Cantoral has been active as an actress since she was very young, and at the age of 13, she was accepted into the prestigious Televisa actor's academy. She made her television debut in a show named La Telaraca.
Her next move was very important for her career, as she participated in one of Mexico's most famous telenovelas ever, Muchachitas. Muchachitas was a major hit all over Mexico and Cantoral was inspired to do theatrical jobs after her initial success.
Cantoral met Eduardo Santamarina during the filming of De Frente al Sol, a soap opera that was produced by the legendary Carla Estrada. They became friends during the filming of this soap opera.
1993 was a big year for Cantoral, as she participated in the major international hit Dos Mujeres, un Camino, alongside, among others, Puerto Rican Erik Estrada, Laura Leon, Bibi Gaytan, Lorena Herrera, Selena Quintanilla, Jorge Salinas and the members of Grupo Bronco. Dos Mujeres, un Camino gave Cantoral major exposure outside Mexico, and made her a household name for the first time in her career.
In 1996, Cantoral returned to the small screen in Tu y Yo, a drama where she acted alongside Maribel Guardia and Joan Sebastian. She followed that by playing a villain (Soraya Montenegro), opposite Thalia in Maria la del Barrio. In 1997, she participated in Salud, Dinero y Amor, the sequel to another major Mexican soap opera, El Premio Mayor.
After participating in three more soap operas, she married Eduardo Santamarina in 2000. In 2001, she gave birth to twin boys.
Cantoral left Mexico in 2002 to participate in Brazilian production Vale Todo. She took her twin sons to Brazil with her, and she received constant visits from her husband.
In 2003, Cantoral acted in the Telemundo production El Alma Herida, where she plays the character of a teenaged girl who crosses the border between Mexico and the United States to try to find her long lost mother.