Latino Community

Suni Reyes is a gifted, bilingual, multi-hyphenate artist who has made guest appearances on HBO Max's "Gordita Chronicles", Comedy Central's "Nora From Queens", Billions, and Seven Seconds. She is also in the new satirical horror movie "American Carnage", starring Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Jenna Ortega. Suni was an original cast member in the Off-Broadway productions of "Celia Cruz: The Musical" and "La Barberia". She started her career in the performing arts as a dancer in Puerto Rico, before moving to New York City to work with Ballet Hispanico and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Theatre credits include: New World Stages, Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, Spanish Repertory Theatre, Theatre for the New City, The Triad Theatre, and Symphony Space. For the past decade, she has been performing improv, sketch, and stand up comedy throughout New York City's top comedy venues, while raising an awesome child. She is looking forward to giving her son, husband, and family in PR and DR a shout out during an award acceptance speech!

Born and raised in Cape Town South Africa, Brandt immigrated with her family to Auckland, New Zealand in her late teens. Discovered by local casting directors, Brandt took on the role of "Naevia" in the Starz hits, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" and "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena." Working with producers Steven S. D Knight and Sam Raimi, she captivated audiences with her performance and became one of the show's breakout stars.

She starred in the hit Netflix series, Lucifer which had a 6 year run, playing the fan favorite Vertigo/DC comic book character, Mazikeen. Lucifer went on the break binge records and was named the top binged show in 2021 by Forbes.

Brandt can next be seen opposite Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira in the 6 episode limited Walking Dead spin-off which airs in 2024. She is also starring opposite Jason Ritter, Anthony Carrigan and Chris Meloni in the adult animated comedy, Captain Fall which airs July 2023 on Netflix.

Lesley-Ann is now permanently based in Los Angeles.

ValenZia Algarin hails from the city of Peabody, a small town outside of Boston MA. Her father, Carlos Algarin, is of Puerto Rican descent and her mother, Mercedes Algarin, is of Dominican descent. Valenzia's love of acting blossomed into a career that began on stage and transitioned into the film industry. Some of her stage credits include: One-woman shows, The Piano Lesson, Laundry & Bourbon, Biloxi Blues, & a Hat Full of Rain. A few Television credits include HBO's "True Blood" as the recurring character of "Maria" introduced to us in Season 4, Adult Swims Black Jesus, TNT's SouthLand, CBS's Cold Case, TV Ones Love That Girl, & Comedy Centrals Mind of Mencia... Other credits include "The Journey of A Female Comic" a DocuComedy that made waves in Theatre's across the Country where Valenzia holds her own in representing for the the youth of Latin America.. Algarin endeavors to work on films & characters that challenge her ability as an actor. "The more a film is characterized as raw & real, the more I am determined to master the role ~Valenzia"... A case in point is the film "Hard Silence (Silencio Fuerte)" where Algarin received accolades and rave reviews for her powerful performance in the film as "Karla", a young girl who is physically, mentally, and sexually abused by her mother. As an avid spoken word artist who continues to perform her poetry, Algarin recently collaborated, performed and wrote lyrics on singer/songwriter/producer Margo Thunder's (of 9.9) latest CD, "R&B 101" in the song "With Open Arms". Through this, she has now started her venture in the music world! More then just an actress, Valenzia Algarin is an advocate for children. When not on stage, in the studio or in front of the camera, Valenzia is busy starting her own Foundation "It All Starts With A Dream", where she visits & speaks at schools to mentor the youth by inspiring them to dream, believe & reach goals. She stresses to the youth that they are the "Remote Control of Their Lives". Algarin has also collaborated with "Future First", an after school program & has teamed up with celebrity trainer Dion Jackson, one of the founders of "Lets Move Hollywood" which is a campaign to fight against childhood obesity, helping the First Lady Michelle Obama's Lets Move. Valenzia Algarin is quickly becoming the Positive Role Model to the youth in this country in hopes of one day reaching the youth around the world.

George Lopez was born on April 23, 1961, in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California, the son of Frieda and Anatasio Lopez, a migrant worker. He is of Mestizo Mexican descent. He was deserted by his father when he was two months old and by his mother when he was 10 years old, but was raised by his maternal grandmother, Benita Gutierrez, a factory worker, and step-grandfather, Refugio Gutierrez, a construction worker. Lopez attended San Fernando High School, graduating in 1979. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has received several honors for his work and contributions to the Latino community, including the 2003 Imagen Vision Award, the 2003 Latino Spirit Award for Excellence in Television and the National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Award. He was also named one of "The Top 25 Hispanics in America" by Time magazine in 2005. In 1993, Lopez married Ann Serrano. The couple has a daughter, Mayan, born in 1996. On September 27, 2010, Lopez announced that he and his wife had decided to end their marriage. Serrano filed for divorce on November 23, 2010, citing "irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized on July 1, 2011.

