Ana Isabel Alonso Gómez (born 11 November 1964 in
Barakaldo,
Biscay,
Spain), better known as Anabel Alonso, is a Spanish actress and comedian who has appeared in theatre plays, movies and television shows, including the popular sitcom 7 Vidas and the animated film Finding Nemo (as the voice of Dory).[1] She also hosted several different television programs.
Main roles
Her best known role is arguably playing Diana Freire in the popular Spanish
sitcom7 Vidas, loosely based on the
American sitcom
Friends. In it, she played a naive second-rate actress that as time passes comes to realize her
lesbianism. The portrayal of a lesbian character going against conventional
stereotypes in
prime time television led to Alonso becoming a
gay icon.[2] As 7 Vidas was a show known for introducing current (mostly Spanish-related, but not exclusively) topics in a comedy key, the character of Diana dealt with issues such as
same-sex marriage or
adoption by same-sex couples (including a powerful speech in one episode against people who reject gay adoption). Diana came across as a funny, klutzy, very sexual character, and was one of the longest-standing characters of the show.[3]
Another well-known role of Alonso is her successful portrayal of the fish
Dory in the European Spanish-language version of the movie Finding Nemo,[4] for which she received rave reviews.[5] She reprised her role in Finding Dory (2016).[6]
Her father died on 28 February 2015 at the age of 89 while she was working on El Eunuco.[7] In 2018 she replaced
Silvia Abril during season 3 episode 14 in the TV program Cero en Historia.[8]