America Ferrera Biography

Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - America Ferrera, actress

Birthdate: April 18, 1984

Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA

Sign: Aries

America Georgine Ferrera was born as the youngest of six children to immigrant parents from Honduras. She and her siblings were raised by her mother who divorced their father earlier in her life.

In 2002, she made her first TV movie, "Gotta Kick It Up!" for the Disney Channel. She made her film debut in that year in the indie film "Real Women Have Curves." She also appeared in the off-Broadway play "Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead."

In 2005, she received the Movieline Breakthrough Award. She starred in the girl film "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" in the same year.

Her most notable role to date is in the ABC series "Ugly Betty," adapted from the Colombian telenovela hit "Betty La Fea." She won the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series for the role, which required her to downplay her own looks. She also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Female Actor in a Comedy Series for the role.

Ferrera, who did not learn to speak Spanish while she was growing up, was recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives as a role model for young Hispanics. She also won the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series in 2008.

Time Magazine chose her as one of the top entertainers in their annual Time 100: Most Influential People in the World 2007 issue.