Rosie Perez

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rosie Perez
Rosie Perez at the New York Premiere of the film, Won't Back Down, in 2012
Perez at the New York premiere of
Won't Back Down, 2012.
Born (1964-09-06) September 6, 1964 (age 56)
New York City, U.S.[1]
EducationLos Angeles City College
West Los Angeles College[2]
Occupation
  • Actress
  • choreographer
  • activist
Years active1986–present
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1998; div. 2001)​

​
​
(m. 2013)​

Rosa Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress, choreographer and community activist. Her film breakthrough performance was her portrayal of Tina in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989), which she followed with White Men Can't Jump (1992). Among many honors, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Fearless (1993) as well as three Emmy Awards for her work as a choreographer on In Living Color (1990–1994). Perez has also performed in stage plays on Broadway, such as The Ritz, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, and Fish in the Dark. In addition, she was a co-host on the ABC talk show The View during the series' 18th season.

Early life[]

Perez was born on September 6, 1964 in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, to Lydia Pérez and Ismael Serrano, a merchant marine seaman.[3][4][5] Lydia (née Fontañez y Reyes) was born October 13, 1939 in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Her father was from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Her mother was married to a man 20 years her senior, Arturo Pérez, and already had five children when she became pregnant with Rosie after having an affair with Serrano. Perez was born at the now-closed Greenpoint Hospital in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn.[6] Perez is one of ten children birthed by her mother. Rosie and her siblings grew up in Bushwick while their mother was intermittently jailed. Her mother gave birth to her youngest child while incarcerated. She was for a time raised by an aunt and then, like her siblings, went through group homes and foster care. She and her siblings were often split up. She was then transferred to a group foster home and lived in foster care in New York and Peekskill until age eight, and was still legally considered a ward of the State of New York until age twelve. Her mother and aunt frequently visited, and her father made an unsuccessful custody bid at one point. [1][7] When she was in third grade, Perez learned that she had a speech impediment.[8] She had a strict Catholic upbringing, which she has credited to the influence of the nuns during her childhood.[6][9] She eventually moved in with paternal aunt, Ana Dominga Otero Serrano-Roque,[10] and attended Grover Cleveland High School, in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens.[11] Her mother died of AIDS-related complications in 1999. When her mother died she was living in poverty in the Woodside houses. [7]

Career[]

At 19 years old,[12] Perez started her career in the early 1980s as a dancer on Soul Train. As a student at Los Angeles City College,[citation needed] with plans to major in biochemistry,[13] she said she relieved stress by going to nightclubs for ladies' night. A talent scout from Soul Train asked Perez to appear on the show. She was not a professional dancer, but loved it so much she dropped out of school.[6] In 1988, when she was 24 years old, Perez was noticed at the dance club Funky Reggae[14] by Spike Lee, who hired her for her first major acting role in Do the Right Thing.[15]

Perez later choreographed music videos by Janet Jackson, Bobby Brown, Diana Ross, LL Cool J and The Boys.[9] She was the choreographer for the dancing group the Fly Girls who were featured on the Fox television comedy program In Living Color and also worked as a segment producer.[16] She made her Broadway debut in Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.[17] Perez had her third major role in the hit comedy White Men Can't Jump co-starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson.

Perez was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Peter Weir's 1993 film Fearless.[18] She attended the ceremony with her father.[19] In 1997, she co-starred with Javier Bardem in Perdita Durango, a film in which many scenes of excessive violence, sex and nudity were edited out of the version released in the United States but remained intact in the version released throughout Latin America.[20] In 1999, Perez starred in Nancy Savoca's The 24 Hour Woman.[2] She provides the voices of Click, the camera, on Nick Jr.'s Go, Diego, Go! and Chel, a beautiful native woman in the DreamWorks Animation film The Road to El Dorado. She played corrupt police officer Carol Brazier in the Judd Apatow-produced film Pineapple Express, co-starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.

Perez appeared on an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in October 2009 about pedophiles' rights. Executive producer Neal Baer said the writers had Perez in mind when they wrote the role of a young sexual abuse victim's mother.[21] She injured her neck while filming the episode and underwent surgery to heal a herniated disc.[22] One year after the accident, she appeared at the White House in a wheelchair, wearing a neck brace for a meeting with President Obama.[23] In May 2011, Perez filed a lawsuit against the producers of the show,[24] claiming that the injury she incurred was the result of being "recklessly pulled, grabbed, yanked, wrenched and manhandled" during filming.[25]

In June 2013, she served as the grand marshal for the international Boxing Hall of Fame parade in Canastota, New York.[26] In February 2014, Perez published an autobiography titled Handbook for an Unpredictable Life: How I Survived Sister Renata and My Crazy Mother, and Still Came Out Smiling... She is also the reader of the audio CD of this book. Perez said that she did not initially set out to write an autobiography, but rather a book that analyzes the causes and effects of child abuse.[6] She said it was not until about 6 months after the book was published and she heard responses from others that she found the experience cathartic.[6]

