Rosie Pérez

Pérez at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Born Rosa María Pérez
(1964-09-06) September 6, 1964 (age 47)
Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City, United States
Occupation Actress, dancer, choreographer, director, activist
Years active 1989–present
Spouse Seth Zvi Rosenfeld (divorced)

Rosa María "Rosie" Pérez (born September 6, 1964, in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, director and community activist.

Contents

Early life [link]

Pérez was born in the Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood of Bushwick to Afro-Puerto Rican parents. Her mother, Lydia Pérez (née Fontañez), a singer, was married to Ventura Pérez at the time of Rosie's birth. However, Rosie's biological father is Ismael Serrano, a merchant seaman with whom her mother had an affair. Much of her young life was spent in foster care.[1][2][3] She attended Grover Cleveland High School, which is located in Ridgewood, in the New York City borough of Queens, and Los Angeles City College in Los Angeles, California.[4]

Career [link]

Pérez was first noticed in a dance club by Spike Lee in 1988, who hired her for her first major acting role in Do the Right Thing.[5] Pérez started her career in the late 1980s as a dancer on Soul Train and later choreographed music videos by Janet Jackson, Bobby Brown, Diana Ross, LL Cool J and The Boys.[citation needed] She was the choreographer for the dancing group the Fly Girls who were featured on the Fox television comedy program In Living Color.

She made her Broadway debut in Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.[citation needed] Perez had her third major role in the hit comedy White Men Can't Jump co-starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson.

Pérez was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Peter Weir's 1993 film Fearless. In 1997, she starred in Perdita Durango, a controversial film in which many scenes of excessive 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.[citation needed]

She provides the voices of Click, the camera, on Nick Jr.'s Go, Diego, Go! and Chel, a beautiful native woman in the DreamWorks Animation film The Road to El Dorado. She played corrupt police officer Carol Brazier in the Judd Apatow-produced film Pineapple Express, 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.[6] She suffered a serious injury during the filming of the episode.[7] Most recently, Perez is the subject of a released album by Felt entitled Felt 3: A Tribute To Rosie Perez.

Injury [link]

Rosie Perez was injured in 2009 while filming an episode of Law & Order SVU. Her neck was injured when she was forcibly shaken as part of a scene. She has a slipped disc and a bulging disc in her neck and has undergone surgery for the condition. A year after the accident, she appeared at the White House in a wheelchair and wearing a neck brace for a meeting with President Obama.[8] In May 2011, Perez filed a lawsuit against the producers of the show, claiming that the injury she incurred was the result of being "recklessly pulled, grabbed, yanked, wrenched and manhandled" during filming.[9]

Activism [link]

Pérez is an activist for Puerto Rican rights. Her film Yo Soy Boricua! Pa' Que Tú Lo Sepas! (I'm Puerto Rican, Just So You Know!) documents her activism.[citation needed] She starred in and directed the Spanish AIDS PSA campaign "Join the Fight" for Cable Positive and Kismet Films.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] An English-language campaign was also directed by Liev Schreiber.[citation needed] President Barack Obama appointed her to The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). She was sworn in on February 2, 2010.[citation needed]

On January 6, 2000, she was arrested for disorderly conduct in Manhattan following a rally to protest U.S. Navy air weapons training, as well as other forms of payload on the government training range owned at Vieques, itself a small island off the coast of then-Roosevelt Roads Naval Station.[citation needed]

Perez serves as the chair of the artistic board for Urban Arts Partnership,[10] a New York City arts education nonprofit that uses arts integrated education programs to close the achievement gap.

Filmography [link]

