María Victoria Eugenia Guadalupe Martínez del Río Moreno-Ruffo, born on May 31, 1962, is a Mexican actress widely known as the Queen of the Telenovela. Her career in Mexican television spans more than four decades, beginning in 1980.
She is best recognized for her iconic lead roles in Simplemente María and La Madrastra.
Who is Victoria Ruffo?
Victoria Ruffo is a Mexican actress whose full birth name is María Victoria Eugenia Guadalupe Martínez del Río Moreno-Ruffo. She built her reputation through decades of leading roles in some of Latin America’s most-watched telenovelas.
Nicknamed “Vicky” by fans and colleagues, she also goes by the celebrated title Reina de las Telenovelas, or Queen of the Telenovelas. Few performers in Mexican television history have held lead roles in as many major productions.
Her career began before she turned 20, and she has worked continuously in television, theatre, and film ever since. As of 2026, she remains one of the most recognized faces in Spanish-language television worldwide.
Early Life of Victoria Ruffo
Victoria Ruffo was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico. She grew up alongside two sisters, Gabriela Ruffo and Marcela Ruffo, both of whom also pursued careers in the entertainment world. Gabriela became an actress and radio personality, while Marcela worked as a producer.
Her parents are Guadalupe Moreno Herrera and Ramón Martínez del Río. Victoria has shared in interviews that she started working at age 16 to help support her family, contributing alongside her mother to cover household expenses and her sisters’ schooling.
The entertainment world drew her in at a young age, and she began doing voice-over work in 1979 before transitioning to on-screen roles in 1980.
Victoria Ruffo Age
Victoria Ruffo is 64 years old as of 2026, born on May 31, 1962. Her zodiac sign is Gemini, a sign often associated with versatility and communication.
She reached this milestone after more than four decades of active work in Mexican television. Her sustained career across multiple generations of audiences reflects her consistent presence in the industry.
Victoria Ruffo Ethnicity and Nationality
Victoria Ruffo holds Mexican nationality, born and raised in Mexico City. Her ethnic background is Mexican, with family roots that are part of the broader cultural fabric of the country.
Her upbringing in Mexico City placed her at the center of Mexico’s entertainment industry from the very beginning of her career.
Victoria Ruffo Height and Weight
Victoria Ruffo stands at 5 feet 4 inches tall, which is approximately 1.64 meters. Her weight is reported at around 130 lbs, or roughly 60 kg.
She is known for her distinctive long dark hair and striking blue eyes, physical traits that became recognizable trademarks over her career.
Her stage presence has consistently drawn attention throughout four decades of telenovela performance.
Victoria Ruffo Career
Victoria Ruffo entered the acting world in 1979 doing voice-over work. By 1980, she appeared on screen in supporting roles in two productions for Televisa, both produced by Ernesto Alonso.
She took on small parts in Al Rojo Vivo as Pilar Álvarez and in Conflictos de un Médico as Rosario Reyes. Those early roles built her foundation with one of Mexico’s most powerful television studios, setting the stage for a lead role that would change everything.
Breakthrough and Early Stardom
In 1983, Chilean producer Valentín Pimstein cast Victoria Ruffo as the protagonist Natalia Ramírez in La Fiera, a romantic drama that aired through 1984. She appeared in all 230 episodes alongside Guillermo Capetillo, Isabela Corona, and Rocio Banquells.
La Fiera made her a recognized name across Mexico. The following year, in 1985, she starred in the telenovela Juana Iris alongside Valentín Trujillo and her sister Gabriela Ruffo.
From 1987 to 1988, Ernesto Alonso cast her in the lead role of the eponymous telenovela Victoria, where she appeared in all 160 episodes alongside Juan Ferrara. She even performed the opening theme “Tarde” for that production.
Simplemente María and the 1990s
In 1989, Valentín Pimstein offered her the lead role in Simplemente María, where she played María López, a young single mother overcoming hardship. The show ran through 1990 and became one of her most celebrated performances.
She returned in 1993 to star as Cristina Aranda in Capricho, produced by Carlos Sotomayor. In 1995, she took on the role of Consuelo Villagrán in Pobre Niña Rica alongside Paulina Rubio and Ariel López Padilla.
By 1998, she starred in Vivo por Elena as the title character, a poor young woman navigating difficult circumstances. Then in 2000, she headlined Salvador Mejía’s Abrázame muy fuerte alongside Aracely Arámbula.
Major Comeback and Later Career
After a break from telenovelas, Victoria returned in 2005 with La Madrastra, a critically acclaimed production by Salvador Mejía in which she co-starred with César Évora. The role of María Fernández, a woman wrongfully imprisoned for two decades, became one of her signature performances.
In 2007, she starred in a Telemundo production also titled Victoria, this time alongside Mauricio Ochmann and Arturo Peniche. From 2008 to 2009, Carlos Moreno cast her in En Nombre del Amor as Macarena, where she worked alongside Leticia Calderón, Allisson Lozz, and Altair Jarabo.
She starred in Triunfo del Amor from 2010 to 2011, appearing alongside William Levy and Maite Perroni. That production earned three awards at the 2012 Premios TVyNovelas. In 2012, she took on the lead role in Corona de Lágrimas, produced by José Alberto Castro for Televisa, which premiered on September 24, 2012, and became one of her most award-winning projects.
