America Georgine Ferrera (born April 18, 1984) is an
American actress. She plays the lead role in the television series
Ugly Betty. She also starred in the movie
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and its sequel
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.
Early life
Ferrera, the youngest of six children, was born in
Los Angeles,
California, as America Georgina Ferrera, to parents who immigrated to the United States from
Honduras in the mid-1970s. Her mother worked as a housecleaning staff director for a Hilton hotel.
Her mother divorced her father and raised six children on a diet of rice and beans, while stressing the importance of higher education.
[movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1807809245/bio America Ferrera's family background]
Ferrera was raised in the
Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles, where she attended
George Ellery Hale Middle School and
El Camino Real High School.
[movies.nytimes.com/person/302580/America-Ferrera/biography] From the time she was seven years old, when she landed a small role in a school production of
Hamlet and then at age 10 a much bigger role as the
Artful Dodger in
Oliver!, Ferrera knew that she wanted to be a performer. She acted in school plays and community theater in Los Angeles throughout her youth, though with little help from her mother, who insisted that she pursue other interests because she was concerned her daughter would not get a fair shake. Ferrera was forced to take the bus to auditions, though eventually her mother saw her daughter’s dedication and began to drive her.
Ferrera disliked her first name as a child and went by her middle name, "Georgina", until she began acting professionally.
