Irán Castillo Pinzón (Veracruz, January 4, 1977) is a Mexican singer and actress.
She is known on television for her work in Televisa telenovelas during the 1990s and early 2000s, such as Agujetas de color de rosa, Soñadoras, Preciosa, Confidente de secundaria, and Clase 406, among others. In 1997, she also gained recognition as a singer with the song “Yo por él.”
In film, she stood out for her role in El tigre de Santa Julia, a film for which she won the Best Actress award at the 2003 Heraldo Awards. She was nominated in 2011 for the Ariel Award for her performance in the film Victorio. On television, she has appeared in well-known series such as Mujeres asesinas, Hasta que te conocí (the biographical series on Juan Gabriel), and Los secretos de Lucía.
1983–1989: Artistic beginnings
Irán was born on January 4, 1977, in the port city of Veracruz, Mexico. The daughter of Carlos Castillo and Martha Pinzón, she showed an early interest in entertainment and asked her mother to take her to audition for the children's television show Chiquilladas. Although she was not selected for the show, someone from the production team invited her to appear in commercials. This marked the beginning of her career in modeling for magazines and television at the age of six.
She began formal acting training at the age of 12 when she enrolled in the acting workshop run by Martha Zavaleta and Pedro Damián, appearing in anthology programs such as Mujer, casos de la vida real.
1989–1996: Musical and television debut
By the late 1980s, she auditioned to join the group La Onda Vaselina, but due to her height, she was selected to be part of another girl group called Mosquitas Muertas. The group was formed by four girls assembled by Julissa, the same creator of La Onda Vaselina. In 1991, they released a self-titled album with songs such as "Me ha llegado el amor" and "Siempre hay una solución", which were later recorded by Jeans and Kabah respectively.
Around the same time, she began appearing in telenovelas such as Ángeles blancos, De frente al sol, and Entre la vida y la muerte. She also worked as a reporter on the children's program El Club de Gaby.
In 1994, she got her breakthrough role as Cecilia in the telenovela Agujetas de color de rosa, alongside Angélica María, Natalia Esperón, and José María Torre, among others. During the show, she continued her musical career by recording songs for the series' soundtrack, including the lead track "La vida es rosa".
In parallel with the telenovela, she entered the world of theater, starring in the musical Vaselina produced by Julissa, opposite Alejandro Ibarra. At the same time, Irán starred in the television series ¡Qué chavas! and in 1995 appeared in Retrato de Familia alongside Diana Bracho and Yolanda Andrade. In 1996, she landed her first lead role in the telenovela Confidente de secundaria, and continued recording music for the series, including its theme song. That same year, she also starred in the stage play Ce-los Dije.
1996–1997: Tiempos Nuevos
In 1996, with the support of her mother, Irán Castillo recorded two acoustic tracks, including the song “Tiempos Nuevos.” These recordings were sent to Sony Music, which eventually signed her to release her debut solo album, Tiempos Nuevos, in 1997. The album featured 10 tracks in the Mexican edition and 11 in the U.S. version.
The lead single was the hit “Yo por él,” written by J.R. Florez, which led to an extensive promotional tour across Latin American countries such as Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala, as well as performances at radio festivals. The singles “Locos de Amor” and “La Flor del Paraíso” followed.
The album was produced by Mario Figueroa Carvajal, Leticia Rio, and Carlos Cabral Jr., with photography by Ricardo Trabulsi. The sound leaned toward rhythmic ballads, although Castillo has mentioned that she originally intended to record rock music. Thanks to the success of her music and her visibility through telenovelas, Irán Castillo became one of the most iconic figures of late 1990s pop culture in Mexico.
After promoting the album, her song “Feliz Navidad,” included in the compilation Estrellas de Navidad, was selected as the official promotional single for the holiday season.
1998–2005: Youth telenovelas and second album
In 1998, she starred in the youth telenovela Preciosa alongside Mauricio Islas, performing the opening theme “Girando en el tiempo.” That same year, she joined the main cast of Soñadoras, singing the closing theme “Sola.” This track led to the promotion of her second studio album Tatuada en tus besos, released in 1999. The lead single was “Por ti, por mí,” followed by “No Vendrá,” “Di que no,” and “Y pienso en ti.” The album was well received by the public, prompting the release of several remixes. Produced by Mario Figueroa, Eduardo Posada, and Pablo Pinilla, the album explored a musical balance between pop, ballads, rhythmic ballads, and touches of reggae and dance.
By the end of 1999, she replaced Alejandra Guzmán in the stage production of Gypsy. That same year, she starred in the film La segunda noche and provided the voice for Jessie in the Latin American version of Toy Story 2. (The first male “startalent” was legendary actor Mario Moreno 'Cantinflas'.) She also became the face of brands such as Pantene, M&Ms, and Coppel.
In 2000, after promoting her second album, she joined the cast of the telenovela Locura de amor, appearing alongside Juan Soler during the final week of the show. Later that year, she contributed to the soundtrack of Primer amor... a mil por hora with a remix of her song “Y pienso en ti.”
