America American actress Georgina Ferrera was born on April 18, 1984. Ferrera, who was born in Los Angeles to Honduran parents, showed an early interest in acting by participating in a number of school plays. With the comedy-drama Real Women Have Curves, she made her feature film debut in 2002, garnering plaudits for her work. Among other accolades, Ferrera has received an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Early in her career, Ferrera had some success with roles in films like Gotta Kick It Up! (2002), a Disney original, and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (2005), a comedy-drama for which she won the Imagen Award for Best Actress and received her first ALMA Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. She played a variety of characters on television, notably the title character on the ABC comedy-drama Ugly Betty (2006–2010). She received plaudits for her portrayal of the show's lead character, Betty Suarez, and made history by becoming the first Latina woman to win several Best Actress Awards in 2007 at the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The drama The Dry Land (2010), the comedy Our Family Wedding (2010), and the crime drama End of Watch (2012) are just a few of Ferrera's other prominent film appearances. In the How to Train Your Dragon series, which consists of the three feature films and the television show Dreamworks Dragons, she gave the voice of Astrid Hofferson. In the 2015–2021 season of the NBC workplace comedy Superstore, she co-produced and played Amy Sosa.
In 2007, Time listed her as one of the top 100 global influencers.
Ferrera was born in Los Angeles, California, the sixth child and youngest of six. Originally from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, América Griselda Ayes and Carlos Gregorio Ferrera immigrated to the US in the middle of the 1970s. Ferrera has acknowledged having Lenca ancestry. Her mother emphasised the value of a college education and served as the director of the cleaning crew for one of the Hilton Hotels. Ferrera's parents separated when she was seven, and her father moved back to Honduras. When her father passed away there in 2010, Ferrera was alienated from him.
Ferrera was raised in the Woodland Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles and went to El Camino Real High School, George Ellery Hale Middle School, and Calabash Street Elementary School. She had a small part in a school performance of Hamlet when she was seven years old, and at age 10 she played the Artful Dodger in Oliver!.
She studied acting while attending El Camino High School. She pursued a double degree in theatre and international relations when she enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC) on a presidential scholarship. She skipped out to concentrate on her acting career, but in May 2013 she earned her bachelor's degree.
Ferrera made her screen debut in Gotta Kick It Up! for The Disney Channel in July 2002. She made her feature film debut in Real Women Have Curves while enrolled in a theatrical programme at Northwestern University in that same year. Following this, Ferrera appeared in television shows like Touched by an Angel. She also made an appearance in the Kent Haruf novel-to-movie adaptation Plainsong, which also starred Aidan Quinn and Rachel Griffiths. Ferrera portrayed Victoria Roubideaux, a pregnant adolescent girl who had been expelled from her mother's home and was taken in by two nice brothers who lived alone on a farm. She played Bianca, a 17-year-old third-generation Mexican-American who is disgusted with the boys in her neighbourhood but finds romance with a boy from a neighbouring town, in the 2005 movie How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer. She made an appearance in the 2006 short film 3:52, which took home the San Diego Women Film Festival's Audience Award. She appeared in the film Steel City later that year, which was nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award and a Sundance Film Festival award. She made an appearance in Trip Cullman's Off-Broadway production of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead in December 2005.
Rise to fame and breakthrough (2006–2010)
Adapted from the popular Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea (1999-2001), Ugly Betty stars America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, the titular character, in a comedy-drama series on ABC. In the show, Ferrera plays a girl that her peers regard to be incredibly unattractive. Contrary to most "glammed up" characters, Ferrera's Betty Suarez wears braces, has bushy eyebrows and a dishevelled wig, and cosmetics and clothing meant to minimise her own appearance. Ferrera even coined the term "Bettification" to describe the process of developing her on-screen persona. The "triple crown" of television acting was won by Ferrera in 2007 when she won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Musical or Comedy. Ferrera was the first Latina woman to receive the Outstanding Lead Actress Award.
