Lady María Tabares (Medellín, May 31, 1982) is a Colombian actress, businesswoman and writer. She is known for her participation as a "natural actress" in the leading role of the Colombian film La vendedora de rosas, directed by Víctor Gaviria. She was a special guest at the 1998 edition of the Cannes Film Festival in France. At the age of ten, she went out into the streets of downtown Medellin to beg for money from passers-by. She was institutionalized and raised in an orphanage because she was found abandoned. Three years later she was reunited with her family, who, due to economic problems, opted to leave her in the institution. Until the age of 13, Tabares survived on the streets as a rose seller, which led filmmaker Victor Gaviria to select her as one of the main characters in a film project. In fact, the purpose of the film was not only to reflect the life of ordinary teenagers in the streets of Medellín in the 1990s, but also the life of Mónica, which is why the director had chosen to cast "natural actors" instead of professionals. Pre-production and filming of the movie took place between 1996 and 1997. The film was released in 1998 in Colombia to great acclaim. Foreign film critics gave favorable judgments to the film and this allowed Lady Tabares to enjoy relative fame and to think of a potential professional career as an actress. She was awarded "best actress" at the Viña del Mar and Bratislava Festivals; and was recognized with a "special mention" at the Havana Film Festival. In 1998 she attended the Cannes Film Festival in France as a special guest along with the then president of Colombia, Ernesto Samper. Tabares took advantage of her image to launch a foundation for street children, but the initiative did not have much resonance. In any case, Tabares' success was short-lived and in less than a year he was back on the streets of Medellín selling roses. She witnessed the murder of her partner and father of her child. In 2002, she was deprived of her liberty for her alleged participation in the murder of a cab driver. On April 10, 2008, Tabares was sentenced to 26 years in prison as co-perpetrator of the crimes of homicide and robbery, and was held in the "El Buen Pastor" prison in Medellín. Subsequently, she was transferred to the Valledupar prison, far from her family. She was finally able to return to her city, continuing her sentence in the "El Pedregal" penitentiary center. After 12 years of imprisonment, on May 8, 2014, Tabares was granted house arrest. In 2022 he returned to the big screen thanks to his participation in the short film "La balada de las crayolas" (The ballad of the crayons), which received an award in Argentina.
