Rosie Perez
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Rosa Maria Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress. Her breakthrough came at age 24 with her portrayal of Tina in the film Do the Right Thing (1989), followed by White Men Can't Jump (1992). Perez's performance in Fearless (1993) earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, among other accolades. Her starring film roles since include It Could Happen to You (1994), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Pineapple Express (2008), and Birds of Prey (2020).
Perez earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for In Living Color (1990–1994) and another Emmy nomination for her work in The Flight Attendant (2020–22). She has performed in stage plays on Broadway such as The Ritz, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, and Fish in the Dark. She was also a co-host on the ABC talk show The View during the series' 18th season. Perez additionally had a role in season 2 of the Showtime series, Your Honor.
Early life
Perez was born on September 6, 1964, in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, to Lydia Pérez and Ismael Serrano, a merchant marine seaman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=NYTimes-Dali-2001>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Indypendent-YoSoy-2006>Template:Cite news</ref> Her mother Lydia (née Fontañez y Reyes) was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Her father was from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Her mother was married to a man 20 years her senior, Arturo Pérez. Her mother already had five children when she became pregnant with Rosie after having an affair with Serrano. Perez was born at the now-closed Greenpoint Hospital in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn.<ref name=LarryKingNow-View-2014 />
One of 10 children born to her mother, Perez grew up in Bushwick with her siblings while their mother was intermittently jailed. Her mother gave birth to her youngest child while incarcerated. Perez was for a time raised by an aunt and then, like her siblings, went through group homes and foster care. She and her siblings were often split up. She was transferred to a group foster home and lived in foster care in New York and Peekskill until the age of eight. She was legally considered a ward of the State of New York until age 12. Her mother and aunt frequently visited, and her father made an unsuccessful custody bid at one point.<ref name=CNN-Handbook-2014 /><ref name=NYDN-Handbook-2014>Template:Cite news</ref>
When she was in third grade, Perez learned that she had a speech impediment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She had a strict Catholic upbringing, which she has credited to the influence of the nuns during her childhood.<ref name=LarryKingNow-View-2014 /><ref name=Vibe-Fearless-1993-1994>Template:Cite news</ref> She eventually moved in with her paternal aunt, Ana Dominga Otero Serrano-Roque.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
She attended Grover Cleveland High School, in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens.<ref name=CapitalNY-HighSchool-2012>Template:Cite news</ref> By 1999, her mother was living in poverty in the Woodside Houses, when she died of AIDS-related complications.<ref name=NYDN-Handbook-2014 />
Career
At 19 years old,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Perez started her career in the early 1980s as a dancer on Soul Train. As a student at Los Angeles City College,Template:Citation needed with plans to major in biochemistry,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> she said she relieved stress by going to nightclubs for ladies' night. A talent scout from Soul Train asked Perez to appear on the show. She was not a professional dancer, but loved it so much she dropped out of school.<ref name=LarryKingNow-View-2014 /> In 1988, when she was 23 years old, Perez was noticed at the dance club Funky Reggae<ref name=TCM-Bio>Template:Cite web</ref> by Spike Lee, who hired her for her first major acting role in Do the Right Thing (1989).<ref name=NewYork-DTRT-2008>Template:Cite news</ref>
Perez later choreographed music videos by Janet Jackson, Bobby Brown, Diana Ross, LL Cool J and The Boys.<ref name=Vibe-Fearless-1993-1994 /> She was the choreographer for the dancing group the Fly Girls, who were featured on the Fox television comedy program In Living Color, and also worked as a segment producer.<ref name=Ebert-Sundance-1999>Template:Cite news</ref> She made her Broadway debut in Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.<ref name=Playbill-Frankie-2003>Template:Cite news</ref> Perez had her third major role in the hit comedy White Men Can't Jump (1992) co-starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson.
Perez was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Peter Weir's 1993 film Fearless.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She attended the ceremony with her father.<ref name="NYTimes-66AcademyAwards-1994">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1994, she co-starred with Nicolas Cage in It Could Happen to You. In 1997, she co-starred with Javier Bardem in Perdita Durango where she played the titular character, a film in which many scenes of violence, sex and nudity were edited out of the version released in the United States but remained intact in the version released throughout Latin America.<ref name=SensesofCinema-Perdita-2000>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1999, Perez starred in Nancy Savoca's The 24 Hour Woman.<ref name=NYTimes-24Hour-1999>Template:Cite news</ref> She provides the voices of Click, the camera, on Nick Jr.'s Go, Diego, Go! (2005-11) and Chel, a beautiful native woman in the DreamWorks Animation film The Road to El Dorado (2000). She played corrupt police officer Carol Brazier in the Judd Apatow-produced film Pineapple Express (2008), co-starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.
