America Ferrera

An American actress of Honduran ancestry, America Ferrera has been best known for her roles in the films Real Women Have Curves and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. More recently, however, she has made an even bigger name for herself by starring in the TV dramedy Ugly Betty on ABC.

Ferrera was born on April 18, 1984, in California, as the youngest of six children. She got into acting when she was eight years old through various school plays and local community theater. She is currently studying theater and international relations at the University of Southern California. 

Ferrera made her big-screen debut as the slightly overweight Mexican-American teenager Ana Garcia in the 2002 film Real Women Have Curves, which was directed by Patricia Cardoso and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie also starred Lupe Ontiveros as Ana’s mother and George Lopez as Ana’s teacher. At the Festival, the film received the Audience Award as well as Special Jury Prizes for Ferrera and Ontiveros. She was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance, and received another nomination for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance by a Leading Young Actress. 

Ferrera also appeared in popular television programs Touched by an Angel and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation before landing a leading role in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in 2005, co-starring Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel, who is most known for her role as Rory, the daughter of Lorelai Gilmore (played by Lauren Graham) in Gilmore Girls.

She also appeared in the film Lords of Dogtown that same year, starring John Robinson, Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk, Michael Angarano, Heath Ledger, and Rebecca DeMornay. Ferrera was later honored with a Movieline Breakthrough Award for 2005. 

At the end of 2005, Ferrera appeared in Trip Cullman’s off-Broadway play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, whose cast members played the Peanuts (Charlie Brown comics) characters as young adults. Ferrera landed the role of Sally Brown, Charlie Brown’s sister. The play also co-starred Eddie Kaye Thomas, Logan Marshall-Green, Ian Somerhalder, Keith Nobbs, Kelli Garner, Ari Graynor, and Eliza Dushku. 

The budding actress is currently kept busy in the lead and title role of ABC’s new hit television show Ugly Betty, which debuted for the 2006-2007 TV season. Ferrera plays Betty Suarez, a physically unattractive girl in comparison to her glammed-up peers. She reportedly goes through a “Bettification” process prior to filming in the mornings, complete with fake braces, bushy eyebrows, an unkempt wig, bad makeup, and unflattering, unfashionable clothing choices.

The series co-stars Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade, and also includes regulars Alan Dale, Tony Plana, Ana Ortiz, Ashley Jensen, Becki Newton, Mark Indelicato, Vanessa Williams, Rebecca Romijn, and Michael Urie. Ugly Betty won the Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Series at the 2007 awards.

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