Biography

Dubbed "The Latin Marilyn Monroe" by Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction in Spin Magazine, her old-fashioned, movie-star visage and traffic-stopping curves definitely give Cindyana Santangelo that elusive "It" factor. Whether it's on TV as The Jiggly Room's sexy stripper Sierra Madre (a recurring role) on Married... with Children (1987), the gritty Maria Marion on CSI: Miami (2002), on film as a sexy tomboy opposite Danny Trejo or on the stage, Cindyana has the acting chops. Her unique look and exotic beauty are what made director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2 (1990), Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)), call her a natural and a stand-out.

Born in Manhattan and raised on the West Coast, at age 19 she got a scholarship to the Lee Strasberg School in London, and she was personally selected by Anna Strasberg for the role of Doris in the school's production of "The Owl and the Pussycat". Cindyana has studied at USC's School of Cinema and Television and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. This enables her to capture a variety of ethnic diversities, which she does so well. She also studied with the prestigious Circle in the Square Forum in NYC, working in a string of groundbreaking and underground projects on both coasts, like Lawrence Bridges' innovative cult movie 12 (2003).

She has worked opposite Harrison Ford, Josh Hartnett, Perry Farrell, Anthony Kiedis, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Dave Navarro, Marvin Young (aka Young MC) and LL Cool J, to name just a few. She doesn't stop there, however. Cindyana gives new meaning to the word "multi-hyphenate". She's an actress, a model, an entrepreneur, a fashion designer and a philanthropist.

Cindyana started as a dancer and soon became a video goddess. When she had just turned 18 she dominated MTV's airwaves. She is still the only actress to have starred in three top-10 MTV music videos at the same time, all in different genres, proving her versatility and desirability in many different roles. Her influence and style helped launch the multi-ethnic look that is now the mainstream. Who can ever forget the voice and vision of the sultry siren of Jane's Addiction's infamous "Ritual De Lo Habitual" #1-selling album? Or the salacious "STOP" hot pants of the original famous Latina Derriere in the "Bust a Move" hip hop sensation.

Whether she is a cop from Jersey, a French dance teacher on an album cover or a poster on your bedroom wall, Cindyana Santangelo is an anomaly. She does not rely on just her looks--she takes chances morphing seamlessly from comedy to drama. This head turner with an edge is often compared to Angelina Jolie and Jessica Alba. Cindyana can be seen guest-starring on any of the major networks and cable, making an appearance in Los Angeles' popular burlesque troupes and sizzling up the silver screen!
- IMDb mini biography by: Vic Alexandar (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)

In 1990 she made her feature film debut in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990) in an uncredited bit part as a corpse named Lydia. Also in this film, in a co-starring small role, was Ed O'Neill. Though she and O'Neill did not share a scene together in this film, they did work together six years later in O'Neill's own TV show, Married... with Children (1987), in which she had a recurring role as "Sierra Madre", a Mexican stripper, billed as Cindyana Lair.

Puerto Rican, Italian, and Hungarian.

In October 2025, Libby Adame, of Southern California, was convicted of second-degree murder and practicing medicine without a certification after administering silicone injections to actress Cindyana Santangelo at her Malibu home, resulting in a fatal silicone embolism. On November 5, 2025, Libby Adame, of Southern California, was sentenced to 15 years to life.