America Ferrera | |
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Ferrera at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival
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Born |
America Georgine Ferrera April 18, 1984 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Other names | Georgine Ferrera |
Alma mater | University of Southern California |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2002–present |
Spouse(s) | Ryan Piers Williams (m. 2011) |
America Georgine Ferrera (born April 18, 1984) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, California, to Honduran parents, Ferrera developed an interest in acting at a young age performing in several stage productions at her school. She made her feature film debut in 2002 with the comedy drama Real Women Have Curves, winning praise for her performance. Ferrera is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award among others.
Ferrera garnered modest success early in her career with roles in films like the Disney original Gotta Kick It Up! (2002) and the drama The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005); the later earned her the Imagen Award Best Actress and her first nomination at the ALMA Awards. She ventured into television roles and landed the leading part on the ABC comedy drama Ugly Betty (2006–2010). Ferrera garnered critical acclaim for playing the protagonist of the series Betty Suarez, and won the Best Actress Awards at various award ceremonies in 2007 including the Golden Globe Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Primetime Emmy Award, the first for a Latin woman in the category.
Ferrera's other notable film roles include the drama The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008), the drama The Dry Land (2010), the romantic comedy Our Family Wedding (2010), and the crime drama End of Watch (2012). She provided the voice of Astrid the Viking in the DreamWorks animated film How to Train Your Dragon (2010), and reprised the role in its sequel, and the television series based on the film. She co-produces and stars in the comedy series Superstore (2015-present) which premiered on NBC.