America Georgina Ferrera[1] (; born April 18, 1984)
[2] is an American actress, director and television producer. She has received numerous accolades, including a
Primetime Emmy Award, a
Golden Globe Award, and a
Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to a nomination for an
Academy Award. In 2007,
Time named her one of the
100 most influential people in the world and in 2023, she was named in
BBC's
100 Women list.
[3]
Ferrera developed an interest in acting at a young age, performing in several stage productions at her school. She made her feature film debut in 2002 with the comedy-drama
Real Women Have Curves, earning praise for her performance. She achieved modest success early in her career with roles in films such as the comedy-dramas
Gotta Kick It Up! (2002) and
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005). She garnered further critical acclaim and recognition for her starring role as
Betty Suarez in the
ABC comedy-drama series
Ugly Betty (2006–2010). For her performance, she won a
Golden Globe Award, a
Screen Actors Guild Award, and a
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, the first for a Latina woman in the category.
