Popular for her role as vampire princess Nyssa Damaskinos in the 2002 film Blade II, Leonor Varela is a Chilean actress and model. Making her debut in 1995 in Pony Trek, a children's film, Varela went on to become a household name when she starred in the Chilean soap opera, Tic Tac (1997). Her breakthrough role in Hollywood came when she was cast in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. She was then cast in Jeremiah (1998), The Tailor of Panama (2001), and Texas Rangers (2001).

Her reach in the entertainment industry was not limited to just feature films and she went on to get cast in a recurring role in the TV show Arrested Development in 2003. Her other notable work includes Americano (2005), Goal II: Living the Dream (2007) Where God Left His Shoes (2007) and the TV series produced by Jennifer Lopez, called Como ama una mujer (2007). Her latest project includes Alpha, a drama set in the Ice Age.