Lolita Cortés
Famous BisDolores Vanessa Cortés Jiménez, known artistically as Lolita Cortés, is a Mexican actress, dancer, singer, and TV host with an extensive career in musical theater and television. She gained national fame after being known as “The Iron Judge” of the Mexican singing reality show La Academia (2002-).
Daughter of the singer Dolores Jiménez and the actor Ricardo Cortés, Lolita comes from a family of artists, which led her to have an interest in the stage. She began her career in musical theater when she was just eight years old in the play Annie; later, she was part of the cast of Grease, along with the musical group Timbiriche.
In 1989, she was part of the cast of the Mexican musical ¡Qué Plantón! playing Poison Ivy, which placed her in the musical comedy scene in Mexico.
Lolita Cortes is nationally recognized for her professionalism, great talent, and respect for the stage, and in multiple interviews, she has stated that the most important thing for her is her audience. She has been in numerous successful plays and musicals in Mexico, including Peter Pan, Once on This Island, Beauty and the Beast, The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Sweet Charity, 12 Princesas en Pugna, Toc Toc, and Mentiras el Musical, among many other Mexican productions.
In addition to her extensive career in theater, she has been a host and judge on various television programs. In 2004 she joined the critics panel of the singing reality show La Academia on TV Azteca, which catapulted her to national fame by introducing her to a broader audience. Due to her role in the program, she became known as “The Iron Judge” and “The Queen of Musical Theater”.
In addition to her extensive participation in La Academia and La Academia Kids, both as a judge and director, she has participated as a host and judge in programs such as The Weakest Link, Mira Quién Baila, and Las Estrellas Bailan en Hoy. She is also part of the judging panel on the Mexican drag competition and reality show Solo Las Más (2024-) de La Más Draga (2018-).
After separating from her husband, Lolita Cortés spoke openly with the media about having had a personal crisis when trying to discover her sexuality. She mentioned that she had a romantic relationship with a woman, which, for personal reasons, she had kept secret. She is currently openly a “queer and bisexual” person.[1]
Of course I’m queer. Do you know what the word queer means? […] I looked for it trying to find an identity because there comes a time when you have to comply with so many canons of society that I got lost. And when I found the word queer I said, “Of course, that’s what I am. I’m happy.”[2]
Lolita Cortés openly defends that “love is love”, and is currently married to the choreographer and producer Elías Ajit.