America Ferrera

Biography

America Georgina Ferrera (born April 18, 1984) is a multifaceted American actress, director, and television producer. She has been honored with several prestigious awards throughout her career, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has received an Academy Award nomination. In recognition of her impact, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in both 2007 and 2024, while the BBC included her in its 2023 list of 100 Women.

From a young age, Ferrera was drawn to the performing arts, participating in various school theater productions. She made her film debut in 2002 with the acclaimed comedy-drama Real Women Have Curves, which set the stage for her burgeoning career. Early on, she found success with roles in films like the comedy-drama Gotta Kick It Up! (2002) and the beloved The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005). However, it was her portrayal of Betty Suarez in the ABC series Ugly Betty (2006–2010) that truly catapulted her to fame, earning her a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series—the first Latina to achieve this honor.

Her filmography also includes The Dry Land (2010), Our Family Wedding (2010), End of Watch (2012), and Barbie (2023), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Additionally, Ferrera voiced the character Astrid Hofferson in the How to Train Your Dragon series (2010–2019) and co-produced and starred in the NBC sitcom Superstore (2015–2021).