After La Malquerida in 2014 and Las Amazonas in 2016, she made a comeback in 2019 with Cita a Ciegas, her first comedy-focused telenovela role in which her character Maura received praise for its lighter tone.
She then reprised her role as Refugio in Corona de Lágrimas Season 2, which aired from August 29, 2022, through January 27, 2023.
Victoria Ruffo Filmography
- Conflictos de un Médico (1980) as Rosario Reyes
- Al Rojo Vivo (1980) as Pilar Álvarez
- Quiéreme Siempre (1981) as Julia
- XE-TU (1982), Presenter
- En Busca del Paraíso (1982) as Grisel
- La Fiera (1983-1984) as Natalia Ramírez (Lead role)
- Juana Iris (1985) as Juana Iris Madrigal Martínez (Lead role)
- Victoria (1987-1988) as Victoria Martínez Medina (Lead role)
- Simplemente María (1989-1990) as María López (Lead role)
- Capricho (1993) as Cristina Aranda (Lead role)
- Pobre Niña Rica (1995-1996) as Consuelo Villagrán (Lead role)
- Vivo por Elena (1998) as Elena Carvajal (Lead role)
- Abrázame muy Fuerte (2000-2001) as Raquel (Lead role)
- La Madrastra (2005) as María Fernández (Lead role)
- Victoria (2007-2008) as Victoria (Lead role, Telemundo)
- En Nombre del Amor (2008-2009) as Macarena (Lead role)
- Triunfo del Amor (2010-2011) as Victoria Gutiérrez de Sandoval
- Corona de Lágrimas (2012-2013) as Refugio Chavero Hernández (Lead role)
- La Malquerida (2014) as Cristina Maldonado (Lead role)
- Las Amazonas (2016) as Lead
- Cita a Ciegas (2019) as Maura (Lead role)
- Corona de Lágrimas Season 2 (2022-2023) as Refugio Chavero
Victoria Ruffo Awards and Recognition
Ruffo won the TVyNovelas Award for Best Young Lead Actress at the 3rd TVyNovelas Awards for her performance in La Fiera in 1985. The recognition arrived early in her career and helped establish her standing in Mexican television.
Her most prominent competitive win came at the 31st TVyNovelas Awards, where she earned Best Lead Actress for her role in Corona de Lágrimas. The production also picked up additional honors that year.
In 2010, she was included in Latin America’s 50 Most Beautiful People list, a recognition that underscored her enduring public profile beyond her acting work.
She has also been referred to consistently in the Mexican press as the Reina de las Telenovelas for her sustained lead role output across multiple decades.
Victoria Ruffo Husband
Victoria Ruffo married Eugenio Derbez on July 8, 1992. The couple divorced in 1997. After meeting politician Omar Fayad Meneses in 1996 at a social dinner where both had mutual friends, a relationship developed. Eleven months later, Omar proposed and she accepted.
Victoria Ruffo and Omar Fayad married on March 9, 2001, at the Parroquia de San Agustín in the Polanco neighborhood of Mexico City. The ceremony was broadcast publicly. Omar Fayad served as Mayor of Pachuca, Senator for the state of Hidalgo, and Governor of Hidalgo from 2016 to 2022. He currently serves as Mexico’s Ambassador to Norway.
The couple maintains a long-distance marriage while he serves in Oslo and she remains in Mexico for her career and family.
She has spoken publicly about the arrangement, noting that the couple travels to see each other when schedules allow and that mutual respect and communication keep the marriage strong.
Victoria Ruffo Children
Victoria Ruffo has three children. Her son José Eduardo Derbez was born on April 14, 1992, from her marriage to Eugenio Derbez. He later pursued his own acting career.
With Omar Fayad, she has twins: daughter Victoria Fayad Ruffo and son Anuar Fayad Ruffo, both born on August 11, 2004. The twins celebrated their 22nd birthday in August 2026.
Victoria became a grandmother when her son José Eduardo welcomed a daughter named Tessa in 2024. She has spoken warmly about Tessa in several interviews, describing her as bright and charming.
Victoria Ruffo Net Worth
Victoria Ruffo’s estimated net worth is $4 million as of 2026. Her income comes primarily from her long-running acting career in telenovelas produced by Televisa and Telemundo over more than four decades.
Her lead roles in major Televisa productions across different eras represent the core of her earnings. A 2021 Infobae report noted that she earned $800,000 for the production of one telenovela, reflecting her standing as one of the highest-billed actresses in Mexican television.
Her social media presence, with an active Instagram account under @victoriaruffo, also represents a current platform for brand visibility.
Victoria Ruffo Social Media
Victoria Ruffo is active on Instagram under the handle @victoriaruffo, where she shares updates about her projects, family, and personal life. Her official website is victoriaruffoweb.com.
She maintains a consistent presence on the platform and has used it to share family milestones including her children’s birthdays. Her Instagram account remains her primary public-facing social media channel.
The Bottom Line
Victoria Ruffo earned the TVyNovelas Award for Best Lead Actress at the 31st ceremony for her work in Corona de Lágrimas in 2013, one of the most watched telenovelas of that year on Canal de las Estrellas.
She is among the rare Mexican actresses who has maintained protagonist roles across five consecutive decades, first appearing on screen in 1980 and continuing to headline major productions through 2022 with Corona de Lágrimas Season 2.
As of 2026, she is in discussions with producer José Alberto Castro for a new telenovela, with plans confirmed in interviews with People en Español as recently as April 2026.
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