Best known for her long-time run on the ABC comedy, "George Lopez," Constance Marie stars next in the upcoming Latinx romantic comedy series, "With Love." Created and written by Gloria Calderon Kellett ("One Day at a Time"), the five hour-long episodes, each of which are set during a different holiday, follows the multi-generational Diaz family over the course of 12 months as they experience the highs and lows of life during some of the most heightened days of the year. Constance plays Beatriz Diaz, wife to Jorge Sr (Benito Martinez) and mother of two who is going through a midlife/identity crisis with her kids getting older and her marriage to Jorge Sr on auto pilot. All five episodes of "With Love" premiered on Amazon Prime Video on December 17, 2021.

Most recently, Constance appeared in the Amazon rotoscope dramedy, "Undone," opposite Rosa Salazar, and she recurred in the Netflix comedy, "Alexa & Katie." In addition, she starred in the NBC miniseries "Law & Order True Crime: Menendez Murders." She has also guest-starred and recurred on a variety of shows including the CBS comedy "Angel from Hell" and TNT's "Animal Kingdom," as well as voicing a character on Disney's animated series "Elena of Avalor," the first to feature a Latina princess.

Constance starred for five award-winning seasons on the hit Freeform series, "Switched at Birth," for which she won an Imagen Award, an ALMA Award and a Gracie Allen Award for Best Supporting Television Actress for her role as Regina Vasquez.

For her beloved portrayal of wife Angie Lopez on "George Lopez," the Imagen Awards honored her with a Best Actress in a TV Series Award, and she received multiple nominations from the Alma Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

In the debut year of "George Lopez," Constance was also starring in the Golden Globe-nominated PBS series "American Family," alongside Edward James Olmos, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales and Raquel Welch.

Her career began when she was a teenager in the Los Angeles underground break-dancing scene. She was selected out of a group of 500 hopefuls to dance on tour with David Bowie. Upon returning to Los Angeles, she was cast as a dancer in the movie "Salsa." The film's choreographer, Kenny Ortega, introduced her to producer Steve Tisch, who offered Constance her very first acting job, a starring role as Penny on the CBS series "Dirty Dancing."

It wasn't long before she was working in feature films, such as "My Family," directed by Gregory Nava. She won praise from fans for her portrayal of Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla's mother, Marcella in the blockbuster film "Selena." Constance was only a year older than her onscreen daughter (Jennifer Lopez), so she had to undergo extensive make-up to portray Selena's mother.

Constance also starred in the celebrated film "Tortilla Soup" as the daughter of Raquel Welch. The film received an Alma Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture.

Television producer Gary David Goldberg soon offered Constance a role as Michael J. Fox's antagonist love interest on the hit series "Spin City." She played Gabriella Diaz on "Union Square," for which she received an Alma Award nomination for Outstanding Female in a Comedy Series. She also portrayed Detective Toni Brigatti for two seasons on "Early Edition," opposite Kyle Chandler.

In her personal life, Constance is mother to a daughter, Luna-Marie. Candid about the difficulties she faced trying to get pregnant and eventually turning to IVF, she is determined to reach out to women in similar situations to let them know that they are not alone. In addition to being extremely knowledgeable about pregnancy and wellness, she practices a green lifestyle including composting and recycling, and she is a vegetarian, leaning heavily toward vegan these days. She is also an organic follower who had cloth diapers for her baby and zero Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in her nursery, and she has organic mattresses in their home.

She is an advocate for PETA, Planned Parenthood and Equal Pay for Women. She is the spokesperson for the East Los Angeles Women's Center that helps women dealing with rape, domestic violence and human trafficking.

Constance has an active lifestyle which includes regular work outs such as walking, yoga, hitting the gym with a personal trainer and nature hikes.

European-born actress/writer Masiela Lusha portrayed "Carmen Lopez" for five seasons as George Lopez's rebellious and passionate daughter on the syndicated ABC series, George Lopez (2002). She was born on October 23, 1985 to parents Max and Daniela. Raised in Tirana, Albania; Budapest, Hungary; and Vienna, Austria, Masiela settled in Michigan at the age of seven; English is her fourth language. Her acting talents span well into films, voice-overs, print work with Ben Affleck and, of course, television. Among other roles, Masiela portrayed the voice of "Nina", the lovable and energetic best friend on the popular animated PBS series, Clifford's Puppy Days (2003). Film work include "My Father's Eulogy", a biographical drama in which she portrayed "Lisa", the reflective lead who reminisces on her experiences with her father; Sony Picture's Blood: The Last Vampire (2009), where she portrayed a demon vampire, Pathe's Time of the Comet (2008), in which she starred as "Saint Agnes", and Muertas (2007), in which she plays the determined and sensitive lead, "Aracelli". Masiela has been named "The Youngest Author in the World" to publish a book in two languages. She designed the cover herself at the age of twelve, and was also named as one of "The Best Top Ten Talented Poets for North America", for her first book "Inner Thoughts." She views writing as an expression of herself where she can "reach into humanity", and her second book of poetry "Drinking the Moon" was recently released in print this summer by Dorrance Publishing. Masiela's writing also includes screenplays, short stories, and her first completed novel, The Besa. Masiela founded Illuminary Pictures at the age of 23, and has since wrapped two films under the company name. Illuminary Pictures has a full slate of diverse film and television projects in various stages of production. Three important aspects of Masiela's life are 1736 Family Crisis Center based in Los Angeles, UNICEF, and her own 501(c)3 Children of the World Foundation. For Children of the World, she is starting close to home in southern California where she donated ten acres of land for the cause. Other chapters will develop across the United States and eventually expand in other parts of the world. Masiela graduated from high school at 15, and was accepted as a junior to UCLA at the age of eighteen, majoring in English. Before becoming an actor, she was named by Teen Magazine as one of five to "Most Likely to Succeed". After arriving in Michigan, Masiela first gained attention by modeling. She was discovered among 600 aspiring actors by a Los Angeles based talent agent, and shortly there after was one of three invited to Hollywood at the age of thirteen. She loves honing her craft in front of the camera and exploring different characters, and continues to pave her path to success as an actress and author.