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1989 Do the Right Thing Tina
1991 Night on Earth Angela
1992 White Men Can't Jump Gloria Clemente Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
1993 Untamed Heart Cyndi Nominated — New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress also for Fearless.
Fearless Carla Rodrigo Berlin International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Performance (Special Mention)
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress tied with Anna Paquin
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
Nominated — New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress also for Untamed Heart.
1994 It Could Happen to You Muriel Lang
Somebody to Love Mercedes
1997 A Brother's Kiss Debbie
Perdita Durango Perdita Durango Fantafestival Award for Best Actress
1999 The 24 Hour Woman Grace Santos Also Producer
Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film
Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Actress
2000 The Road to El Dorado Chel Voice
2001 Human Nature Louise
Riding in Cars with Boys Shirley Perro
2003 From the 104th Floor Narrator Voice
2004 Exactly Angela Short
2005 All the Invisible Children Ruthie Segment "Jesus Children of America"
Yo Soy Boricua! Pa' Que Tu Lo Sepas! Herself Director
Documentary
2006 Home
Just Like the Son Mrs. Ponders
2008 The Take Marina De La Pena Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female
Pineapple Express Officer Carol Brazier
TV Films
Year Title Role Notes
1990 Criminal Justice Barbara Von Busch
1995 In a New Light: Sex Unplugged Herself Host
1997 Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground Mystery Girl Also producer
Segment "Love on the A Train"
2004 Copshop Heaven
Lackawanna Blues Bertha Television Movie
Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress - Television
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
2006 Lolo's Cafe Maria Voice
2009 Exit 19 Lorna
2010 Lies in Plain Sight Marisol Reyes Gracie Allen Award for Outstanding Female Lead in a Drama Special
Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Nominated — Imagen Foundation Award for Best Actress - Television
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1990 21 Jump Street Rosie Martinez Episode "2245"
1990 In Living Color Herself Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Choreography (1990, 1992, 1993)
choreographer, seasons 1-4
1990–1991 WIOU Lucy Hernandez Episodes "Without Prejudice"
"Labored Relations"
"Mother Nature's Son"
"They Shoot Sources, Don't They"
1995–1997 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Thumbelina / Witch Episodes " Thumbelina"
" Hanselito y Gretelita"
2002 Widows Linda Perelli Episodes " Hour One"
"Hour Two"
"Hour Three"
"Hour Four"
1995–2004 Frasier Francesca / Lizbeth Episodes " Roz in the Doghouse (1995)"
" Crock Tales (2004)"
2005–2008 Go, Diego, Go! Click, the camera Episodes "Diego Saves the Humpback Whale"
"Linda the Llama Saves Carnaval"
"Diego's Wolf-Pup Rescue"
"The Bobos' Mother's Day"
"Tuga Helps the Moon"
"Freddie the Fruit Bat Saves Halloween!"
2008–2009 Lipstick Jungle Dahlia Morales Nominated — ALMA Award for Best Actress in Television - Comedy
Episodes "Pandora's Box"
"Let It Be"
"The F-Word "
"The Lyin', the Bitch and the Wardrobe Dahlia Morales"
"Thanksgiving "
" La Vie En Pose"
2009 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Eva Banks Episodes "Hardwired"
2011–2012 The Cleveland Show Choni / Aunt Chonie Episodes "There Goes El Neighborhood"
"Y Tu Junior Tambien"
" Episode #3.11"
2012 Nurse Jackie Jules Episodes "Slow Growing Monsters"

See also [link]

References [link]

External links [link]


https://wn.com/Rosie_Perez

Podcasts:

Famous quotes by Rosie Perez:

"The majority of Latin actresses in Hollywood were always playing either spitfires or maids. Now here is a woman who comes in and does leads opposite white people and black people and other Spanish people, and she's comfortable in her skin? Gasp! How dare she?"
"In my circle of friends, I've always been loud and funny and talkative. But as soon as I step out of that circle, I get very quiet and introspective. I don't want the spotlight on me."
"They asked me to come in and read for them. My reading was horrible. I laughed through the whole thing. I couldn't get through one scene because the actor they had there was so bad. But then they called and said I got the part. I don't know. It's very strange."
"As an actor, you may do things that aren't politically correct. Unless you're an actor who only does things for political reasons. I believe if we don't do the good, bad, and the ugly, we're not going to progress."
"Certain people who care about me a lot have said 'You don't play the game, and if you don't play the game, you don't get picked for the team all the time."
"As far as a Latin explosion, I'm sorry, I'm the only Latino who's going to say it, but there is no Latin explosion. I'm sorry. Four or five top box office people do not make it an explosion, and it's disgusting to me that people will perceive it that way."
"Why would someone be so arrogant and smug to think children would only want to learn one language?"
"I said to her, 'I know you think I'm loud because of the press you read, but it's not true. I have the ability to do this -- all I need is the opportunity ... I want the lead and I want to produce. Here's my resume,' ... I just got tired of being offered this and that -- I was like 'I'm better than that.'"
"It feels fantastic to be part of a classic,"
"Oh, the humor! It's hysterical. And it's smart and goofy at the same time, kind of like a Neil Simon play or a Mel Brooks movie. I read it over and over again, and it changed me in the way of storytelling, seeing things differently."
"I didn't appreciate Brooklyn until I left it."
"A lot of women feel ashamed to be weak."
developed with YouTube
PLAYLIST TIME:

Makin It Easy

by: Raspberries

Makin' It Easy
Raspberries
by David Smalley
Just got into town on a midnight plane
After this is over I'll be leavin' again
Somebody wants to put the pin on me
She's sayin' that it's mine but I know that can't be
Makin' it easy for me to be movin' on
Makin' it easy for me to be a long time gone
Met her at a job, was a Friday night
She was sittin' in the front row lookin' outasight!
Sang my song to her all about romance
Ooh, we got together and she took a chance
Makin' it easy for me to be movin' on
Makin' it easy for me to be a long time gone
Ya know I left that town, they're all the same
I was doin' all right til the letter came
She said, "I'm sorry, baby, but just the same,
I got to find somebody to take the blame, oh yeah."
I said, "What's this, babe? You know I got no time
To be worryin' 'bout a problem that I know ain't mine.
You've had too many lovers to know it's me
You better find somebody else, I wanna be free."
Makin' it easy for me to be movin' on
Makin' it easy for me to be a long time gone
Makin' it easy for me to be movin' on
Makin' it easy for me to be a long time gone
Makin' it easy, I got to be movin' on
Makin' it easy, makin' it easy




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