Gina Rodriguez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gina Rodriguez
Rodriguez in 2014
Born	Gina Alexis Rodriguez (1984-07-30) July 30, 1984 (age 41) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education	New York University (BFA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2003–present
Spouse(s)	Joe LoCicero ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	1

Gina Alexis Rodriguez (born July 30, 1984) is an American actress. She is well-known for her main role as Jane Villanueva in the popular TV show Jane the Virgin. For this role, she won a Golden Globe Award in 2015.

Gina Rodriguez was born and grew up in Chicago. She started her acting career in 2003 in theater plays. Her first TV appearance was in an episode of the show Law & Order. She became widely known in 2012 after starring in the movie Filly Brown.

She has also appeared in many other films. These include Deepwater Horizon (2016), Ferdinand (2017), and Spy Kids: Armageddon (2023). Gina also lent her voice to the main character in the Netflix animated series Carmen Sandiego. From 2020 to 2021, she starred in and helped produce the Disney+ series Diary of a Future President. Since 2023, Rodriguez has been starring in the ABC comedy series Not Dead Yet.

Early Life and Education

Gina Rodriguez was born on July 30, 1984, in Chicago, Illinois. She is the youngest daughter of parents from Puerto Rico. Her father, Gino Rodriguez, worked as a boxing referee. She has an older brother and two sisters. Gina grew up in the Belmont Cragin area of Chicago.

When she was seven years old, Gina performed with a salsa dance group called Fantasia Juvenil. She was raised Catholic and attended St. Ignatius College Prep for high school. She focused on salsa dancing until she was 17. After that, she started to focus more on acting.

At age 16, she was one of thirteen teenagers chosen for Columbia University's Theatrical Collaboration program. She later attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She studied acting for four years at the Atlantic Theater Company and Experimental Theatre Wing. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2005.

She also played the famous artist Frida Kahlo in a play called Casa Blue in the UK. She also performed as Frida Kahlo in another play in the U.S.

Acting Career Highlights

Rodriguez at the 2014 ALMA Awards

Gina Rodriguez first appeared on screen in an episode of Law & Order in 2004. She also had roles in other TV shows like Eleventh Hour, Army Wives, and The Mentalist. In 2011, she got a recurring role as Beverly in the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. She was also nominated for an Imagen Awards for her role in the musical film Go for It!.

In 2012, Rodriguez played a young hip-hop artist named Majo Tenorio in the movie Filly Brown. She won an Imagen Award for this role and received great reviews. She also won the Best Actor Award at the First Run Film Festival in New York. In 2013, she won the first-ever Lupe Award. She was offered a role in the TV series Devious Maids but decided not to take it. Later in 2013, she joined the cast of the film Sleeping With The Fishes.

In 2014, it was announced that Gina Rodriguez would play the main character, Jane Villanueva, in Jane the Virgin. This role brought her widespread fame and a Golden Globe Award. In 2015, she co-hosted the 2015 Teen Choice Awards with Ludacris and Josh Peck. She also voiced characters in animated films. She was Mary in The Star (2017) and Una in Ferdinand (2017). She also played Anya in the science fiction movie Annihilation (2018).

Gina also voices Carmen Sandiego in the Netflix animated series Carmen Sandiego, which started in 2019. Netflix also announced plans for a live-action Carmen Sandiego movie, with Rodriguez set to star.

Rodriguez has her own production company called I Can & I Will Productions. She has worked on projects that focus on the Latino community. She was a producer and starred in the 2019 Netflix romantic comedy film Someone Great.

In 2019, Rodriguez starred as Gloria Fuentes in the action movie Miss Bala. She also voiced Velma Dinkley in the animated adventure film Scoob!. She was also an executive producer for the Disney+ show Diary of a Future President. In this show, she also played the adult version of the main character. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her guest performance in the show's second season.

In 2024, Rodriguez became a co-host for the ABC game show Lucky 13. The show first aired on July 18, 2024.

Personal Life and Interests

Gina Rodriguez has shared that she was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease when she was 19. This is a condition that affects the thyroid gland.

In a 2014 interview, she mentioned her diverse spiritual background. She said, "I grew up Catholic. I have Jewish in my family and I attend a Christian church in Hollywood. I am basically all over the place."

In 2016, Rodriguez started dating actor and mixed martial arts fighter Joe LoCicero. They met while working on the set of Jane the Virgin. They got engaged in August 2018 and were married on May 4, 2019. Their son was born in March 2023. On July 12, 2025, Gina and Joe announced they were expecting their second child, a baby girl.

Charity Work

Gina Rodriguez at the Miami premiere of Filly Brown

Gina Rodriguez is involved with many charities and good causes. In 2015, she joined the board of directors for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF). This is a large non-profit group in the U.S. that helps Hispanic American students go to college. Getting an education was very important in Gina's family. She was able to receive an HSF scholarship herself.

Also in 2015, Gina worked with PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. They teamed up with Custom Ink for their "Be Good to Each Other Campaign." People could buy special T-shirts designed by celebrities, including Gina. All the money from these shirts went to PACER to help prevent bullying. Gina designed a shirt that said "Kindness Is Always In Style." She believes in the power of positive thinking and treating others with respect.

In October 2015, Rodriguez also became a partner with Naja, a lingerie company. Naja aims to help women and the environment. The company focuses on employing single mothers and offers flexible work. Gina wanted to support a company that helps single mothers, as she had seen their struggles through a close friend. Naja also makes lingerie for all body types, encouraging body confidence. Gina shared that it took her time to love her own body. Naja also uses recycled materials and eco-friendly printing methods.

In 2016, Gina Rodriguez was included in Oprah's SuperSoul 100 list. This list features visionaries and influential leaders. In 2017, Gina and other artists sang on the song "Almost Like Praying". This song was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda to raise money for people affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Directing Work

Awards and Recognitions

See also

In Spanish: Gina Rodriguez para niños

• Puerto Ricans in Chicago