Jaina Lee Ortiz Biography

After ten years in the entertainment industry, this Hispanic actress earned her big break as a spunky single mother and sister to the Ugly Betty character. She studied ballet in her childhood, but because it hurt to dance, she swapped them in for singing classes. At New York's famed LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts, Ortiz majored in vocal performance. In college, she changed her emphasis to acting, honing her craft in regional theatre productions of both classic and modern plays. She made her television debut in a minor role in Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman: The Movie before obtaining guest roles on a number of shows (ER, Everybody Loves Raymond), sometimes playing stereotypical Latina characters to her dismay. Even more depressingly, she went on to three projects in a row that didn't survive through their debut seasons, including the comedy Kristin and A.U.S.A. and the critically acclaimed but little-watched Iraq War drama Over There. She tried out for Ugly Betty around the time of her multi-episode Boston Legal ADA storyline. Although Ortiz herself has stated that she was utterly incorrect and far too old for the character of the titular heroine, the producers called her back for the part of Betty's older sister, a dream role that enabled her to be sensual, caustic, and street smart. Outside of acting, Ortiz likes to go hiking and kickbox.

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