Luis has become a familiar face on prime-time television as Max on ABC's "The George Lopez Show" and is delighted to be a member of the first successful Hispanic family situation comedy on network television and the longest-running series of its kind.

At age 13, Luis is already a TV veteran, having performed on episodic series including "ER" and "Any Day Now". He has also appeared in numerous national commercials, most recently for Chevrolet, as well as Public Service Announcements which support issues in which he believes.

As he enters his teen-heartthrob years, Luis maintains a well-balanced life outside of his television career. Not only does he excel at school with an A-average scholastically, but he also loves sports and has played on his school football team and is an avid skateboarder and golfer. In Spring 2006 he introduced a new line of active skatewear fueled from his love of skateboarding. A recent highlight for Luis was being asked to play in a celebrity golf tournament with George Lopez.

Giving back to his community is important to Luis so he appears at charity events for Make-A-Wish Foundation and the American Heart Association; however, he dedicates most of his time to his own foundation: Hands on Horses, which benefits American foster children.

Garcia was recently honored by the Walt Disney Company when they selected his design of the G-Lo Mickey Mouse that toured across the country with a collection of other celebrity-designed Mickey Mouses such as Ellen DeGeneres, John Travolta, and Raven. After the national tour, the collection was auctioned off for charity.

Garcia, a native of Palos Park, Illinois, is one of six children. He now resides with his family in Los Angeles, California.

Valente Rodriguez was born on 14 February 1961 in Elsa, Texas, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for McFarland, USA (2015), George Lopez (2002) and The Mentalist (2008).

Actress Jacqueline Obradors is currently enjoying the success of her latest feature, 'Palm Springs,' in which she appears with Andy Samberg and Oscar-winner JK Simmons. Just like the record-breaking summer temperatures of the titular city, the film broke records after a bidding war ensued dating back to Sundance where Hulu won out. No stranger to coveted roles on a streaming service, Obradors has also starred opposite Titus Welliver in the last three seasons of Amazon's acclaimed 'Bosch' drama series.

Bad-ass detective roles seem to be one of her fortes, as Obradors previously starred for Steven Bochco on four seasons of his acclaimed, 'NYPD Blue' which garnered her a prestigious ALMA Award nomination, and paved the way for her role opposite Freddie Prinze, Jr. in his 'Freddie' comedy series. She's also enjoyed memorable recurring arcs beginning with 'Jesse' opposite Christina Applegate, 'Battery Park' with Frank Grillo, 'NCIS,' 'Franklin & Bash 'alongside Kumal Nanjiani, and finally 'Lopez' opposite the show's namesake, George Lopez.

Obradors has also made her mark on the big screen since her debut in the action film, 'Red Sun Rising'. She since transitioned into Ivan Reitman's romantic comedy 'Six Days Seven Nights' opposite Harrison Ford which garnered her a Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination. She more recently reunited with Ford in 'Crossing Over' which co-starred Ray Liotta. Other notable film roles include 'Deuce Bigelow' with Adam Sandler and Amy Poehler, 'A Man Apart' in which she starred opposite Vin Diesel, 'Unstoppable' with Wesley Snipes, and the drama 'Windows on the World' with Oscar nominee Edward James Olmos. She earned her second ALMA Award nomination for her turn as Hector Elizondo's daughter in the acclaimed, 'Tortilla Soup.'

When not paving her own way, Obradors helps guide her sons' careers as they too quickly accumulate a worthy list of credits. The family currently resides in Los Angeles where she was also born and raised.