On September 3 of the same year, ABC announced Perez would join The View as a new co-host alongside moderator Whoopi Goldberg, newcomer Nicolle Wallace, and returning co-host Rosie O'Donnell.[27] The new season began on September 15, 2014.[28][29] Perez said she was initially hesitant about the job because "I didn't want to be on a show where people were just screaming at each other disrespectfully."[6] She decided to join the cast when she learned that Bill Wolff, whom she knew from The Rachel Maddow Show, was going to be the new executive producer.[6][30][31] In 2015, she returned to Broadway to star in Fish in the Dark, a play written by Larry David.[1][32] On July 8, 2015, Perez announced she would be leaving The View.[33]

In 2018, in a series regular role, Perez portrayed Tracey Wolfe in the NBC musical drama television series Rise, which ran for one season.[34] She starred in the 2020 superhero film Birds of Prey, as comic book character Renee Montoya.[35][36]

Perez is next set to star in the film adaptation of the children's book series Clifford the Big Red Dog.[37]

Activism[]

Perez is an activist for Puerto Rican rights:

  • Her film Yo soy Boricua, pa'que tu lo sepas! (I'm Puerto Rican, Just So You Know!) documents her activism.[38][39]
  • She starred in and directed the Spanish AIDS PSA campaign "Join the Fight" for Cable Positive and Kismet Films. The campaign featured actor Wilmer Valderrama, BET's Julissa Bermudez, Telenovela actor Erick Elías, singer/actress Lorena Rojas, 2006–2007 Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera and actress Judy Marte. An English-language campaign was also directed by Liev Schreiber.
  • President Barack Obama appointed her to The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). She was sworn in on February 2, 2010.
  • On January 6, 2000, she was arrested for disorderly conduct in Manhattan following a rally to protest U.S. Navy air weapons training, as well as other forms of payload on the government training range owned at Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico.
  • Perez serves as the chair of the artistic board for Urban Arts Partnership,[40] a New York City arts education nonprofit that uses arts integrated education programs to close the achievement gap.

Personal life[]

Perez suffered abuse during her childhood along with her siblings from her mother. As a result, she has suffered from high anxiety, PTSD, and depression but with therapy it has been greatly reduced.[1][6][41]

Perez resides in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. She has a few siblings that also reside in NYC; her oldest brother Jay Perez, second oldest brother Ray Perez, youngest sister Lydia Pabon and sister Sally Pabon, who was on Soul Train with her. Perez had a wedding in Brooklyn to her ex-husband and had much of her family attend along with a few celebrities.[citation needed]

Perez married artist Eric Haze on September 15, 2013, in Las Vegas. They had decided to get married the night before while attending the Floyd Mayweather vs. Saúl Álvarez boxing match.[42] The couple slept over at the MGM Grand hotel-casino and were married in the morning. They live in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.[7] Perez had previously married filmmaker and playwright Seth Zvi Rosenfeld in 1998 but the couple divorced in 2001 after ten years together.[43]

Perez stated on the Pineapple Express DVD commentary that she is allergic to dairy products. She was a friend of the late rapper and actor Tupac Shakur.[41]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Film Role Notes
1989 Do the Right Thing Tina
1991 Night on Earth Angela
1992 White Men Can't Jump Gloria Clemente
1993 Untamed Heart Cindy
Fearless Carla Rodrigo
1994 It Could Happen to You Muriel Lang
Somebody to Love Mercedes
1997 A Brother's Kiss Debbie
Perdita Durango Perdita Durango
1999 The 24 Hour Woman Grace Santos
2000 The Road to El Dorado Chel Voice
King of the Jungle Joanne
2001 Human Nature Louise
Riding in Cars with Boys Shirley Perro
2003 From the 104th Floor Narrator Voice
2004 Exactly Angela Short
2005 All the Invisible Children Ruthie Segment "Jesus Children of America"
Yo soy Boricua, pa'que tu lo sepas! Herself Director; Documentary
2006 Home
Just Like the Son Mrs. Ponders
2008 The Take Marina De La Pena
Pineapple Express Officer Carol Brazier
2010 The Other Guys Herself Cameo
Pete Smalls Is Dead Julia
2012 Small Apartments Ms. Baker
Won't Back Down Brenna Harper
2013 The Counselor Ruth
The Being Experience Herself
Gods Behaving Badly Persephone
2014 The Hero of Color City Red Voice
Fugly! Zowie
2015 Pitch Perfect 2 The View Host
Puerto Ricans in Paris Gloria
Five Nights in Maine Ann
2017 Active Adults Zoe
2019 The Dead Don't Die Posie Juarez
2020 Birds of Prey Renee Montoya
The Last Thing He Wanted Alma Guerrero
Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics Herself
2021 With/In: Volume 1 Segment: "Coco and Gigi"; also writer and director
2022 Clifford the Big Red Dog Post-production