After winning the Golden Globe, Hilda L. Solis in the US House of Representatives congratulated Ferrera and praised her for "helping to break down stereotypes and provide a role model for young Latinas". Ferrera was listed among the top 100 global influencers by Time in 2007. Ferrera also received the Imagen Foundation's Creative Achievement Award in 2007. Ferrera played Carmen in The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants in 2005, and she returned to the role in The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 in 2008. She has voiced Astrid in the blockbuster animated movie How to Train Your Dragon (2010), among other roles. She also starred in The Dry Land, which had its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and screened at the Dallas International Film Festival, where it was named Best Narrative Feature and took home the top prize.
Superstore and post-Ugly Betty projects (2011–present)
On November 7, 2011, Ferrera made her stage debut in London while portraying Roxie Hart in the West End production of Chicago. The four-hour documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, which debuted on PBS on October 1 and 2, 2012, included Ferrera as a character. The show exposes women and girls who are battling to overcome extremely challenging conditions. Show of Force and Fugitive Films are the producers of the PBS TV show Half the Sky. The dark comedy It's a Disaster, in which Ferrera costarred with David Cross and Julia Stiles, had its world premiere at the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival and a limited theatrical release on April 12, 2013.
In a limited-run telenovela titled Pedro & Maria, a contemporary adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in Washington, D.C., Ferrera was cast on May 17, 2013, according to an ABC announcement. Ferrera served as the project's director, and the series had been in development at MTV since 2010. It would feature interactive online participation content from viewers. Later, ABC opted against continuing the show. Ferrera joined the cast of the upcoming NBC sitcom Superstore on March 16, 2015; she will play Amy, a floor supervisor at a superstore called Cloud 9 with ten years of experience. Ferrera worked on the series' co-production in addition to her lead part. After previously announcing a sixth season of the show, NBC announced on February 28, 2020 that Ferrera will be leaving the show at the conclusion of the fifth season in order to pursue new endeavours and spend more time with her family. Her departure was postponed till season 6 in order to give her character's arc a suitable conclusion because the COVID-19 epidemic ended Superstore's fifth season with one episode left to shoot. NBC revealed on March 10, 2021, that Ferrera would return for the one-hour series finale of the programme.
The Netflix comedy-drama series Gentefied will have Ferrera's name on the credits as an executive producer and director, it was revealed in February 2019. On February 21, 2020, the television series debuted.
The young adult novel of the same name by Erika L. Sánchez will serve as the basis for Ferrera's feature-length directorial debut, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, which will be released in February 2021. The movie, which will be co-produced by Netflix, Anonymous Content, Aevitas Creative Management, and MACRO, will be adapted by Linda Yvette Chávez.
Personality Ferrera was cast in a student movie at USC, when she first met actor, director, and writer Ryan Piers Williams. On June 27, 2011, the pair wed after becoming engaged in June 2010. Ferrera and Williams announced they were expecting their first child on January 1, 2018. On May 29, 2018, she posted on her Instagram page that she had given birth to Sebastian that month. Ferrera gave birth to Lucia on May 4, 2020. Ferrera revealed that she and Williams had been together for a total of 15 years on June 27, 2020.
American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures, her edited collection of short tales, was released by Gallery Publishing Group in 2018.
Ferrera has been part in politics. She oversaw the Hillblazers group that supported Hillary Clinton's candidature in the 2008 presidential primary along with Chelsea Clinton and Amber Tamblyn.
Ferrera went to the Democratic National Conventions in Charlotte, North Carolina (2012) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2016). She spoke to the attendees as a speaker at the 2016 convention while Lena Dunham was also present.
Through her association with the group Voto Latino and her appearances on various news programmes, Ferrera has actively worked to encourage Latinos in the US to cast their ballots. Additionally, Ferrera and Eva Longoria co-host She Se Puede, a platform for digital lifestyle that promotes voting among Latinas. As part of their ongoing efforts to inform voters about Georgia's stringent voter ID rules prior to the Georgia Senate runoff, Ferrera and Longoria recently held a textbanking event with VoteRiders.