Perez appeared on an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in October 2009 about pedophiles' rights. Executive producer Neal Baer said the writers had Perez in mind when they wrote the role of a young sexual abuse victim's mother.<ref name=TVGuide-SVU-2009>Template:Cite news</ref> She injured her neck while filming the episode and underwent surgery to heal a herniated disc.<ref name=SFChron-neckscar-2010>Template:Cite news</ref> One year after the accident, she appeared at the White House in a wheelchair, wearing a neck brace for a meeting with President Obama.<ref name=USAToday-SVU-2010>Template:Cite news</ref> In May 2011, Perez filed a lawsuit against the producers of the show, saying the injury she incurred was the result of being "recklessly pulled, grabbed, yanked, wrenched and manhandled" during filming.<ref name=DailyNews-SVUsettlement-2012>Template:Cite news</ref>
In June 2013, she served as the grand marshal for the international Boxing Hall of Fame parade in Canastota, New York.<ref name="RingTV-2013">Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2014, Perez published an autobiography titled Handbook for an Unpredictable Life: How I Survived Sister Renata and My Crazy Mother, and Still Came Out Smiling... She is also the reader of the audio CD of this book. Perez said that she did not initially set out to write an autobiography, but rather a book that analyzes the causes and effects of child abuse. She said it was not until about six months after the book was published and she heard responses from others that she found the experience cathartic.<ref name=LarryKingNow-View-2014/>
On September 3 of the same year, ABC announced Perez would join The View as a new co-host alongside moderator Whoopi Goldberg, newcomer Nicolle Wallace, and returning co-host Rosie O'Donnell.<ref name=ABC-ViewAnnouncement-2014>Template:Cite news</ref> The new season began on September 15, 2014.<ref name=People-ViewReview-2014>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=EW-View-2014>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Perez said she was initially hesitant about the job because "I didn't want to be on a show where people were just screaming at each other disrespectfully."<ref name=LarryKingNow-View-2014 /> She decided to join the cast when she learned that Bill Wolff, whom she knew from The Rachel Maddow Show, was going to be the new executive producer.<ref name=LarryKingNow-View-2014 /><ref name=HuffPo-View-2014>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=ColorLines-Maddow-Romney-2014>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2015, she returned to Broadway to star in Fish in the Dark, a play written by Larry David.<ref name=CNN-Handbook-2014>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Vogue-Career-2014>Template:Cite news</ref> On July 8, 2015, Perez announced she would be leaving The View.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2018, in a series regular role, Perez portrayed Tracey Wolfe in the NBC musical drama television series Rise, which ran for one season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She starred in the 2020 superhero film Birds of Prey, as the DC Entertainment superhero Renee Montoya / Question.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Later that year, Perez starred in the comedy-drama series The Flight Attendant. She earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2021 Perez starred in the film adaptation of the children's book series Clifford the Big Red Dog.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2023, she had a role in season 2 of the Showtime series Your Honor.
She was an official commentator for the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Activism
Perez is an activist for Puerto Rican rights:
- Her film Yo soy Boricua, pa'que tu lo sepas! (I'm Puerto Rican, Just So You Know!) documents her activism.<ref name=Centro-YoSoy-2007>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=NYTimes-YoSoy-2006>Template:Cite news</ref>
- She starred in and directed the Spanish AIDS PSA campaign "Join the Fight" for Cable Positive and Kismet Films. The campaign featured actor Wilmer Valderrama, BET's Julissa Bermudez, Telenovela actor Erick Elías, singer/actress Lorena Rojas, 2006–2007 Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera and actress Judy Marte. An English-language campaign was also directed by Liev Schreiber.
- US President Barack Obama appointed her to The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). She was sworn in on February 2, 2010.
- On January 6, 2000, she was arrested for disorderly conduct in Manhattan following a rally to protest against the U.S. Navy air weapons training, as well as other forms of payload on the government training range owned at Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico.
- Perez serves as the chair of the artistic board for Urban Arts Partnership,<ref name=UrbanArts-Board-2013>Template:Cite web</ref> a New York City arts education nonprofit that uses arts integrated education programs to close the achievement gap.