Tonantzin Carmelo is a multifaceted American actress playing lead and supporting roles in movies, television series, documentaries, video games, and theater. Her break-out performance in Steven Spielberg's, Into the West, earned her several awards and nominations, including a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Television Movie or Miniseries. Recently, she filmed prime roles in Spain and Australia for the television series The English (BBC) and La Brea (NBC). Throughout her career Tonantzin has received praise for her performances. She played the leading role of Shayla Stonefeather in the critically acclaimed, independent thriller, Imprint. She won the American Indian Film Festival award for Best Actress and was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Hoboken International Film Festival for this role. She was named "An Indie Darling to Crave" at the Sundance film festival 2015 for her role as Teresa, opposite John C. Riley in the film Entertainment. Tonantzin has also appeared in several video games, including Dead Space, The Crew, Lego Marvel's Avengers, and Cyberpunk 2077. Her memorable motion-capture and voice performance portrayal of the villainous character Kendra Daniels for Dead Space led Maxim Magazine to add Kendra to their Hottest Video Game Babes of the Year list. Today, the character continues to attract legions of loyal fans. Additionally, Tonantzin is a talented choreographer. Her work was featured in the Amazon TV series, Undone, and in the opera, Sweetland, for which she was described as a "crucial choreographer" by the LA Times. She has a penchant for languages and enjoys learning new dialects. As a teenager, Tonantzin taught herself to speak Spanish. She also is a member of the Tongva Language Committee for revitalization. To prepare for some of her roles, she has worked with language specialists and has learned dialects for Wampanoag, Lakota, Nahuatl, Diné, Cheyenne, and Shoshone. Tonantzin's diverse talents can be traced back to her multicultural roots. She is a Southern California girl from suburban Orange County of Indigenous and Latina descent. In her youth, she forged a performing path through Native dances and music touring with cultural groups throughout North America. While touring, she also became a technically trained dancer and performed with the modern dance company Daystar. She discovered her love for acting while studying at UC Irvine, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Dance. While in college, she began acting in theater productions and independent films. She has also performed as a singer with the band Trio del Alma and has recorded on three albums for Canyon Records. Her first professional acting venture was an educational musical theater show produced by the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts. The production toured the Los Angeles area and allowed her to make the leap from dancer/musician to a professional actress. She has had an ongoing relationship with Native Voices at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles where she has performed on stage and has served on the advisory board. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and is a California native plant, wildlife and outdoor enthusiast. In her free time, she enjoys restoring her yard as a native wildlife habitat, observing birds and occasionally rescuing opossums as she continues to perform as a musical entertainer, cultural educator and stage actress.

Joyce Giraud is a Puerto Rican actress, model, film and television producer and philanthropist. Joyce was born in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico. After graduating at the age of 16, she began modeling and attended the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico where she finished two Bachelor of Arts degrees by the age of 19; one in Social Work and one in Special Education, which made her one of the youngest ever dual graduates. After graduating, she worked with underprivileged children and public residentials in Puerto Rico.

Joyce began modeling to help her mother pay for her university studies and became one of Puerto Rico's top models. She has appeared in numerous national and international campaigns. She won multiple beauty pageants and became Miss Universe Puerto Rico, representing her homeland in the Miss Universe Pageant and becoming second runner up. Later that year she wrote a book called "Joyce, Dreams and Realities." She moved to Miami, Florida where she continued a successful modeling career and won the Miss Venus International Model Search. After being the only undefeated model in the history of Destination Stardom a.k.a. Star Search, she discovered her love of acting when director Vicente Castro cast her as the lead in his Coralito Tiene Dos Maridos (a remake of Sonia Braga's Dona Flor y Sus Dos Maridos). She received such great reviews that she found another passion in life, and decided to take the leap toward Los Angeles.

In film, Joyce has had roles in David Fincher's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Latin Dragon, Miss Castaway, Slayer and Jeepers Creepers 3. She has starred in TV shows like The Suite Life of Zack and Cody; Heist; Joey; Tyler Perry's House of Payne and NBC's Siberia.

As a producer, Joyce executive produced the film Shadow People as well as the TV show Siberia, and is credited as co-producer on the upcoming film Back Roads, based on the bestselling novel. She created the Spanish-language reality show Rica, Famosa, Latina and serves as its executive producer. She also created its companion talk show Rica la Noche, serving as both its host and executive producer.

Joyce is recognized as having some of the most beautiful and healthy skin and hair on television, and received Bravo TV's "Loveliest Locks" award. She created the successful Miracle Elixir Collection, a hair and beauty line, with her own unique blend of natural oils, with zero harsh chemicals. She donates a portion of her sales to children in need.

Joyce is passionate about her work with the all the multiple charities she volunteers for, especially the children's charity UNESCO and the YOU Foundation for Children in Need, which led her to create the international beauty pageant called Queen of the Universe so that other women like her can promote their charity work and pursue their life's goals. Thanks to her work with Queen of the Universe, she was able to open her first school with the YOU Foundation in Senegal, Africa. She firmly believes that education should be a natural-born right.

Sal Velez Jr. is a versatile Improvisation Actor from Chicago's Second City.

Accepted into the 2024 South By Southwest Film Festival, "Switch Up" a romantic comedy , Playing the role of Ty and Executive Producing on the project.

Recipient of the 2022 Omni Cultural TV NATPE Excellance Award.

Considerations for 2021 Daytime Emmy Award for best supporting Actor in Rekindling Christmas, directed by James Ganiere in the role of Dean Sanborne.

Considerations for the 2020 Sag Awards for "Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Drama Series". Black Summer Netflix,

Considerations for the 2019 FYC Emmy Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series". Black Summer Netflix.

Recent Releases Warner Brothers The Way Back (2020) "The Way Back" starring Ben Affleck directed by Gavin O'connor, in the role of Miguel and rated one of The Way Back's favorite characters by Screen Rant Magazine.

Rio Vista Films Rekindling Christmas, directed by James Ganiere in the role of Dean Sanborne. Rekindling Christmas received a Daytime Emmy Nomination.

