ROSIE PEREZ
Name: Rosa Maria Perez
Born: 6 September 1964 Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City
Rosa Maria Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an Academy Award-nominated American
actress, dancer, choreographer and director.
Perez was born in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick to Afro-Puerto Ricans
parents. She started her career in the late 1980s as a dancer on Soul Train and
has choreographed music videos by Bobby Brown, Diana Ross, LL Cool J and The
Boys. She was the choreographer for the dancing group, the Fly Girls, (and in
one case three female members of the show's cast during a sketch that involved
them taking over as the show's dance troupe after they had tied up, gagged, and
thrown the real Fly Girls into a closet) who were featured on every performance
of In Living Color, a 1990s television variety series.
Perez was noticed in a dance club by Spike Lee, who hired her for her first
acting role in Lee's Do the Right Thing.
Perez is recognized for her nasal voice and thick Brooklyn accent, which often
is emphasized in her films. Her normal speaking voice is much clearer, although
her accent remains strong.
In 1999, Perez married filmmaker Seth Zvi Rosenfeld, but they separated in 2001.
She made her Broadway debut in Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the
Claire de Lune . Perez also had a major role in the hit comedy "White Men Can't
Jump" in 1992, with co-stars Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. She also
appeared opposite Jeff Bridges in Peter Weir's 1993 film Fearless, for which
Perez was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1997
she starred in Perdita Durango, a controversial 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.
She co-stars as "Click, the camera" on Nick Jr.'s Go, Diego, Go!.
Perez is a Puerto Rican activist who fights for Puerto Rican rights from America.
Her 2006 film Yo Soy Boricua! Pa' Que Tú Lo Sepas! (I'm Puerto Rican, Just So
You Know!) is about this fight.
In Fall 2006, Perez 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 Elias, singer/actress
Lorena Rojas, 2006-2007 Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera, and actress Judy Marte. An
English-language campaign was directed by Liev Schreiber.
Name: Rosa Maria Perez
Born: 6 September 1964 Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City
Rosa Maria Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an Academy Award-nominated American
actress, dancer, choreographer and director.
Perez was born in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick to Afro-Puerto Ricans
parents. She started her career in the late 1980s as a dancer on Soul Train and
has choreographed music videos by Bobby Brown, Diana Ross, LL Cool J and The
Boys. She was the choreographer for the dancing group, the Fly Girls, (and in
one case three female members of the show's cast during a sketch that involved
them taking over as the show's dance troupe after they had tied up, gagged, and
thrown the real Fly Girls into a closet) who were featured on every performance
of In Living Color, a 1990s television variety series.
Perez was noticed in a dance club by Spike Lee, who hired her for her first
acting role in Lee's Do the Right Thing.
Perez is recognized for her nasal voice and thick Brooklyn accent, which often
is emphasized in her films. Her normal speaking voice is much clearer, although
her accent remains strong.
In 1999, Perez married filmmaker Seth Zvi Rosenfeld, but they separated in 2001.
She made her Broadway debut in Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the
Claire de Lune . Perez also had a major role in the hit comedy "White Men Can't
Jump" in 1992, with co-stars Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. She also
appeared opposite Jeff Bridges in Peter Weir's 1993 film Fearless, for which
Perez was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1997
she starred in Perdita Durango, a controversial 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.
She co-stars as "Click, the camera" on Nick Jr.'s Go, Diego, Go!.
Perez is a Puerto Rican activist who fights for Puerto Rican rights from America.
Her 2006 film Yo Soy Boricua! Pa' Que Tú Lo Sepas! (I'm Puerto Rican, Just So
You Know!) is about this fight.
In Fall 2006, Perez 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 Elias, singer/actress
Lorena Rojas, 2006-2007 Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera, and actress Judy Marte. An
English-language campaign was directed by Liev Schreiber.