william@hispanicheritage.org

Media Contact:
JuanCarlos Paguaga
(202) 262-8866
juancarlos@hispanicheritage.org

Organization Contact:
(202) 861-9797
hha@hispanicheritage.org
 
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