Netflix Original Series "Gentefied" as Rafael Morales directed by Marvin Lemus, Linda Yvette Chavez, America Ferrera Nominated for 2021 Peabody Award. Top 10 Shows on Netflix

Netflix Original Series "On The Verge" as Jesus directed by Julie Delpy. Top 10 Shows on Netflix

Netflix Original Series Black Summer (2019) released in over 90 countries world wide and currently sits among top five shows to watch! In the role of William, alongside Jaime King, Sal Velez Jr was submitted by Netflix to the 2019 Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series".

Sal Velez Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois as Salvador Velez Jr. to Vivian Hernandez, a school teacher and Salvador Velez, a U.S. Postman. A second generation Puerto Rican, Sal's parents divorced at an early age where Sal, his mother and sister relocated to Houston, Texas. Sal later returned to Chicago's Humboldt Park at the age of 14 to reconnect with his father. Growing up in the rough streets of Chicago, while working a full-time job in the Steel Worker's Union, A gifted Singer/ Songwriter Sal used entertainment as his muse, from impersonating iconic actors to singing Latin Jazz at local nightclubs.

In 2001, Sal was discovered and invited to audition for Chicago's Second City theatre where he won a three-year scholarship. He studied improv, classical, sketch writing and musical theater and shortly after joined Second City's Touring Company. His love for performing found him in many Chicago productions including The Goodman Theater, Chicago Theatre Building, Nuyorican Poet Miguel Pinero plays and The Life of Cesar Chaves musicals. In 2009 Sal made the decision to move to Los Angeles and fully pursue film and television.

Projects in Production:

Comedy House of Tragedy (2024) Director Corbin Timbrook

"Gentefied" as Rafael Morales Netflix Original directed by Marvin Lemus

"On The Verge" as Jesus Netflix Original directed by Julie Delpy.

"No More Goodbyes" (2024) as Angel directed by James Ganier.

"Brooklyn All American" (2024) to play the role of Isaac Katzov .

Recurring Roles: Sal continues to take on the challenge of many demanding roles in major productions such as Kurt Sutter's "Mayans MC" on FX in role of Big Benny, ABC's drama "Ten Days in the Valley" in the role of Leonardo alongside Kyra Sedgewick, Amazon Studios' "Hand of God" in the role of Mike Alacala opposite Ron Perlman, NBC's "Chicago Justice" as Adrian Carrera, Oliver Stone's film Savages as El Negro alongside Benecio Del Toro and on Starz Network "Boss" directed by Gus Van Sant and Executive Produced by Kelsey Grammer.

Sal is truly honored and humbled to be chosen by Netflix and the TV academy for his performance in "Black Summer" to be considered for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2019. Stephen King has even tweeted "Black Summer": "Just when you think there is no more scare left in zombies, THIS comes along. Existential hell in the suburbs, stripped to the bone."

Velez is also known for his comedic lead character Eric, in the Digital series "Gente-fied", which premiered at Sundance in 2017 as well as his Voice Over roles as Berto in Telltale Games' "Walking Dead Series", and EA's 'Battle Field Hardline" as Mendez.

Sal Velez Jr Sal was Submitted by Netflix for the 2020 Sag Awards for "Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Drama Series". Selected to be the cover of Chicago's Latino Extra newspaper for Next Generation Puerto Rican Actors. Sal Velez Jr. also received the Chrysalis Award by the San Jose Obrero Mission for his dedicated work with family shelters., abused families, schools and youth Shelters.

"To inspire Laughter, create Knowledge, and to know Love is the true pursuit of happiness". - Sal Velez Jr.

Jasmine Cephas Jones originated the roles of 'Peggy Schuyler' and 'Maria Reynolds' in the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit Hamilton an American Musical. Jasmine trained at the Berklee College of Music for vocal performance and The Neighborhood Playhouse for Theater. She is a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company. Theater: Hamilton (Broadway), The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Atlantic Theater) Film: Mistress America (Fox Searchlight), Titus (Dakus Films UK). Television: "Girls" (HBO), "Blue Bloods" (CBS), "Unforgettable (CBS), "Odd Mom Out" (Bravo). Jasmine sang America The Beautiful with her original 'Schuyler Sisters' co-stars on the field before Super Bowl LI. She also recently debuted a fashion collaboration with the Lou & Grey brand. Recent films include Blindspotting (Lionsgate), Dog Days (Annapurna), and Monsters & Men (Neon). Upcoming films include, Unt. Noah Baumbach (Netflix) and Blood Surf (Dark Rabbit Productions). Jasmine recently was seen recurring on the 2nd season of Midnight, Texas (NBC). Jasmine will be seen in the upcoming HBO series, Mrs. Fletcher.

Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the first incarnation of "In the Heights" his sophomore year at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Off-Broadway, "In The Heights" received nine Drama Desk nominations, including best music, best lyrics, and it won the award for outstanding ensemble performance; received the Lucille Lortel Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for best musical; received the Obie Award for outstanding music and lyrics; received a Theater World Award for outstanding debut Performance and the Clarence Derwent Award both for Mr. Miranda's performance. He is the recipient of the 2007 ASCAP Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award. He has appeared on The Sopranos (1999) and Sex and the City (1998), House (2004), and The Electric Company (2006). He is also a co-founding member of Freestyle Love Supreme, a hip-hop comedy group that tours comedy festivals all over the world.