Personal life
Perez has suffered from high anxiety, PTSD, and depression, but with therapy, it has been greatly reduced.<ref name=CNN-Handbook-2014 /><ref name=LarryKingNow-View-2014>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=LatinPost-Madonna2Pac-2014>Template:Cite news</ref>
Perez married filmmaker and playwright Seth Zvi Rosenfeld in 1998. The couple divorced in 2001 after 3 years together.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She married artist Eric Haze on September 15, 2013, in Las Vegas. They live in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn as of 2014.<ref name=NYDN-Handbook-2014 />
Awards and nominations
Template:Main (2021) NHMC Impact Awards (Outstanding Performance in a Series) <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Do the Right Thing | Tina | |
| 1990 | Criminal Justice | Denise Moore | TV movie |
| 1991 | Night on Earth | Angela | |
| 1992 | White Men Can't Jump | Gloria Clemente | |
| 1993 | Untamed Heart | Cindy | |
| Fearless | Carla Rodrigo | ||
| 1994 | It Could Happen to You | Muriel Lang | |
| Somebody to Love | Mercedes | ||
| 1997 | A Brother's Kiss | Debbie | |
| Perdita Durango | Perdita Durango | ||
| 1998 | Louis & Frank | - | |
| 1999 | The 24 Hour Woman | Grace Santos | |
| 2000 | The Road to El Dorado | Chel (voice) | |
| King of the Jungle | Joanne | ||
| 2001 | Human Nature | Louise | |
| Riding in Cars with Boys | Shirley Perro | ||
| 2003 | From the 104th Floor | Narrator (voice) | Short |
| 2004 | Exactly | Angela | Short |
| 2005 | Lackawanna Blues | Bertha | TV movie |
| 2006 | Just Like the Son | Mrs. Ponders | |
| Lolo's Cafe | Maria (voice) | Short | |
| 2007 | The Take | Marina De La Pena | |
| 2008 | Pineapple Express | Officer Carol Brazier | |
| 2010 | The Other Guys | Herself | |
| Pete Smalls Is Dead | Julia | ||
| Lies in Plain Sight | Marisol Reyes | TV movie | |
| 2012 | Small Apartments | Ms. Baker | |
| Won't Back Down | Brenna Harper | ||
| 2013 | The Counselor | Ruth | |
| The Being Experience | Herself | ||
| Gods Behaving Badly | Persephone | ||
| 2014 | The Hero of Color City | Red (voice) | |
| Fugly! | Zowie | ||
| 2015 | Pitch Perfect 2 | The View Host | |
| Puerto Ricans in Paris | Gloria | ||
| Five Nights in Maine | Ann | ||
| 2017 | Active Adults | Zoe | |
| 2019 | The Dead Don't Die | Posie Juarez | |
| Inside the Rain | Dr. Holloway | ||
| 2020 | Birds of Prey | Renee Montoya | |
| The Last Thing He Wanted | Alma Guerrero | ||
| For NYC | Herself | Short | |
| 2021 | With/In: Volume 1 | Coco | |
| Clifford the Big Red Dog | Lucille | ||
| 2025 | Highest 2 Lowest | Herself |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 21 Jump Street | Rosie Martinez | Episode: "2245" |
| 1990–91 | WIOU | Lucy Hernandez | Recurring Cast |
| 1990–93 | In Living Color | Fly Girl/Choreographer | Main Cast: Season 1–4 |
| 1991 | Great Performances | Herself | Episode: "Everybody Dance Now" |
| 1992 | It's Showtime at the Apollo | Herself/Guest Host | Episode: "Episode #6.4" |
| 1995 | In a New Light: Sex Unplugged | Herself/Host | Main Host |
| Frasier | Francesca | Episode: "Roz in the Doghouse" | |
| 1995–00 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Various (voice) | Guest Cast: Season 1-3 |
| 1996 | Saturday Night Special | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.4" |
| 1997 | Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground | Mystery Girl | Episode: "Love on the A Train" |
| 1999 | Little Bill | Valencia | Episode: "Monty's Roar/Natural Root Pals" |
| 2002 | One World Jam: A Concert for Global Harmony | Herself/Host | Main Host |
| Gotham Awards | Herself/Co-Host | Main Co-Host | |
| Widows | Linda Perelli | Main Cast | |
| 2003 | XXI Century | Herself | Episode: "War, Peace, and Patriotism" |
| 2004 | Whoopi's Littleburg | The Flashlight Lady | Episode: "But I Still Like You" |
| Frasier | Lizbeth | Episode: "Crock Tales" | |
| 2005 | All the Invisible Children | Ruthie | Episode: "Jesus Children of America" |
| 2005–11 | Go, Diego, Go! | Click (voice) | Main Cast |
| 2008–09 | Lipstick Jungle | Dahlia Morales | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Eva Banks | Episode: "Hardwired" |
| 2010 | VH1 Rock Docs | Herself | Episode: "Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America" |
| Dora the Explorer | La Bruja (voice) | Episode: "Dora's Big Birthday Adventure" | |
| 2012 | Fish Hooks | Chichelsea Chihuahua (voice) | Episode: "Bea Dates Milo" |
| Nurse Jackie | Jules | Episode: "Slow Growing Monsters" | |