On January 21, 2017, Ferrera delivered the keynote address during the Women's March on Washington.
On June 30, 2018, Ferrera spoke at the Families Belong Together demonstration.
Dealing With Sexual Harassment
Ferrera started participating in the #MeToo movement in October 2017, when she went public with her disclosure that she had been sexually harassed as a young child. She withheld any information concerning the harassment or the perpetrator. Ferrera was a founding participant in the Time's Up legal defence fund in January 2018.
Football Investment
The National Women's Soccer League awarded a Los Angeles franchise to a group with a majority female membership in July 2020, and Ferrera was identified as an investor in that organisation. The new squad began competition in 2022 and has subsequently been renamed Angel City FC.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2002 | Real Women Have Curves | Ana García | |
2004 | Darkness Minus Twelve | Luiza | Short film |
2005 | How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer | Blanca Garcia | |
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants | Carmen Lowell | ||
Lords of Dogtown | Thunder Monkey | ||
3:52 | Kate | ||
2006 | Steel City | Amy Barnes | |
2007 | Muertas | Rebecca | Short film; also executive producer |
Towards Darkness (Hacia la oscuridad) | Luiza | Also executive producer | |
Under the Same Moon | Martha | ||
2008 | The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 | Carmen Lowell | |
Tinker Bell | Fawn | Direct-to-video; voice role | |
2010 | The Dry Land | Sarah | Also executive producer |
Our Family Wedding | Lucia Ramirez | ||
How to Train Your Dragon | Astrid Hofferson | Voice role | |
Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon | Short film; voice role | ||
2011 | Book of Dragons | ||
Gift of the Night Fury | |||
2012 | It's a Disaster | Hedy Galili | |
End of Watch | Officer Orozco | ||
Half the Sky | Herself | Documentary film | |
2014 | César Chávez | Helen Chávez | |
X/Y | Silvia | Also producer | |
How to Train Your Dragon 2 | Astrid Hofferson | Voice role | |
Dawn of the Dragon Racers | Short film; voice role | ||
2016 | Special Correspondents | Brigida | |
2019 | How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | Astrid Hofferson | Voice role |
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming | Short film; voice role | ||
2023 | Barbie | TBA | Filming |
Dumb Money | TBA | Filming | |
2024 | Elio | Olga Solis | Voice role, in production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2002–2008, 2010–2011 | Independent Lens | Herself / Host | Seasons 5–9, 12–13 |
2002 | Touched by an Angel | Charlee | Episode: "The Word" |
Gotta Kick It Up! | Yolanda "Yoli" Vargas | Disney Channel Original Movie | |
2004 | Plainsong | Victoria Roubideaux | Hallmark Hall of Fame movie |
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | April Perez | Episode: "Harvest" | |
2006–2010 | Ugly Betty | Betty Suarez | Lead role; 85 episodes |
2011 | Handy Manny | Graciela Morales | Episode: "Snow Problem"; voice |
2011–2013 | The Good Wife | Natalie Flores | 4 episodes |
2012–2018 | DreamWorks Dragons | Astrid Hofferson | Main cast; voice |
2014 | Years of Living Dangerously | Herself | Episode: "Winds of Change" |
2015 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | Maternity | Episode: "Paid Family Leave" |
Inside Amy Schumer | Mena | Episode: "80s Ladies" | |
2015–2021 | Superstore | Amelia "Amy" Sosa | Main cast, 103 episodes; also co-producer and director of episodes: "Mateo's Last Day", "Video Game Release", "Sandra's Fight", "Lady Boss" |
2016 | Lip Sync Battle | Herself | Episode: "America Ferrera vs. Amber Tamblyn" |
2017 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Vanessa Nadal (Lin's wife) | Episode: "The Shucker" |
2020 | Gentefied | Andy Cruz | Episode: "The Mural"; also executive producer and director |
2022 | WeCrashed | Elishia Kennedy | Main role |
Web
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2012 | Christine | Christine | Main cast; 12 episodes |
2015 | What's Your Emergency | Brenda Fitzgerald | 2 episodes |
2017 | Gente-fied | Executive producer |
Music video
Title | Year | Performer(s) | Director | Album | Ref. |
"Family Feud" | 2017 | Jay-Z (featuring Beyoncé) | Ava DuVernay | 4:44 |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