Anthony Ramos Martinez is an American actor, singer and songwriter. In 2015, he originated the dual roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Broadway musical Hamilton. Ramos also appeared in the 2021 film version of In the Heights as Usnavi and in the 2018 film A Star Is Born as Ramon. In 2021, he received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in the Disney+ live stage recording of Hamilton which was released in 2020. He is scheduled to star in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in 2023.

Ariana DeBose is an American actress, dancer, and singer. Known for her performances on stage and screen, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 2022, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

DeBose made her television debut competing on the sixth season of So You Think You Can Dance in 2009, where she finished in the top 20. She then made her Broadway debut in Bring It On: The Musical in 2011 and continued her work on Broadway with roles in Motown: The Musical (2013) and Pippin (2014). From 2015 to 2016, she originated the role of The Bullet in Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton, and appeared as Jane in A Bronx Tale (2016-2017). In 2018, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. In 2022, she hosted the 75th Tony Awards.

DeBose appeared in the Netflix musical film The Prom (2020) and the Apple TV+ musical comedy series Schmigadoon! (2021), before gaining widespread recognition for her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg's musical West Side Story (2021). For her performance, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first queer woman of color to receive an Oscar in an acting category.

Mark Adair-Rios' work and projects-in-development blow the lid off what it means to be a working actor in Hollywood. Raised as a San Fernando Valley boy, his multi-ethnic heritage keeps Casting guessing and lands him roles that range from gang member to techno geek, psychotic killer to misogynist cop, and HR trainer to LA transvestite.

His career began when cast as a child actor in a national Coke commercial. In his near 20 year tenure since then, Mark has racked up tons of television roles such as: +Recurring cast on "CSI: Miami", "Jericho", "MDs", "The Evidence", "Baywatch Hawaii", "Danny Fricke" (pilot), and "NYPD Blue" (as Nicholas Torturro's drug-addicted brother) +Series Regular on "Legend" and "1994 Baker Street"(pilot) +Guest Star on "Cold Case", "Las Vegas", "NCIS", "ER", "JAG", "The Division", "According to Jim", "Charmed", "Family Matters", "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles", "Threat Matrix", "Cuts", "Diagnosis Murder", "Tracy Takes On"..., and numerous others (see Resume). +Co Star on "Life Goes On" and "Space: Above and Beyond".

In feature film, Mark has performed opposite: +Ben Stiller and Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Along Came Polly" +Jim Carrey in "Bruce Almighty" +Gabriel Byrne in "Stigmata" +Denzel Washington in "Courage Under Fire" +Eddie Murphy in Dr. Doolittle +Matthew Perry & Selma Hayek in "Fool's Rush In" +and in "Speed 2", "Crocodile Dundee In LA". ...And then some.

No stranger to indy films, either, he appears in "Zero Hour", "The Longest Yard Sale", "Flying Virus", "Stealth Fighter", and others. (His commercial credits include "Playstation3", "Taco Bell", "Honey Bunches of Oats", "State Farm Insurance", and "Tostitos"-all within the same year.)

Mark loves to play nasty drama as the bad guy, but Casting Directors now tap his comedic skill set, too. He had a hilarious time completing a 4-episode pilot titled "Love That Girl" with Tatiana Ali (Fresh Prince of Bel Air) and Phil Morris (Seinfeld, Smallville). He portrays Adonis, one-half of a modern-day, gay Lenny-and-Squigy-type duo-the next-door neighbors who always show off their fabulous diva selves.

Besides jamming as a well-rounded industry-trained actor, Mark also partners with comic actor Chris Coppola to write and produce TV pilots. One new half-hour comedy follows two Armenian immigrants who have to dress as women to survive in Glendale (CA) while waiting for their big break into show biz. Mark's vast industry experience allows him to launch full-throttle into production with viable ideas to create new shows. He and Chris are getting folks to laugh their butts off with a kids' TV series and 2 feature concepts, also in the works.

To keep his creative juices flowing, Mark jumps back to the stage. He has taught classical Children's Theatre for 7 years at the Lost Studio (formerly Peggy Feury's Loft). He also digs into theatre study there full-time (5 days a week!) when not working on film or TV projects. At least once a year, he always struts his stuff in a production on the proscenium boards (and garners more noteworthy reviews). Such plays recently include the UK hit "Bouncer's", Chekhov's "The Marriage Proposal", Pinter's "A Night Out" and "Night School", Carlos Lacamara's "Nowhere on the Border", "Becoming Cuban", and the upcoming "Exiles"-interpreting a hardcore Cuban convict who mutinies on a yacht full of Marielista immigrants, to take over as de facto captain.

Little known fact: Mark stopped out of college to pursue acting professionally while studying to become an FBI agent. He spends his rare spare time playing guitar, publishing his poetry, and engaging in fabulous new adventures (real espionage not included).

