Michelle Rodriguez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michelle Rodriguez
Rodriguez in 2018
Born	Mayte Michelle Rodríguez (1978-07-12) July 12, 1978 (age 46) San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present

Mayte Michelle Rodríguez (born July 12, 1978) is an American actress. She is well-known for her roles in many action and adventure films. Michelle started her acting career in 2000.

She is famous for playing Letty Ortiz in the popular Fast & Furious movie series. She also played Rain Ocampo in the Resident Evil films. Michelle has appeared in other big movies like James Cameron's science fiction hit Avatar (2009) and the action film Battle: Los Angeles (2011).

On television, Michelle played Ana Lucia Cortez in the drama series Lost. She has also lent her voice to animated movies and video games.

Early Life and Background

Mayte Michelle Rodriguez was born on July 12, 1978, in San Antonio, Texas. Her mother is from the Dominican Republic, and her father was Puerto Rican. He served in the U.S. Army.

Michelle moved around a lot when she was younger. She lived in the Dominican Republic from age eight to eleven. Then, she lived in Puerto Rico until she was 17. Finally, her family settled in Jersey City, New Jersey. She has ten siblings and half-siblings. Michelle was partly raised by her grandmother.

Acting Career Highlights

Michelle Rodriguez at New York Fashion Week in 2006

Michelle Rodriguez got her first acting role after attending an open casting call. She was chosen from 350 other people for the 2000 independent film Girlfight. In this movie, she played Diana Guzman, a strong teenager who learns to become a boxer. Her performance earned her several awards and much praise. The film also won awards at major film festivals like Sundance and Cannes Film Festival.

Michelle has had many important roles in successful films. She played Letty in The Fast and the Furious (2001) and Rain Ocampo in Resident Evil (2002). She also appeared in Blue Crush and S.W.A.T..

In 2004, Michelle used her voice for the video game Halo 2, playing a Marine. She also voiced Liz Ricarro in the Cartoon Network animated series IGPX. From 2005 to 2006, she played a tough police officer named Ana Lucia Cortez in the TV series Lost.

Michelle Rodriguez in December 2009

In 2009, Michelle appeared in Fast & Furious, which was the fourth movie in the series. Later that year, she starred in James Cameron's science fiction adventure movie Avatar. This movie became one of the highest-grossing films in history.

From left to right, Michelle Rodriguez, Jonathan Liebesman and Aaron Eckhart at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con

In 2010, Michelle appeared in Machete. In 2011, she starred with Aaron Eckhart in the science fiction film Battle: Los Angeles. She returned to the Resident Evil series in 2012 for Resident Evil: Retribution. In 2013, she played Letty again in Fast & Furious 6 and Luz / Shé in Machete Kills. She also voiced a character in the animated movie Turbo.

Michelle continued her role as Letty in Furious 7 (2015) and The Fate of the Furious (2017). In 2017, she also voiced Smurf Storm in Smurfs: The Lost Village. In 2018, she starred with Viola Davis in Widows. In 2019, she worked with director James Cameron again on the film Alita: Battle Angel. Michelle also started her own production company called Cheshire Kat Productions. This company produced a documentary called Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story (2019).

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

Michelle Rodriguez has won and been nominated for many awards throughout her career.

See also

In Spanish: Michelle Rodriguez para niños