Television[]

Television films

Year Title Role Notes
1990 Criminal Justice Denise Moore
1995 In a New Light: Sex Unplugged Herself Host
1997 Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground Mystery Girl Also producer; Segment "Love on the A Train"
2004 Copshop Heaven
Lackawanna Blues Bertha
2006 Lolo's Cafe Maria Voice
2009 Exit 19 Lorna
2010 Lies in Plain Sight Marisol Reyes

Television series

Year Title Role Notes
1990 21 Jump Street Rosie Martinez Episode: "2245"
1990 In Living Color Herself Choreographer: Seasons 1–4
1990–91 WIOU Lucy Hernandez 4 Episodes
1995–97 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Thumbelina / Witch/ Robinita Hood 2 Episodes
1995–04 Frasier Francesca, Lizbeth 2 Episodes
2002 Widows Linda Perelli 4 Episodes
2004 Whoopi's Littleburg The Flashlight Lady Episode: "But I Still Like You"
2005–08 Go, Diego, Go! Click, the camera Episodes: All
2008–09 Lipstick Jungle Dahlia Morales 6 Episodes
2009 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Eva Banks Episode: "Hardwired"
2011–12 The Cleveland Show Choni / Aunt Chonie 3 Episodes
2012 Nurse Jackie Jules Episode: "Slow Growing Monsters"
2014 An American Education Rita Gomez Pilot
2014–15 The View Co-Host
2014–17 Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero Aunt Rose Voice, recurring role
2016 Search Party Lorraine De Coss Recurring role
2017 Pure Phoebe O'Reilly 6 episodes
2017 Nightcap Herself Episode: "Guest in a Snake"
2017–19 Bounty Hunters Nina Morales Recurring role
2017–2019 Elena of Avalor Dulce Voice; recurring role
2017 The Untitled Action Bronson Show Herself 1 episode
2018 Rise Tracey Wolfe Main role
2019 High Maintenance Adriana Episode: "Proxy"
2019 She's Gotta Have It Doña Lucy Christina Episode: "#OhJudoKnow?"
2020 The Flight Attendant Megan Briscoe Main role

Theatre[]

Year Title Role Playwright Notes
2002 Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune Frankie (replacement) Terrence McNally Belasco Theatre, Broadway
2004 Reckless Pooty / Sue Craig Lucas Biltmore Theatre, Broadway
2007 The Ritz Googie Gomez Terrence McNally Studio 54, Broadway
2015 Fish in the Dark Fabiana Melendez Larry David Cort Theatre, Broadway

Awards and nominations[]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Rosie Perez

Published works[]

  • Bourke, Alison P.; Shapiro, Evan; Perez, Rosie; Sherman, Roger M.; Garbus, Liz; Kennedy, Rory; Smits, Jimmy; Taverna, Kathryn; Hurwitz, Tom; Valdez, Carlos (2007). ¡Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'que Tu Lo Sepas!: I'm Boricua, Just So You Know!. Santa Monica, Calif.: Genius Entertainment. ISBN 978-1-59444-303-9. OCLC 123120491.
  • Perez, Rosie (2014). Handbook for an Unpredictable Life: How I Survived Sister Renata and My Crazy Mother, and Still Came Out Smiling (with Great Hair). New York: Crown Archetype. ISBN 978-0-307-95239-4. OCLC 858159344.

See also[]

