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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). Her starring film roles since include It Could Happen to You (1994), The Road to El Dorado (2000), The Take (2007), Pineapple Express (2008), and Birds of Prey (2020).

Among other accolades, Perez was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Fearless in 1994. Perez earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for In Living Color (1990–94) 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.


Early life
Perez was born on September 6, 1964, in the Bushwick neighborhood of , New York City, to Lydia Pérez and Ismael Serrano, a seaman. 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.

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 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.

When she was in third grade, Perez learned that she had a speech impediment. She had a strict Catholic upbringing, which she has credited to the influence of the nuns during her childhood. She eventually moved in with her paternal aunt, Ana Dominga Otero Serrano-Roque.

She attended Grover Cleveland High School, in the Ridgewood neighborhood of . By 1999, her mother was living in poverty in the Woodside Houses, when she died of -related complications.


Career
At 19 years old, Perez started her career in the early 1980s as a dancer on . As a student at Los Angeles City College, with plans to major in , 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. In 1988, when she was 23 years old, Perez was noticed at the dance club Funky Reggae by , who hired her for her first major acting role in Do the Right Thing (1989).

Perez later choreographed by , , , LL Cool J and The Boys. 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. She made her debut in 's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Perez had her third major role in the hit comedy White Men Can't Jump (1992) co-starring and .

Perez was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 's 1993 film Fearless. She attended the ceremony with her father. In 1994, she co-starred with in It Could Happen to You. In 1997, she co-starred with in 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. In 1999, Perez starred in 's The 24 Hour Woman. 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 -produced film Pineapple Express (2008), co-starring and .

Perez appeared on an episode of in October 2009 about pedophiles' rights. Executive producer said the writers had Perez in mind when they wrote the role of a young sexual abuse victim's mother. She injured her neck while filming the episode and underwent surgery to heal a herniated disc. One year after the accident, she appeared at the White House in a wheelchair, wearing a neck brace for a meeting with President Obama. 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.

In June 2013, she served as the grand marshal for the international Boxing Hall of Fame parade in Canastota, New York. 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.

On September 3 of the same year, ABC announced Perez would join The View as a new co-host alongside moderator , newcomer , and returning co-host Rosie O'Donnell. The new season began on September 15, 2014. 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." 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. In 2015, she returned to Broadway to star in Fish in the Dark, a play written by . On July 8, 2015, Perez announced she would be leaving The View.

In 2018, in a series regular role, Perez portrayed Tracey Wolfe in the musical drama television series Rise, which ran for one season. She starred in the 2020 superhero film Birds of Prey, as the / Question. 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.

In 2021 Perez starred in the film adaptation of the children's book series Clifford the Big Red Dog. 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.


Activism
Perez is an 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.
  • She starred in and directed the Spanish PSA campaign "Join the Fight" for Cable Positive and Kismet Films. The campaign featured actor Wilmer Valderrama, BET's , actor Erick Elías, singer/actress , 2006–2007 and actress . An English-language campaign was also directed by .
  • US President 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 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 .
  • Perez serves as the chair of the artistic board for Urban Arts Partnership, 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, , and depression, but with therapy, it has been greatly reduced.

Perez married filmmaker and playwright Seth Zvi Rosenfeld in 1998. The couple divorced in 2001 after three years together. She married artist on September 15, 2013, in . They live in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn as of 2014.


Awards and nominations
(2021) NHMC Impact Awards (Outstanding Performance in a Series)


Filmography

Film
1989Do the Right ThingTina
1990Criminal JusticeDenise MooreTV movie
1991Night on EarthAngela
1992White Men Can't JumpGloria Clemente
1993Cindy
FearlessCarla Rodrigo
1994It Could Happen to YouMuriel Lang
Somebody to LoveMercedes
1997A Brother's KissDebbie
Perdita Durango
1998Louis & Frank-
1999The 24 Hour WomanGrace Santos
2000The Road to El DoradoChel (voice)
King of the JungleJoanne
2001Human NatureLouise
Riding in Cars with BoysShirley Perro
2003From the 104th FloorNarrator (voice)Short
2004ExactlyAngelaShort
2005Lackawanna BluesBerthaTV movie
2006Just Like the SonMrs. Ponders
Lolo's CafeMaria (voice)Short
2007The TakeMarina De La Pena
2008Pineapple ExpressOfficer Carol Brazier
2010The Other GuysHerself
Pete Smalls Is DeadJulia
Lies in Plain SightMarisol ReyesTV movie
2012Ms. Baker
Won't Back DownBrenna Harper
2013Ruth
The Being ExperienceHerself
Gods Behaving Badly
2014The Hero of Color CityRed (voice)
Fugly!Zowie
2015Pitch Perfect 2The View Host
Puerto Ricans in ParisGloria
Five Nights in MaineAnn
2017Zoe
2019The Dead Don't DiePosie Juarez
Inside the RainDr. Holloway
2020Birds of Prey
The Last Thing He WantedAlma Guerrero
For NYCHerselfShort
2021Coco
Clifford the Big Red DogLucille
2025Highest 2 LowestHerself