In 2001, she appeared in the telenovela El derecho de nacer, and made a guest appearance in Aventuras en el tiempo. Her next major television role came in 2002 with the telenovela Clase 406, marking her final youth-oriented project. That same year, she appeared in her third feature film, El tigre de Santa Julia, earning a nomination for Favorite Actress at the MTV Movie Awards México and winning Best Actress at the Heraldo Awards.
After taking a year off and traveling to India, she returned to television in 2004 to star in the telenovela Amar otra vez, produced by Lucero Suárez. The melodrama premiered in January 2004 in the United States and in May of the same year in Mexico. In 2005, she appeared in the historical telenovela Alborada, produced by Carla Estrada. She played Catalina, the sister of Hipólita (portrayed by Lucero), a young woman forced to become a nun despite lacking a religious vocation. For this role, she received a nomination for Best Young Actress at the TVyNovelas Awards.
2006–2013: Focus on film
Irán decided to take a break from television to pursue a career in film. In 2006, she filmed the movie Amor Xtremo and made a special appearance in the film Efectos Secundarios. On television, she had a role in Mundo de fieras, which would be her last telenovela appearance for several years. That same year, she competed on the reality show Bailando por la boda de mis sueños, becoming one of the finalists and later joining her partner Romeo in a touring show called Show Dancing Club.
In 2007, she appeared in the music video “Ya no sé ni dónde estoy” by Grammy-nominated band Volován, from their album Monitor. She also featured in Aleks Syntek's video Historia de Danzón, alongside other well-known stars. The following year, she was invited to join the popular television series El Pantera, playing the role of Rosaura alongside Luis Roberto Guzmán. She also participated in short independent films directed by her friend Joel Nuñez, including El Secuestro and Chiles Xalapeños. At the same time, she appeared in the episode “Mónica, Acorralada” from the first season of the series Mujeres asesinas, produced by Pedro Torres.
Also in 2008, she filmed the movie Victorio, playing a sex worker who lives among Central American gang members. The film, directed by Alex Noppel, premiered at the Expresión en Corto Film Festival that year. Although it had limited theatrical release, Victorio earned Irán Castillo a nomination for the Ariel Award in 2011.
In 2009, she portrayed a photographer in the film Cabeza de Buda. She also did voiceover work for the animated Mexican film Sabel Redemption, and appeared in the thriller Viernes de ánimas, which premiered at the Riviera Maya Film Festival. That same year, she was the face of the “Hidalgo en la piel” tourism campaign for the state of Hidalgo. Irán also supported fellow actor Aarón Díaz by performing in his musical show at a bar in Mexico City. She returned to the stage at the end of the year in the play 12 mujeres en pugna, produced by Jorge Ortiz de Pinedo, and also in the stage adaptation of Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, alongside Arath de la Torre.
In early 2010, she joined the cast of the stage production El Mago de Oz 2010, replacing actress Susana González. That same year, Irán prepared to form a trip-hop band called Desert Monday with friends in Playa del Carmen. The group recorded songs in English, released them on MySpace, and performed live locally. Also in 2010, she collaborated again with Disney Latin America to record two main songs for Tinkerbell: Hadas al Rescate, and reprised her role as the voice of Jessie in Toy Story 3. In mid-2010, she began filming the romantic comedy 31 días, directed by Erika Grediaga in Guadalajara, which would be released in January 2013.
In 2011, she acted in the short films Verde and Contraluz: fotografía un momento que no puedes ver, both produced by Tecnológico de Monterrey. She also premiered the horror film Viernes de ánimas. That year, she co-hosted the television program Arriba el Telón with Gerardo Quiroz, showcasing theater listings and related interviews. In the final quarter of the year, Irán gave birth to her first daughter, whom she named Irka, meaning “when the sun rises.”
The following year, she starred in the horror film Morgana, and won first place in the dance competition Mi Sueño es Bailar on Estrella TV. That same year, she was invited by Venevisión to star in the police drama series Los secretos de Lucía alongside Colombian actor Juan Pablo Raba. After a year of filming, the series premiered simultaneously in Mexico and Venezuela.
2014–2017: Return to music – Amanecer
In 2014, Irán began recording what would become her third studio album after a 15-year hiatus from music. The album, titled Amanecer, was released independently and produced by Joan Romagosa and Federico Vega, the latter of whom co-wrote most of the songs with her. The first single, “Sabes Que,” featured a music video directed by Ricardo Trabulsi, who also shot the album's photography. The song was well received on digital platforms, helped by her renewed public profile following her appearance as a finalist on the reality show Bailando por un sueño.
She was also cast as the lead in the musical Vaselina, playing Sandy for the third time in her career. In 2015, she made a guest appearance in the telenovela Que te perdone Dios, while continuing to promote her album with the second single, “Libertad,” a song written by her mother, Martha Pinzón. The music video was filmed in Acapulco.
On stage, she starred in Amor de mis amores by Manolo Caro, as well as in the plays Chamaco, Cita a Ciegas at Foro Shakespeare, and Blanca Nieves, a children's musical. She also appeared in the comedy series El Torito for Claro Video.
In 2016, she appeared in the biographical series Hasta que te conocí and Por siempre Joan Sebastian, based on the lives of singers Juan Gabriel and Joan Sebastian, respectively. She also starred in the crime drama Perseguidos, once again acting alongside Mauricio Islas.