# Vida Guerra
**Vida Guerra** is a Cuban-born American glamour model, actress, and singer who rose to fame after a lingerie photo spread in the US edition of *FHM* magazine in December 2002, and was named the magazine's Model of the Year in 2004.[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) • [2](https://www.nndb.com/people/779/000109452/) Most sources give her birth year as 1974 in Havana, Cuba, although the NNDB profile lists 1980.[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) • [2](https://www.nndb.com/people/779/000109452/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Havana, Cuba; most sources give 1974, NNDB gives 1980[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) • [2](https://www.nndb.com/people/779/000109452/) |
| Breakthrough | Lingerie spread in the US edition of *FHM*, December 2002; the magazine reported that roughly a third to 70 percent of that month's reader mail asked for more photos of her[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) • [3](https://biographs.org/vida-guerra) |
| Signature honor | *FHM* Model of the Year, 2004[2](https://www.nndb.com/people/779/000109452/) |
| Magazine work | *FHM*, *Maxim*, *Playboy*, *King*, *Black Men*, *DUB*, *Smooth*, *Escape*, and *Open Your Eyes*, often as cover girl[4](https://www.ckhid.com/hip-hop-video-models/vida-guerra/) • [1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) |
| Music videos | "Shake Ya Tailfeather" (Nelly, P. Diddy, Murphy Lee, 2003), "The New Workout Plan" (Kanye West, 2004), "Obsession (No Es Amor)" (Frankie J with Baby Bash, 2005)[5](https://xn--meb.pisz.pl/Vida_Guerra) |
| Playboy | First formal nude editorial in the July 2006 issue[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) • [6](https://babewiki.com/performer/vida-guerra) |
| Acting | Violet in *National Lampoon's Dorm Daze 2* (2006); voiceover in the video game *Scarface: The World Is Yours* (2006); *Sardines* (2010); *Mercy for Angels* (2015); *CHIPS* (2017)[2](https://www.nndb.com/people/779/000109452/) • [1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) |
## Early life
Guerra was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to the United States with her family as a young child, settling in [Perth Amboy, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/perth-amboy-new-jersey).[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) While growing up in New Jersey she modeled swimwear in several local fashion shows and appeared in music videos.[7](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/vida-guerra.html) Her first taste of the entertainment business came with an appearance in [Big Pun](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-pun)'s video "New York to New Orleans," which received little television play.[8](https://www.listal.com/vida-guerra)
Before modeling paid off she worked as a loans officer, keeping an eye out for modeling opportunities on the side.[9](https://www.celebsfacts.com/vida-guerra/) In interviews she has said that her ex-boyfriend and his friends submitted her pictures to *FHM* without her following through herself; the photos were sent in March and she received a call back in late August.[10](https://www.whomag.net/vida-guerra/) • [11](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/vida-guerra-smack-that/)
## The FHM breakthrough
The pictures ran in the December 2002 issue of the US edition of *FHM* as part of a search for "everyday" models in lingerie.[8](https://www.listal.com/vida-guerra) The reader response was unusually large. *FHM* later reported that almost one third of the mail it received after publication came from readers demanding more photos of her; the biography site The Famous People puts the figure at around 70 percent of that month's mail.[3](https://biographs.org/vida-guerra) • [1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) The magazine booked her for further shoots, and in a 2006 interview Guerra said her subsequent *FHM* cover became the best selling cover of that year.[11](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/vida-guerra-smack-that/)
**Recognition followed quickly.** At the end of 2003 she received *FHM*'s "Rear of the Year" award, and in 2004 the magazine named her its Model of the Year.[8](https://www.listal.com/vida-guerra) • [2](https://www.nndb.com/people/779/000109452/) She ranked number 26 on *FHM*'s "Top 100 Sexiest Females" list in 2005 and number 21 in 2006, and won the magazine's "Best Butt Award" twice.[9](https://www.celebsfacts.com/vida-guerra/) • [5](https://xn--meb.pisz.pl/Vida_Guerra) Over the following years she appeared in and on the covers of *DUB*, *Smooth*, *Escape*, *Open Your Eyes*, *King*, *Black Men*, and *Maxim*.[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) • [4](https://www.ckhid.com/hip-hop-video-models/vida-guerra/)
## Music videos and television
Through the mid-2000s Guerra became a regular presence in hip-hop music videos, appearing in "Shake Ya Tailfeather" by Nelly, P. Diddy, and [Murphy Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/murphy-lee) (from the *Bad Boys II* soundtrack, 2003), [Kanye West](https://www.edgepedia.org/kanye-west)'s "The New Workout Plan" (2004), [Frankie J](https://www.edgepedia.org/frankie-j)'s "Obsession (No Es Amor)" with Baby Bash (2005), Cassidy's "Get No Better," and Young Jeezy's "Trap Star."[5](https://xn--meb.pisz.pl/Vida_Guerra) • [12](https://www.ataleisnikmd.com/testimonials/vida-guerra/) Commentators on hip-hop video modeling describe her as one of the first major video models representing Latina women in the field.[4](https://www.ckhid.com/hip-hop-video-models/vida-guerra/)