  • List of Puerto Ricans

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Rodriguez, Cindy Y. (April 1, 2014). "9 things you didn't know about Rosie Perez". CNN. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Applebome, Peter (February 14, 1999). "FILM; Trying to Shake a Stereotype But Keep On Being Rosie Perez". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  3. ^ Rose, Mike (September 6, 2018). "Today's top celebrity birthdays list for September 6, 2018". Cleveland.com.
  4. ^ Carvajal, Doreen (April 8, 2001). "John Ortiz and Rosie Perez: Accidental Actors". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  5. ^ Freeman, Sierra (May 12, 2006). "Why Puerto Ricans are So Damn Proud". The Indypendent. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h King, Larry (October 13, 2014). "Rosie Perez" (Video interview). Larry King Now. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c Connelly, Sherryl (February 16, 2014). "Actress Rosie Perez reveals troubled past in new memoir 'Handbook for an Unpredictable Life'". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  8. ^ McGavin, Patrick Z. (November 6, 1994). "DISTINCTIVE VOICE". The Chicago Tribune.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Udovitch, Mim. "I, Latina". Vibe (December 1993 – January 1994). Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  10. ^ Rodriguez, Cindy Y (April 1, 2014). "9 things you didn't know about Rosie Perez". CNN.com.
  11. ^ Paybarah, Azi (April 27, 2012). "Grover Cleveland and Bushwick Community high schools escape Bloomberg's ax; 24 schools don't". Capital New York. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  12. ^ "How Rosie Perez Got Her Start on Soul Train". Esquire. March 24, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  13. ^ Meyers, Dvora (March 25, 2014). "Diary of a Fly Girl: Rosie Perez Tells Her Story". ELLE. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Overview for Rosie Perez – Milestones". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  15. ^ Hill, Logan (April 7, 2008). "How I Made It: Spike Lee on 'Do the Right Thing'". New York. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  16. ^ Ebert, Roger (February 17, 1999). "Rosie Perez On A Roll". Roger Ebert. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  17. ^ Hernandez, Ernio (January 30, 2003). "Rosie Perez and Joe Pantoliano Officially Bow as Bway's Frankie and Johnny Jan. 30". Playbill. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  18. ^ "Best Actress in a Supporting Role – The 66th Academy Awards (1994)". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 2, 1017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  19. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (March 22, 1994). "Quake or No Quake, the Show Must Go On". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  20. ^ Stevens, Brad (April 2000). "Perdita Durango: A Case Study". Senses of Cinema. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  21. ^ O'Connor, Mickey (August 20, 2009). "SVU Exclusive: Rosie Perez, Garret Dillahunt to Anchor Explosive Episode". TV Guide. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
  22. ^ Parvizi, Lauren (July 19, 2010). "Rosie Perez goes public with neck scar". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  23. ^ Oldenburg, Ann (July 15, 2010). "Rosie Perez injured doing her own 'SVU' stunt". USA Today. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  24. ^ Gorta, William J. (May 18, 2011). "Actress Rosie Perez sues over injuries suffered filming 'Law and Order: SVU'". New York Post. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  25. ^ Marzulli, John (February 1, 2012). "Rosie Perez OKs settlement after injury on 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  26. ^ Ortega, Mark E. (June 12, 2013). "Famous Fight Fan: Rosie Perez | RingTV". RingTV. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  27. ^ "Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace Join The View as co-hosts". ABC. September 3, 2014.
  28. ^ Gliatto, Tom (September 15, 2014). "Rosie Perez Is the Best Thing About the New View, Says People's Critic". People. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  29. ^ Terrero, Nina (September 5, 2014). "7 reasons why Rosie Perez is perfect for the 'The View'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  30. ^ Moreno, Carolina (October 17, 2014). "Rosie Perez Says Latin Hollywood Told Her Not To 'Rock The Boat'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  31. ^ Rivas, Jorge (October 16, 2012). "Rosie Pérez Talks Romney and Love on Maddow [Video]". ColorLines. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  32. ^ Frank, Alex (September 15, 2014). "To Celebrate Her Debut as a Cohost of The View, a Look at the Career Highlights of Rosie Perez". Vogue. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  33. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (July 7, 2015). "Rosie Perez Leaving 'The View'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  34. ^ Brunner, Jeryl (April 30, 2018). "The Life-Altering Experience That Forever Changed Rosie Perez". Forbes.
  35. ^ Couch, Aaron (October 3, 2018). "Rosie Perez Joins Margot Robbie in 'Birds of Prey'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  36. ^ Holub, Christian (February 5, 2020). "Early reviews praise Birds of Prey: 'A thoughtful meditation on liberation, egg sandwiches, and glitter bombs'". Entertainment Weekly.
  37. ^ Galuppo, Mia (June 12, 2019). "Kenan Thompson, Rosie Perez Join 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  38. ^ Berman Santana, Déborah (Fall 2007). "Yo Soy Boricua, Pa' Que Tu Lo Sepas" (PDF). Centro Journal. XIX (2): 262–265. ISSN 2163-2960. OCLC 51876413. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 22, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  39. ^ Aurthur, Kate (June 11, 2006). "IFC Steps Up Its Commitment to Original Programming". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  40. ^ "Artistic Board Chair Rosie Perez was featured in the Reader's Digest "Best of America" issue". Urban Arts Partnership. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  41. ^ Jump up to: a b Santiago, Solmarie (April 3, 2014). "Madonna and 2-Pac Hookup Revealed by Rosie Perez on The Wendy Williams Show". Latin Post. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  42. ^ Williams, Ashley (September 26, 2013). "Rosie Perez Ties The Knot In Vegas!". HipHollywood. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  43. ^ Weigle, Lauren (February 3, 2015). "Eric Haze, Rosie Perez's Husband: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved December 2, 2020.

External links[]

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Preceded by
Jenny McCarthy
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Barbara Walters 		The View co-host
2015 		Succeeded by
Joy Behar
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