Lana Parrilla facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lana Parrilla
Parrilla in 2023
Born	(1977-07-15) July 15, 1977 (age 48) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actress director executive producer
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	Alfred Di Blasio (m. 2014; div. ?)
Parent(s)	Sam Parrilla (father)
Relatives	Candice Azzara (aunt)
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Lana Parrilla (born July 15, 1977) is an American actress, director, and producer. She is famous for playing the Evil Queen, also known as Regina Mills, in the popular ABC fantasy show Once Upon a Time.

Parrilla has appeared in many other TV shows. She was a main character in the fifth season of the comedy show Spin City and the fourth season of the action series 24. She also starred in shows like Boomtown, Swingtown, and Miami Medical. For her acting, she won an ALMA Award in 2012. In 2021, she played Rita Castillo in the second season of Why Women Kill.

Early Life and Education

Lana Parrilla was born in Brooklyn, a part of New York City, on July 15, 1977. Her mother, Dolores Dee Azzara, has Sicilian roots, and her father, Sam Parrilla, was a professional baseball player from Puerto Rico. Her aunt, Candice Azzara, is also an actress who has worked on Broadway and television.

Parrilla grew up in the Boerum Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. After high school, she moved to Los Angeles and studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse to build her skills.

Acting Career

First Roles on TV and in Movies

Lana Parrilla started her career by appearing in movies like Very Mean Men (2000) and Spiders (2000). Her first television role was in 1999 on the comedy show Grown Ups.

In 2000, she joined the cast of the ABC show Spin City for one season. After leaving that show, she starred in the crime drama Boomtown. For her role as a paramedic in Boomtown, she won an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Parrilla in March 2012

Over the next few years, Parrilla appeared as a guest star in many popular TV shows. These included JAG, Six Feet Under, and NYPD Blue. In 2005, she had a major role in the fourth season of the action series 24 as Sarah Gavin, an agent at the Counter Terrorist Unit.

She also starred in several shows that ran for one season, such as Windfall in 2006 and Swingtown in 2008. In 2010, she played Dr. Eva Zambrano in the medical drama Miami Medical.

Stardom with 'Once Upon a Time'

Parrilla in 2012

In 2011, Parrilla got the role that would make her famous. She was cast as the Evil Queen and her real-world identity, Mayor Regina Mills, in the ABC fantasy show Once Upon a Time. The show, created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, was a huge hit.

Millions of people watched the show each week. Critics and fans loved Parrilla's performance as the complex villain. She played the character for all seven seasons, from 2011 to 2018. For this role, she won a TV Guide Award for Favorite Villain and an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2012.

Recent Work

After Once Upon a Time ended, Parrilla continued to act in television and movies. In 2021, she joined the cast of Why Women Kill for its second season, playing a character named Rita Castillo.

In 2022, she appeared in the Netflix science fiction movie Atlas with Jennifer Lopez. The same year, she had a role in the second season of the Netflix legal drama The Lincoln Lawyer.

Parrilla has also explored music. In 2021, she released a song called "It's Over Now" with the artist Glovibes.

Personal Life

Lana Parrilla was married to Alfredo Di Blasio from 2014 to 2019.

In 2020, she started an online clothing company called Keep It Regal. The brand sells clothing inspired by her famous role in Once Upon a Time.

Filmography

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

Parrilla at San Diego Comic-Con in 2017

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Spiders	Marci Eyre
	Very Mean Men	Teresa
2001	Semper Fi	Female Series Commander
2003	Frozen Stars	Lisa Vasquez
2005	One Last Ride	Antoinette
2008	Mistaken / The Double Life of Eleanor Kendall	Eleanor Kendall/Nellie
2020	The Tax Collector	Favi
2022	Split at the Root		Documentary film; also executive producer
	Scrap	Stacy
2024	Atlas	Val Shepherd
TBA	Bad Day at the Office		Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1999	Grown Ups	Waitress	2 episodes
2000–2001	Spin City	Angie Ordonez	Main role, 21 episodes
2002	JAG	Lt. Stephanie Donato	Episode: "Head to Toe"
2002–2003	Boomtown	Teresa Ortiz	Won an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress
2004	NYPD Blue	Officer Janet Grafton	3 episodes
2004	Six Feet Under	Maile	2 episodes
2005	24	Sarah Gavin	Main role, 12 episodes
2006	Windfall	Nina Schaefer	Main role, 13 episodes
2006	Lost	Greta	2 episodes
2008	Swingtown	Trina Decker	Main role, 13 episodes
2010	Miami Medical	Dr. Eva Zambrano	Main role, 13 episodes
2011–2018	Once Upon a Time	Regina Mills / Evil Queen / Roni	Main role; 156 episodes Won many awards for this role
2021	Why Women Kill	Rita Castillo	Main role (season 2)
2023	The Lincoln Lawyer	Lisa Trammell	Main role (season 2)
2025	The Rainmaker	Jocelyn "Bruiser" Stone	Main role

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lana Parrilla para niños