Raymond Cruz is perhaps best-known for his portrayal of the frighteningly lethal Tuco Salamanca in AMC's critically acclaimed show Breaking Bad (2008), a character he later reprised for the first two episodes of the spin-off Better Call Saul (2015). The role garnered him a Best Performance in a Television Series nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Cruz recently wrapped his sixth and final season of TNT's Major Crimes (2012) as Julio Sanchez, a detective within the Los Angeles Police Department's Major Crimes Division, a role which originated on TNT's The Closer (2005) and which offered Cruz a nomination of Best Supporting Actor from the Imagen Foundation Awards. Other TV work includes Cleveland Abduction (2015), the TV movie in which he starred as kidnapper Ariel Castro, a role he felt personally connected to having known the victims of his crime personally. Other TV work includes CSI: Miami (2002), Lauren (2012), White Collar (2009), and Los Americans (2011), among others. Cruz has appeared in numerous films, including the highly touted Collateral Damage (2002), Training Day (2001), and Alien: Resurrection (2000).

Mayte Michelle Rodríguez was born on July 12, 1978 in San Antonio, Texas to Carmen Milady Pared Espinal, a housewife, and Rafael Rodríguez Santiago, a U.S. Army solider. Known for tough-chick roles, Michelle is proof that there is a cross between beauty and brawn. Michelle always knew she was destined to become a star, she just didn't know how to get there. Michelle lived in San Antonio until the age of 8 when her parents divorced & moved to the Dominican Republic where she lived for two years before moving to Puerto Rico. At 11, Michelle's family relocated for the last time to Jersey City, New Jersey. Although she has been working since 1999 as an extra in such films as Summer of Sam (1999) and Cradle Will Rock (1999), it only took a magazine ad announcing an open casting call in New York for Michelle to decide to finally step into the spotlight. The role was the female lead, the movie was Girlfight (2000). Despite the lack of experience in film and boxing, Michelle auditioned, along with another 350 girls. After various trials inside an actual boxing ring and five arduous months of training in Brooklyn's Gleason's Gym, she was finally chosen to portray the role of Diana Guzman. As soon as the independent film began making the rounds at various film festivals, Michelle began gaining critical acclaim for her performance earning her awards like the Deauville Festival of American Cinema award for Best Actress and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society for Female Breakthrough performance. As Girlfight (2000) continued to gain notoriety with its September 2000 release, Michelle was already hard at work with films like 3 A.M. (2001), the blockbuster hit The Fast and the Furious (2001), and Resident Evil (2002). With Hollywood calling her name, the future for this feisty Jersey girl is as strong as the punches she throws.

Natália Rosa is known for Xeque Mate (a série) (2024), Reality Z (2020) and Nobody Belongs to Anyone (2023).

Ana Hartmann is a Brazilian actress known for her role as Nina, a protagonist on the Netflix Series "Reality Z".

Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Ana is the daughter to Clara Leni Hartmann and Hamilton Cardoso Hilgert, two doctors. Her acting career started in 2012, at Teatro Oficina, the oldest and most traditional of Brazilian theater companies. Being awarded in 2014 for her performance as Dottie on the play Killer Joe, by Tracy Letts, she started working on TV, movies and series on 2017 and has developed a body of work which includes more than 15 theater appearances and important roles on the Brazilian and international audiovisual productions which include her role as a protagonist in the Netflix series Reality Z, and a role in the movie Bula (Belgium, 2021).

Pedro Pascal is a Chilean-born actor. He is best known for portraying the roles of Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011), Javier Peña in the Netflix series Narcos (2015), the titular character in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian (2019) and Joel Miller in the HBO series The Last of Us (2023).

He's long-time friends with Triple Frontier (2019) co-star Oscar Isaac.

Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to an Italian carpenter/stagehand father from Naples, Italy, and an African-American opera singer mother from Alabama. His parents, working in Europe at the time of his birth, settled in Manhattan by the time he was 6, and that's where he grew up.

Coming from a theatrical background, it was, perhaps, inevitable that young Giancarlo would appear on stage sooner or later, and he did, at age 8, appearing on Broadway as a slave child in "Maggie Flynn" in 1966.

More Broadway work followed through the 1960s and early '70s, followed by some small roles in movies. TV work followed in the 1980s, with increasingly significant parts in a string of high-profile series until he became well-established as a character player both on TV and in a number of movies.

He came very much to the public's attention playing Agent Mike Giardello in the TV series Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) in 1998 and since then has rarely been off our screens.

Julia Jones is one of the entertainment industry's brightest talents.

Julia stars in a leading role on Dexter: New Blood, Showtime's record-shattering, most watched series to date. She can also be seen in Peacock's comedy series Rutherford Falls, Disney+'s hit series The Mandalorian, and HBO's critically acclaimed drama Westworld.

Jones played the pivotal role of 'Wilma' in Taylor Sheridan's critically acclaimed neo-Western, Wind River, opposite Jeremy Renner. The film premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and won the Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard-Best Director award. Other film credits include Lionsgate's Cold Pursuit alongside Liam Neeson and Laura Dern; Quentin Tarantino Presents' Hell Ride; Jonah Hex opposite Josh Brolin; Winter in the Blood; and Netflix's The Ridiculous Six, to name a few. She also portrayed 'Leah Clearwater' in the hugely popular The Twilight Saga franchise.

