Gina Rodriguez (actress)
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Gina Alexis Rodriguez-LoCicero (born July 30, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her leading role as Jane Villanueva in
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satirical romantic dramedy series '' Jane the Virgin'' (2014–2019), for which she received a
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in 2015. Born and raised in
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, Rodriguez began her career in 2003 in theater productions and made her screen debut in an episode of the police procedural drama series ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
''. Her breakthrough came in 2012, in the independent musical-drama film ''
Filly Brown ''Filly Brown'' is a 2012 drama film directed by Youssef Delara and Michael D. Olmos. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and won Best Feature Film at the 2013 Noor Iranian Film Festival. The whole cast won ...
''. She has gone on to star in such films as '' Deepwater Horizon'' (2016), '' Ferdinand'' (2017), ''
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'' (2018), '' Miss Bala'' (2019), '' Someone Great'' (2019) and '' Scoob!'' (2020). She also voiced the
titular character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...
of the
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animated action-adventure series ''
Carmen Sandiego ''Carmen Sandiego'' (sometimes referred to as ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'') is a media franchise based on a series of computer games created by the American software company Broderbund. While the original 1985 '' Where in the World ...
''.


Early years

Gina Alexis Rodriguez was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest daughter of Puerto Rican parents, Magali and Gino Rodriguez, a boxing referee. She has two sisters and an older brother. She was raised in the
Belmont Cragin Belmont Cragin is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located on the Northwest Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is designated Community Area 19, and is located NW of the Loop. History Beginnings The first busines ...
neighborhood on Chicago's Northwest Side. At the age of seven, Rodriguez performed at the
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dance company Fantasia Juvenil. Rodriguez was raised Catholic, and went to high school at
St. Ignatius College Prep Saint Ignatius College Prep is a selective private, coeducational Jesuit college-preparatory school located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The school was founded in Chicago in 1869 by Fr. Arnold Damen, S.J., a Dutch ...
where she was two years behind the comedian John Mulaney. She has stated that she did not attend "Jake McNamara's party" which is the subject of one of Mulaney's bits. She focused on salsa dancing until age 17 when she began acting more. At the age of 16, she was among thirteen teenagers to be accepted into
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's Theatrical Collaboration. She attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She trained for four years at the
Atlantic Theater Company Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their actin ...
and Experimental Theatre Wing, and earned with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...
degree in 2005. She portrayed
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in the world premiere of ''Casa Blue'' in the United Kingdom, in the play called ''The Last Moments in the Life of Frida Kahlo'' at the American Stage Theatre.


Career

Rodriguez made her screen debut appearing in an episode of ''
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'' in 2004. She later has appeared on '' Eleventh Hour'', ''
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'' and '' The Mentalist''. On October 19, 2011, Rodriguez landed the recurring role, Beverly, in the soap opera series '' The Bold and the Beautiful''. She received a role in the musical film ''Go for It!'', for which she received a 2011
Imagen Awards The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in film, Latinos in the entertainment industry." To be considered for an Imagen Award, a medi ...
nomination. In 2012, Rodriguez played young hip-hop artist Majo Tenorio in the independent musical-drama film ''
Filly Brown ''Filly Brown'' is a 2012 drama film directed by Youssef Delara and Michael D. Olmos. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and won Best Feature Film at the 2013 Noor Iranian Film Festival. The whole cast won ...
'', for which she won an Imaged Award. She received good reviews for her performance in film. She also was the recipient of the Best Actor Award at the
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in New York. On June 9, 2013, Gina won the Inaugural Lupe Award. On April 16, 2013, during an interview, she revealed she was offered a role in the
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television series '' Devious Maids'', but turned it down. On October 16, 2013, she joined the cast of the movie '' Sleeping With The Fishes''. She is also working on an album. On February 27, 2014, ''
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'' announced that Rodriguez would play the titular role of Jane Villanueva in '' Jane the Virgin'', for which she went on to win a
Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
. On June 4, 2014, Rodriguez joined the cast of the upcoming drama film ''
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''. In August 2015, she co-hosted the
2015 Teen Choice Awards The 2015 Teen Choice Awards ceremony was held on August 16, 2015, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California. The awards celebrate the year's achievements in music, film, television, sports, fashion, comedy, video games, and the Internet, and ...
with Ludacris and Josh Peck. She voiced Mary in the animated film ''
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'', which was released in November 2017, as well as Una in
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' '' Ferdinand'' a month later and played Anya in the science fiction thriller film ''
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'', opposite
Natalie Portman Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...
. She also voices
Carmen Sandiego ''Carmen Sandiego'' (sometimes referred to as ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'') is a media franchise based on a series of computer games created by the American software company Broderbund. While the original 1985 '' Where in the World ...
in the
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
animated series ''
Carmen Sandiego ''Carmen Sandiego'' (sometimes referred to as ''Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'') is a media franchise based on a series of computer games created by the American software company Broderbund. While the original 1985 '' Where in the World ...
'' which premiered on January 18, 2019. In March 2018, Netflix announced that they had acquired the live-action film rights for ''Carmen Sandiego'' and that Rodriguez would star as Sandiego in the film. Rodriguez owns the production company I Can & I Will Productions. She worked on projects at CBS and The CW centered around the Latino community. She served as a producer and starred in the 2019
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
romantic comedy film '' Someone Great'', where her character sang and danced in her underwear to Lizzo's Truth Hurts, ultimately making the song more popular and hit number one on the
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. In 2019, Rodriguez starred as the
title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...
in the action thriller film '' Miss Bala''. In the same year, it was announced that Rodriguez was cast in the upcoming Netflix science fiction thriller ''
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''. She also voiced the role of
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in the computer animated adventure film '' Scoob!''. Rodriguez served as the executive producer for the
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show ''
Diary of a Future President ''Diary of a Future President'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Ilana Peña which premiered on Disney+ on January 17, 2020. Gina Rodriguez serves as an executive producer through her company I Can & I Will Productions, wh ...
'', where she also starred as the title character as an adult. She was nominated for the
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for the show's second season.