2002 | Sundance Film Festival | Special Jury Prize: Dramatic | Real Women Have Curves | Won |
2003 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Debut Performance | Nominated | |
Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress | Nominated | ||
2005 | Satellite Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role, Comedy or Musical | The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants | Nominated |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Breakout Performance – Female | Nominated | ||
Choice Movie Hissy Fit | Nominated | |||
2006 | ALMA Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Nominated | |
Imagen Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical | Ugly Betty | Nominated | |
2007 | ALMA Awards | Outstanding Actress – Television Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie | Won | |
NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
Imagen Awards | Best Actress – Television | Won | ||
Creative Achievement Award | — | Won | ||
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Ugly Betty | Won | |
Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Won | ||
Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical | Won | ||
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Won | ||
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared with cast) | Nominated | |||
Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV: Breakout | Won | ||
Choice TV Actress: Comedy | Nominated | |||
TCA Awards | Individual Achievement in Comedy | Nominated | ||
2008 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |
NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Won | ||
Imagen Awards | Best Actress – Television | Nominated | ||
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical | Nominated | ||
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (shared with cast) | Nominated | |||
Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Comedy | Nominated | ||
2009 | ALMA Awards | Actress in Television – Comedy | Nominated | |
Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical | Nominated | ||
NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
Imagen Awards | Best Actress – Television | Nominated | ||
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Television Actress | Nominated | ||
New York Women in Film & Television | Muse Award | — | Won | |
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Ugly Betty | Nominated | |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Comedy | Nominated | ||
2010 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
Imagen Awards | Best Actress – Television | Won | ||
Best Actress – Film | The Dry Land | Nominated | ||
Our Family Wedding | Nominated | |||
2011 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Actress-Animated Female Film | How to Train Your Dragon | Won |
2016 | Imagen Awards | Best Actress – Television | Superstore | Nominated |
2017 | Gracie Awards | Actress in a Leading Role - Comedy or Musical | Won | |
Golden Nymph Awards | Best Actress - Comedy | Nominated | ||
2020 | National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Awards | Outstanding Series Producer Award | Superstore and Gentefied | Won |
Quick bio
Nickname | Not Known |
Gender | Female |
Age | 39 years old (in 2023) |
Date of Birth | April 18, 1984 |
Full Name | America Georgine Ferrera |
Profession | Actress, Voice-over Artist, Producer |
Nationality | American |
Birthplace | Los Angeles, California, United States |
Religion | Not Known |
Zodiac Sign | Aries |
School | El Camino Real Charter High School |
College | University of Southern California |
Profession | Actress, Voice-over Artist, Producer |
Net Worth | USD $16 million approx. |
Height, Weight & Physical Stats
Body Measurements | 37-26-37 inches |
Body type | Hourglass |
Height | 5 feet 0 inches (1.55 m) |
Weight | 59 kg (130 lbs) |
Waist | 26 inches |
Hair Color | Blonde |
Eye Color | Blue |
Shoe Size | 6.5 (US) |
Dress Size | 12 (US) |
Family & Relatives
Father | Carlos Gregorio Ferrera |
Mother | América Griselda Ayes |
Marital Status | Married |
Husband | Ryan Piers Williams (m. 2011) |
No. of Children | 1 |
Son | Sebastian Piers Williams |
Facts
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