| Falcón | Madeleine Flowers | Episode: "The Silent and the Damned" | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Herself/Guest Judge | Episode: "All Star Girl Groups" | |
| 2012–13 | The Cleveland Show | Choni (voice) | Recurring Cast: Season 3-4 |
| 2013 | Anderson Live | Herself/Co-Host | Episode: "Co-Host Rosie Perez/'Spartacus" |
| In the Woods | Herself | Main Cast | |
| American Latino TV | Herself | Episode: "Episode #12.6" | |
| 2014 | Park Bench with Steve Buscemi | Herself | Episode: "Hair Apparent" |
| 2014–15 | The View | Herself/Co-Host | Guest Co-Host: Season 17, Main Co-Host: Season 18 |
| 2014–17 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Aunt Rose (voice) | Recurring Cast |
| 2015 | The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore | Herself/Panelist | Episode: "Starbucks's "Race Together" Campaign" |
| American Masters | Herself | Episode: "The Women's List" | |
| 2016 | Search Party | Lorraine De Coss | Recurring Cast: Season 1 |
| 2017 | Then and Now with Andy Cohen | Herself | Recurring Guest |
| Nightcap | Herself | Episode: "Guest in a Snake" | |
| Pure | Phoebe O'Reilly | Main Cast: Season 1 | |
| 2017–19 | Bounty Hunters | Nina Morales | Main Cast |
| Elena of Avalor | Dulce (voice) | Recurring Cast: Season 2, Guest: Season 3 | |
| 2018 | Unsung | Herself | Episode: "The Boys" |
| Project Runway All Stars | Herself/Guest Judge | Episode: "Posen on the Red Carpet" | |
| Rise | Tracey Wolfe | Main Cast | |
| 2019 | High Maintenance | Adriana | Episode: "Proxy" |
| She's Gotta Have It | Doña Lucy Christina | Episode: "#OhJudoKnow?" | |
| 2020–22 | The Flight Attendant | Megan Briscoe | Main Cast |
| 2021 | Mike Tyson: The Knockout | Herself | Episode: "Part 1-2" |
| NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½ | Herself | Episode: "Part 1-4" | |
| Maya and the Three | Cipactli (voice) | Recurring Cast | |
| 2022 | Black Market with Michael K. Williams | Herself/Guest Host | Episode: "Thirst Trap" |
| The DAZN Boxing Show | Herself/Analyst | Episode: "Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin III: Weigh-In" | |
| Now & Then | Flora Neruda | Main Cast | |
| Big City Greens | Mrs. Torres | Episode: "The Delivernator" | |
| 2022–23 | Human Resources | Petra the Ambition Gremlin (voice) | Recurring Cast |
| 2023 | Your Honor | Olivia Delmont | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2024 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself/Guest Judge | Episode: "Soul Train Night" |
| SpongeBob SquarePants | Suzie Groove (voice) | Episode: "Tango Tangle" | |
| Fantasmas | Bianca | Episode: "The Void" | |
| City Island | Rosey Rivet (voice) | Episode: "Maker Hill" | |
| Before | Denise | Main Cast | |
| 2023–25 | Big Mouth | Petra (voice) | Guest Cast: Season 7-8 |
| 2024–25 | Grimsburg | Martina Martinez (voice) | Recurring Cast |
Music video
| Year | Artist | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Joyce Irby featuring Doug E. Fresh | "Mr. DJ" |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Playwright | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune | Frankie (replacement) | Terrence McNally | Belasco Theatre, Broadway |
| 2004 | Reckless | Pooty / Sue | Craig Lucas | Biltmore Theatre, Broadway |
| 2007 | The Ritz | Googie Gomez | Terrence McNally | Studio 54, Broadway |
| 2015 | Fish in the Dark | Fabiana Melendez | Larry David | Cort Theatre, Broadway |
Documentary
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 2000 | My Generation |
| 2005 | Yo soy Boricua, pa'que tu lo sepas! |
| 2006 | Home |
| 2008 | Big Pun: The Legacy |
| 2011 | Brooklyn Boheme |
| 2015 | Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives |
| 2016 | Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall |
| Muhammad Ali: A Life | |
| 2017 | My Name Is Pedro |
| 2018 | Pa'lante |
| 2020 | Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics |
Published works
References
External links
Template:S-start Template:S-media Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:S-end
- 1964 births
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Activists from New York (state)
- Actresses from Brooklyn
- American actresses of Puerto Rican descent
- American choreographers
- American film actresses
- American health activists
- American HIV/AIDS activists
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- American voice actresses
- Hispanic and Latino American actresses
- Living people
- Los Angeles City College alumni
- People from Bushwick, Brooklyn
- People from Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
- Theatre World Award winners
- West Los Angeles College alumni