Personal life

In an interview, Rodriguez revealed that she has suffered from
Hashimoto's disease Hashimoto's thyroiditis, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis and Hashimoto's disease, is an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid gland is gradually destroyed. Early on, symptoms may not be noticed. Over time, the thyroid may enla ...
, a thyroid condition, since the age of 19. In a 2014 interview, she said, "I grew up Catholic. I have Jewish in my family and I attend a Christian church in Hollywood. I am basically all over the place." In 2016, Rodriguez began dating actor, model, and MMA fighter Joe LoCicero, whom she met on the set of '' Jane the Virgin''. On August 7, 2018, Rodriguez confirmed in an interview with ''
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'' that she and LoCicero were engaged. On May 4, 2019, the couple married.


Philanthropy

Rodriguez has been increasingly involved with various charities and philanthropic efforts, made possible by her rising visibility as a film and television actress. Most notably, she became involved with various organizations in 2015, ranging from
CustomInk Custom Ink is an American online retail company headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia that makes custom clothing and other items such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, and tech accessories. History Custom Ink was launched in 1999 (as CustomInk) by ...
to Naja Lingerie, all of which Rodriguez has stated have a special connection to her life and experiences. On March 16, 2015, she was announced as a new member of the HSF's (Hispanic Scholarship Fund) Board of Directors. The HSF is the United States' biggest non-profit organization which supports Hispanic American higher education. Because attaining an education was the biggest priority in Rodriguez's household, coupled with her determination to work towards a degree, she was able to work towards receiving a HSF scholarship. For her placement on the Board of Directors, Rodriguez will help to support HSF in a matchless and meaningful way, therefore making sure that HSF's mission will continue to support the original values and commitment to education. Rodriguez has stated that this is a great opportunity to say thank you
o the HSF O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), plu ...
and to help open doors for Latino students to follow. Later in 2015, PACER's (The Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) National
Bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...
Prevention Center teamed up with CustomInk and enlisted the help of various celebrities, Rodriguez among them, to raise money for their fifth annual "Be Good to Each Other Campaign". Throughout the month of October 2015, people were encouraged to purchase a ''celebri-tee'' from CustomInk, who would donate all the proceeds from bullying prevention T-shirts to PACER. Rodriguez, in designing a ''celebri-tee'' which featured the phrase "Kindness Is Always In Style" in cursive print, took a stand for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion in support of bullying prevention, and stated that her parents always taught erthe power of thinking positively and treating others with respect. She also hopes that through the Be Good to Each Other Campaign, such a message could be continued to be spread to younger generations. Also in October 2015, Rodriguez was announced as a partner of Naja, a lingerie line founded in 2014 with ambitions to help women and the environment. Because Naja is
vertically integrated In microeconomics, management and international political economy, vertical integration is a term that describes the arrangement in which the supply chain of a company is integrated and owned by that company. Usually each member of the supply ...
, thereby shortening manufacturing lead times by up to eighty percent, it allows the company's savings to go towards school books, lunches, and uniforms for employees' children, and there's also an emphasis on a flexible work environment. Having seen the hardships of single mothers through a close friend from college, Rodriguez wanted to support a company that primarily employed single mothers and allowed them to work from home and provide for their families. She also cites Naja's commitment to creating lingerie for women of all shapes and sizes and encouraging body confidence as a factor for becoming involved with the lingerie line; admitting that it was a process for her to fall in love with her own body, Rodriguez also spoke on the importance of empowering women to love their own bodies and what they wear. Naja is also environmentally-conscious in its production, as more than half of all of its pieces are made of synthetics (like nylon)—that have been fabricated from recycled plastic bottles—and makes use of digital printing as a more environmentally-friendly measure. In 2016, Rodriguez was named to Oprah's ''SuperSoul 100'' list of visionaries and influential leaders. In 2017, Rodriguez, among several other artists, sang on the single "
Almost Like Praying "Almost Like Praying" is a song written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and recorded by him and numerous other artists under the collective name Artists for Puerto Rico. The song was released on October 6, 2017 by Atlantic Records to support relief effort ...
". Sparked by Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Broadway's ''
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'', all proceeds from the song benefited those affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.


Filmography


Film


Television


Directing


Awards and nominations


See also

*
Puerto Ricans in Chicago Puerto Ricans in Chicago are people living in Chicago who have ancestral connections to the island of Puerto Rico. They have contributed to the economic, social and cultural well-being of Chicago for more than seventy years. History The Pu ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Gina 1984 births Living people 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Chicago American actresses of Puerto Rican descent American people of Jewish descent American Christians American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Hispanic and Latino American actresses Tisch School of the Arts alumni American women television directors American television directors St. Ignatius College Prep alumni