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 wa ...