Her television work included multiple appearances on the Spanish-language entertainment news show *El Gordo y la Flaca*, sketches on [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central)'s *Chappelle's Show* (including the parody of [R. Kelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/r-kelly)'s "(I Wanna) Piss on You" video), and a [Burger King](https://www.edgepedia.org/burger-king) commercial for the TenderCrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch campaign in 2004.[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) • [13](https://www.todocuba.org/vida-guerra-una-seductora-y-maravillosa-actriz-y-modelo-cubana-fotos/) She later hosted *Livin' the Low Life*, a series about lowrider cars, on the cable network SPEED.[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php)
## The 2005 phone incident and Playboy
In April 2005 her camera phone was allegedly hacked, and photographs, including nude images, circulated widely on the internet.[5](https://xn--meb.pisz.pl/Vida_Guerra) Guerra stated that the nude pictures showed another woman's body morphed with her photographs, and some observers speculated the leak was a publicity stunt; her record label at the time reportedly claimed she had staged the leak and ended her contract over it, though Guerra said in a 2006 interview that she had never actually signed with the label.[5](https://xn--meb.pisz.pl/Vida_Guerra) • [11](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/vida-guerra-smack-that/)
She has said the incident partly motivated her decision to pose for *Playboy*, so that people could see how she actually looked without clothes.[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) Her first formal nude editorial appeared in the July 2006 issue.[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) • [6](https://babewiki.com/performer/vida-guerra) The *Playboy* and *FHM* issues featuring her were reported as among the year's best sellers.[4](https://www.ckhid.com/hip-hop-video-models/vida-guerra/)
## Acting, music, and later work
Guerra's acting credits include the role of Violet in the mystery comedy *National Lampoon's Dorm Daze 2* (released September 2006), the horror film *Sardines* (March 2010), the action thriller *Mercy for Angels* (April 2015), and *CHIPS* (2017).[2](https://www.nndb.com/people/779/000109452/) • [1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php) She provided voiceover work for the 2006 open-world video game *[Scarface: The World Is Yours](https://www.edgepedia.org/scarface-the-world-is-yours)*.[1](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php)
**Solo projects.** She produced her own swimsuit calendars with accompanying "behind the scenes" DVDs and released a 2006 DVD titled *Vida Guerra: Exposed*.[14](https://www.schwimmerlegal.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/833/2018/10/billy-deans-complaint-1.pdf) She also pursued music: she signed with In Ya Face Records ahead of a planned debut album, and the track "You Got Me" leaked online on 2 November 2006.[10](https://www.whomag.net/vida-guerra/) • [5](https://xn--meb.pisz.pl/Vida_Guerra) In 2011 she appeared nude in a PETA campaign urging Latinos not to eat meat, photographed kneeling on a pile of chile peppers.[15](https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/nude-vida-guerra-ad-pulls-the-caliente-card-to-raise-money-for-peta) She is a longtime vegetarian.[6](https://babewiki.com/performer/vida-guerra)
In later years she remained active as a glamour model and influencer on social platforms, and in 2015 testified in a copyright lawsuit that she had approximately 1.6 million Facebook followers, 250,000 Instagram followers, and 250,000 Twitter followers.[6](https://babewiki.com/performer/vida-guerra) • [16](https://business.cch.com/ipld/gibsonVsce07172019.pdf)
## References
1. [Vida Guerra Biography, The Famous People](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vida-guerra-11757.php)
2. [Vida Guerra, NNDB](https://www.nndb.com/people/779/000109452/)
3. [Vida Guerra biography, Biographs.org](https://biographs.org/vida-guerra)
4. [Vida Guerra, Hip Hop Video Models, CKHiD](https://www.ckhid.com/hip-hop-video-models/vida-guerra/)
5. [Vida Guerra, Encyklopedia internetowa](https://xn--meb.pisz.pl/Vida_Guerra)
6. [Vida Guerra, BabeWiki](https://babewiki.com/performer/vida-guerra)
7. [Vida Guerra, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/vida-guerra.html)
8. [Vida Guerra, Listal](https://www.listal.com/vida-guerra)
9. [Vida Guerra: Bio, Height, Weight, Measurements, CelebsFacts](https://www.celebsfacts.com/vida-guerra/)
10. [Vida Guerra, WHO?MAG interview](https://www.whomag.net/vida-guerra/)
11. [Vida Guerra: Smack That, AllHipHop (2006)](https://allhiphop.com/alternatives/vida-guerra-smack-that/)
12. [Vida Guerra Plastic Surgery, Andres Taleisnik, MD](https://www.ataleisnikmd.com/testimonials/vida-guerra/)
13. [Vida Guerra: una seductora y maravillosa actriz y modelo cubana, Todo Cuba](https://www.todocuba.org/vida-guerra-una-seductora-y-maravillosa-actriz-y-modelo-cubana-fotos/)
14. [Complaint, Case 2:18-cv-05846-JMA-GRB, Schwimmer Legal](https://www.schwimmerlegal.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/833/2018/10/billy-deans-complaint-1.pdf)
15. [Nude Vida Guerra Ad Pulls the Caliente Card to Raise Money for PETA, Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/nude-vida-guerra-ad-pulls-the-caliente-card-to-raise-money-for-peta)
16. [Complaint, Case 1:15-cv-08168-ER-DCF, business.cch.com](https://business.cch.com/ipld/gibsonVsce07172019.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts › Fashion and commercial models › Glamour and pin-up models*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license