Television
199021 Jump StreetRosie MartinezEpisode: "2245"
1990–91WIOULucy HernandezRecurring Cast
1990–93In Living ColorFly Girl/ChoreographerMain Cast: Season 1–4
1991Great PerformancesHerselfEpisode: "Everybody Dance Now"
1992It's Showtime at the ApolloHerself/Guest HostEpisode: "Episode #6.4"
1995In a New Light: Sex UnpluggedHerself/HostMain Host
FrancescaEpisode: "Roz in the Doghouse"
1995–2000Various (voice)Guest Cast: Season 1-3
1996Saturday Night SpecialHerselfEpisode: "Episode #1.4"
1997: Tales from the UndergroundMystery GirlEpisode: "Love on the A Train"
1999ValenciaEpisode: "Monty's Roar/Natural Root Pals"
2002One World Jam: A Concert for Global HarmonyHerself/HostMain Host
Gotham AwardsHerself/Co-HostMain Co-Host
WidowsLinda PerelliMain Cast
2003XXI CenturyHerselfEpisode: "War, Peace, and Patriotism"
2004Whoopi's LittleburgThe Flashlight LadyEpisode: "But I Still Like You"
LizbethEpisode: "Crock Tales"
2005All the Invisible ChildrenRuthieEpisode: "Jesus Children of America"
2005–11Go, Diego, Go!Click (voice)Main Cast
2008–09Lipstick JungleDahlia MoralesRecurring Cast: Season 2
2009Eva BanksEpisode: "Hardwired"
2010VH1 Rock DocsHerselfEpisode: "Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America"
Dora the ExplorerLa Bruja (voice)Episode: "Dora's Big Birthday Adventure"
2012Chichelsea Chihuahua (voice)Episode: "Bea Dates Milo"
JulesEpisode: "Slow Growing Monsters"
FalcónMadeleine FlowersEpisode: "The Silent and the Damned"
RuPaul's Drag Race All StarsHerself/Guest JudgeEpisode: "All Star Girl Groups"
2012–13The Cleveland ShowChoni (voice)Recurring Cast: Season 3-4
2013Herself/Co-HostEpisode: "Co-Host Rosie Perez/'Spartacus"
In the WoodsHerselfMain Cast
American Latino TVHerselfEpisode: "Episode #12.6"
2014Park Bench with Steve BuscemiHerselfEpisode: "Hair Apparent"
2014–15The ViewHerself/Co-HostGuest Co-Host: Season 17, Main Co-Host: Season 18
2014–17Aunt Rose (voice)Recurring Cast
2015The Nightly Show with Larry WilmoreHerself/PanelistEpisode: "Starbucks's "Race Together" Campaign"
HerselfEpisode: "The Women's List"
2016Search PartyLorraine De CossRecurring Cast: Season 1
2017Then and Now with Andy CohenHerselfRecurring Guest
NightcapHerselfEpisode: "Guest in a Snake"
PurePhoebe O'ReillyMain Cast: Season 1
2017–19Bounty HuntersNina MoralesMain Cast
Elena of AvalorDulce (voice)Recurring Cast: Season 2, Guest: Season 3
2018UnsungHerselfEpisode: "The Boys"
Project Runway All StarsHerself/Guest JudgeEpisode: "Posen on the Red Carpet"
RiseTracey WolfeMain Cast
2019AdrianaEpisode: "Proxy"
She's Gotta Have ItDoña Lucy ChristinaEpisode: "#OhJudoKnow?"
2020–22The Flight AttendantMegan BriscoeMain Cast
2021HerselfEpisode: "Part 1-2"
NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½HerselfEpisode: "Part 1-4"
Maya and the ThreeCipactli (voice)Recurring Cast
2022Black Market with Michael K. WilliamsHerself/Guest HostEpisode: "Thirst Trap"
The DAZN Boxing ShowHerself/AnalystEpisode: "Canelo Álvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin III: Weigh-In"
Now & ThenFlora NerudaMain Cast
Big City GreensMrs. TorresEpisode: "The Delivernator"
2022–23Human ResourcesPetra the Ambition Gremlin (voice)Recurring Cast
2023Your HonorOlivia DelmontRecurring Cast: Season 2
2024Dancing with the StarsHerself/Guest JudgeEpisode: "Soul Train Night"
SpongeBob SquarePantsSuzie Groove (voice)Episode: "Tango Tangle"
FantasmasBiancaEpisode: "The Void"
City IslandRosey Rivet (voice)Episode: "Maker Hill"
BeforeDeniseMain Cast
2023–25Big MouthPetra (voice)Guest Cast: Season 7-8
2024–25Martina Martinez (voice)Recurring Cast


Music video
1989 featuring Doug E. Fresh"Mr. DJ"


Theatre
2002Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de LuneFrankie (replacement)Belasco Theatre, Broadway
2004RecklessPooty / SueBiltmore Theatre, Broadway
2007The RitzGoogie GomezTerrence McNallyStudio 54, Broadway
2015Fish in the DarkFabiana MelendezCort Theatre, Broadway


Documentary
2000My Generation
2005Yo soy Boricua, pa'que tu lo sepas!
2006Home
2008Big Pun: The Legacy
2011Brooklyn Boheme
2015
2016Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall
Muhammad Ali: A Life
2017My Name Is Pedro
2018Pa'lante
2020


Published works


External links
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