Jones' television credits include Amazon's legal drama, Goliath, and recurring roles as "Gabriella Langton" on the Netflix series Longmire and "Dr. Kaya Montoya" on NBC's long-running series, ER.

On stage, Jones played "Dacotah" in the Culture Clash play Palestine, New Mexico at The Mark Taper Forum.

A native of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, Julia began working in commercials and community theatre at a young age. She also performed regularly in Boston Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. After high school, Jones moved to New York to attend Columbia University, where she graduated with a degree in English. While in college, she began modeling internationally appearing in ads for such companies as Levi's, Esprit, and Polo Ralph Lauren. She is on the board of Colt Coeur, a Brooklyn based theater company.

Jones currently resides in Los Angeles.

This stunning and resourceful actress has been primarily a film player thus far. Only recently has she been opening herself up more to doing television (the series Gemini Division (2008), which she executive-produced), and animated voice-overs. Dawson's powerhouse talent stands out the most in edgy, urban filming that dates back to 1995 when she was only sixteen.

A rags-to-riches article entitled "Rosario Dawson: From Tenement to Tinseltown" probably says it all. Rosario was born on May 9, 1979 in New York City. Her mother, Isabel Celeste, of Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban descent, is a singer, and her stepfather, who raised her, Greg Dawson, of Irish descent, is a construction laborer. Her parents, who married when both were teenagers, eventually divorced. Rosario and her younger brother, Clay Dawson, had it hard while growing up, and were cared for by family members, most of whom were poverty-stricken, and some of whom were HIV-positive.

Her career actually started as a child when she made a minor showing on the children's show, Sesame Street (1969). As the story goes, she was "discovered" as an adolescent on her front porch step by two photographers. One of them, Harmony Korine, was an aspiring screenwriter who thought the inexperienced sixteen-year-old was ideal for the controversial cult film Kids (1995), in which she would portray a sexually active adolescent. It took time for Rosario's film career to kick in after that, but by the late 1990s, she had nabbed several independent films. Since then, she has moved into main-stream hits (and misses) and has surprised viewers with her earthy, provocative, uninhibited approach to her roles.

Reflecting New York's tougher, tawdrier side as assorted streetwalkers, homeless mothers, drug addicts, etc., her film highlights have included Light It Up (1999), Edward Burns' Sidewalks of New York (2001), Spike Lee's 25th Hour (2002) and Shattered Glass (2003). For Oliver Stone, she portrayed the duped bride of Colin Farrell's famed B.C. Macedonian warrior, Alexander (2004) (as in "...the Great"), which featured a notoriously violent-tinged nude/sex scene.

Expanding her horizons beyond film, she has always expressed interest in singing. She hooked up with Prince for the re-release of his 1980s hit "1999" and appeared in The Chemical Brothers' video for the song "Out of Control" from the album "Surrender". She is also featured on the Outkast track, "She Lives in My Lap". On stage, she co-starred as Julia in a revival of "Two Gentlemen of Verona" at the Public Theater's "Shakespeare in the Park" and appeared in "The Vagina Monologues".

She lucked into and got to show off her singing chops in the film adaptation of the hit New York musical Rent (2005), when Daphne Rubin-Vega, the original Mimi, became pregnant and was unable to reprise her exotic dancer role. Rosario also appeared as a prostitute in the adaptation of the graphic novel Sin City (2005). Of late, she has turned to producing. One of those, Descent (2007), had her playing a college coed who is brutally attacked and raped by a fellow student. Her more popular ventures have thus far included the role of Valerie Brown in the live-action version of the comic strip Josie and the Pussycats (2001), the Will Smith starrer Men in Black II (2002), Eagle Eye (2008) with Shia LaBeouf and Seven Pounds (2008), again with Smith, in which she offered one of her more tender-hearted performances as a woman with a potentially fatal heart condition.

More recent millennium films opposite some of Hollywood's top leading movie men include the tense actioneer Unstoppable (2010) with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine; the comedy/fantasy Zookeeper (2011) opposite Dalekmania (1995); romantic dramedy 10 Years (2011) with Channing Tatum; crime drama Fire with Fire (2012) with Bruce Willis; romantic comedy Top Five (2014) with Chris Rock; and action adventure Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) with Woody Harrelson. She has also top-lined independent films with her own feisty characters such as the thriller Unforgettable (2017) and the title role in the dramedy Krystal (2017).

Focusing also on TV projects, Rosario has graced such action series/mini-series as Daredevil (2015), Iron Fist (2017) and The Defenders (2017), as well as the comedy Jane the Virgin (2014) and animated cartoon series The Last Kids on Earth (2019).

Off-camera, the still-single Dawson is highly active in political, social and environmental causes and has been involved with such organizations/charities/campaigns as the Lower East Side Girls Club, Global Cool, the O.N.E. Campaign, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Control Arms, International Rescue Committee, Voto Latino (which she founded), Conservation International, Doctors Without Borders, National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy and Save the Children. In October 2008, she lent her voice to the RESPECT! Campaign, a movement aimed at preventing domestic violence.