Jaina Lee Ortiz (born Jessica Ortiz; November 20, 1986) is an American actress and dancer. She is known for her starring role as Detective Annalise Villa on the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

police drama ''

Rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. True rosewoods All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in ...

'' from 2015 to 2017. In 2018, she began starring as lead in the ABC drama series ''

Station 19 ''Station 19'' is an American action-drama television series created by Stacy McKee for ABC that premiered on March 22, 2018. It is the second spin-off of ''Grey's Anatomy'' (after ''Private Practice''). Set in Seattle, the series focuses on th ...

''.

Early life

Ortiz was born November 20, 1986 in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and raised in

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Ortiz's father, Joe Ortiz, is Puerto Rican and a retired NYPD first grade detective. She began her dance training at the age of nine by taking

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music *Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particular ...

classes; and, at the age of 15, she began teaching. By the next year, Ortiz was traveling internationally as a professional instructor and performer.

Career

Ortiz got her start in acting by appearing in student films. She then studied for two years at Maggie Flanigan Studios, where she learned the

Meisner technique The Meisner technique is an approach to acting developed by American theatre practitioner Sanford Meisner. The goal of the Meisner approach is for the actor to not focus on themselves and instead concentrate on the other actors in the immediate ...

. In 2009, Ortiz auditioned and was cast on the second season of

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

’s reality show '' Scream Queens'', where she and nine other aspiring actresses competed in challenges based on acting for the opportunity to win the prize of a role in

Saw 3D ''Saw 3D'' (also known as ''Saw: The Final Chapter'') is a 2010 American 3D horror film directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sequel to 2009's ''Saw VI'' and seventh installment in the ''Saw'' f ...

. The show premiered on August 2, 2010 and on the season finale, Ortiz was named first runner-up. In 2012, Ortiz was in a photo used in the ''

Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American family sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for 11 seasons, from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of thr ...

'' episode ''Yard Sale'' where she was beauty pageant contestant Miss Galapa. In 2013, Ortiz landed the role as a series regular in ''

The After ''The After'' is an American science fiction drama pilot created by Chris Carter for Amazon Studios. Along with '' Bosch'', the premiere episode was one of two drama pilots Amazon released online in February 2014. Viewers were allowed to offer ...

'', produced by ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'' creator, Chris Carter. The pilot, which began airing via

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pri ...

in February 2014, received positive feedback and was ordered to series. However, on January 5, 2015,

Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...

announced they would no longer move forward with the show. Two months later, Ortiz was cast as the female lead in a pilot tentatively titled ''Rosewood'', playing opposite

Morris Chestnut Morris Lamont Chestnut (born January 1, 1969) is an American actor. He first came to prominence for his role as Ricky in the 1991 film ''Boyz n the Hood''. He has appeared in feature films and on television series, including the starring role of ...

. The pilot was greenlit to series in May 2015. ''

'' premiered on September 23, 2015 on

. The series was canceled after two seasons in May 2017. Later that year, she had a recurring role during the second season of USA Network drama series, ''

Shooter Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, Bow and arrow, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or Blowgun, blowpipe). Even the acts of launching Flamethrower, flame, artillery, Dart (missile), darts, ha ...

''. Ortiz also has appeared in the comedy film ''

Girls Trip ''Girls Trip'' is a 2017 American comedy film starring Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, and Jada Pinkett Smith. The film is directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, from a story by the pair and Erica R ...

'', playing herself. In 2017, Ortiz was cast in a leading role on the spin-off to ABC longest-running drama series ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

'', titled ''

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Images of Jaina Lee Ortiz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz, Jaina Lee Living people 1986 births 21st-century American actresses 21st-century Puerto Rican actresses Actresses from California Actresses from New York City American actresses of Puerto Rican descent American female dancers American television actresses Dance teachers Dancers from New York (state) Hispanic and Latino American actresses Participants in American reality television series People from the Bronx Puerto Rican television actresses Salsa dancers