Unlike most young stars, Isabella Castillo began her acting career on a high note. Her debut was a recurring role in a Spanish-language telenovela, shortly before Grachi shot her to international recognition a year later. Since then, Castillo has played major roles on several Telemundo projects, including Tierra de Reyes and Malverde: El Santo Patrón. She has also worked with some of her former co-stars on Grachi. The Havana-born star has also leveraged her singing talent to star in acclaimed musical films.
Isabella Castillo was born into a musical lineage and grew up around talented performers. As such, her interest in the arts began at an early age. Before acting propelled her to global stardom, Castillo won many awards as a young singer and performed on big stages. She also met high-profile dignitaries as a child performer, including Israel’s Shimon Peres. Although acting has taken center stage in her career, Castillo still remembers her musical roots. Discover what the Grachi star has been up to.
Before Grachi, Isabella Castillo Gained Recognition as a Singer
Before she exploded in the mainstream and became an award-winning television star, Isabella Castillo started as a child performer. Born on December 23, 1994, Castillo’s father, José Castillo, is a percussionist, her mother, Delia Díaz de Villegas, is a singer, and her older sister, Giselle, is a pianist and music teacher. Thus, growing up around music had a major impact on Castillo early in life. She debuted as a singer at the age of five in one of her mother’s concerts. A four-time winner of the Grand Prize at the Youth Fair of the Florida International University, Castillo honed her musical skills at Musical Procenter.
Castillo won the Most Promising – Children Singing Division at the USA World Showcase in 2005 as a child performer. In July the same year, she participated in the Manuel Artime Theater in Miami in the musical Fantasia en Disney. She also joined the Best New Talent in Los Angeles contest. After winning the Magnet Outstanding Performance recognition at the South Miami Middle Community School, Castillo was invited to meet Israel’s newly elected president, Shimon Peres. She also began intensive acting lessons at this point with Cuban actress Lili Rentería as her mentor.
Grachi Shot Her to Global Fame
Isabella Castillo began her professional acting career in 2010, when she joined Telemundo, appearing in a recurring role as Andrea Girón on El fantasma de Elena. After her run on the telenovela, Castillo secured her career-defining role on Grachi. She led the cast of the Nickelodeon Latin America show as the titular character. For her performance on the show, Castillo won several awards, including Favorite Actress at the 2012 Kids’ Choice Awards Argentina and two Favorite Latin Artist Awards at the Kids’ Choice Awards in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
During her Grachi run, Castillo performed in the musical Grachi: El show en vivo. She also signed a record deal with Warner Music Latina on February 21, 2013, and released her debut album “Soñar no Cuesta Nada” on April 23. The album earned a nomination at Premios TKM in 2013. She later performed a duet with Argentine singer Patricio Arellano for his third album, “Que duermas conmigo.”
Isabella Castillo’s Acting Credits Since Grachi
After wrapping up Grachi in 2013, Isabella Castillo continued to star on the telenovelas, starting with a major stint as two characters (Alma Gallardo and Verónica Saldívar) on Tierra de Reyes from 2014 to 2015. She reunited with her Grachi co-star Kimberly Dos Ramos on the show. Next, she played a supporting role on ¿Quién es quién?, appearing as Tania Sierra across 86 episodes from 2015 to 2016. The next year, she booked a main role on Vikki RPM as Roxana “Rox” Cruz and made a guest appearance on Milagros de Navidad.
In 2018, Isabella Castillo joined the main cast of El Señor de los Cielos and portrayed Marina in seasons 5 & 6. During her time on the crime television series, Castillo played a recurring role on El Recluso. The next year, she appeared in the main cast for the first season of Club 57 alongside Grachi co-star Andrés Mercado. After playing La China Navajas on Malverde: El Santo Patrón in 2021, Castillo led the cast of Sed de venganza in two roles from 2024 to 2025. She began starring as Diana Ahumada on Dinastía Casillas in October 2025. Her film credits include the 2023 musical film La Usurpadora: The Musical.
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