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Known for tough-chick roles, Michelle Rodriguez is proof that there is a cross between beauty and brawn. Born in Bexar County, Texas on July 12, 1978, Michelle always knew she was destined to become a star, she just didn't know how to get there. Michelle lived in Texas until the age of 8 when her family 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 Deaxville 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.
IMDb Mini Biography By: RoxyInc19@aol.com
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Was raised in Texas, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and in Jersey City.
Is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent.
She beat out 350 other girls for the role of Diana Guzman in Girlfight (2000).
Girlfight (2000) was her first acting audition, and she got the role. The Fast and the Furious (2001) was her second audition, and she also got that role.
Is an avid in-line skater.
Didn't have a driver's license before filming The Fast and the Furious (2001) and had to obtain one during her training for the car chase sequences.
Plays the piano.
Has two half-sisters on her father's side.
Has two older twin brothers named Raul and Omar.
Dropped out of high school at 17, but she went back and graduated via an equivalency diploma.
Ranked #77 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" (2002).
Ranked #34 in Maxim's "100 Sexiest Women" (2002).
It was announced in 2005 that she would be joining the second season cast of the hit ABC drama "Lost" (2004).
She was the original choice for the title role in ?on Flux (2005).
When interviewed to join the cast of "Lost" (2004) as a tough LAPD cop, she insisted that she would only sign on for one year because she is a "nomadic spirit". The producers came up with a story line and sold the idea of the short contract to the network.
Is often seen singing karaoke alongside Lindsay Lohan, Bo Barrett, Emile Hirsch, and Nicole Richie at Beverly Hills hot spot "Guys" .
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I think empathy is a beautiful thing. I think that's the power of film though. We have one of the most powerful, one of the greatest communicative tools known to man. It's a form of communication and it's gonna reach you in a way of growth- most of the time.
I don't want people thinking of me sexually. I don't want people to be like, 'She's hot-looking,' you know? I want them to listen to me for what I am saying. And I think the best way to do that is to sniff my armpits, and like, sit and burp every now and then. It just completely throws people off. I had a couple of offers to do some hot scenes in the shower with some guy and to make it real hot and sexy. The next thing you know, I'd be the next J.Lo or something. But that's easy. I want [success] the hard way.
My favorite part of my body is my brain. I think no matter what my body looks like I wont be satisfied unless I know how to use it.
I don't think it's narcissistic at all to love yourself and believe in yourself. I think some people are really scared to do that. I have to. If I don't, I would not succeed in what I do.
No matter what, people are so narrow minded that it won't ever be Michelle Rodriguez the actress, it will always be Michelle Rodriguez the Latin actress. And it's just something that I have to live with, because of the fact that people need labels to understand things. I can't even get into this ignorance that I'm dealing with. So I just ignore it, you know? Ignore the ignorance.
[on why she always plays the "tough girl"]: Well, could you really imagine me playing the girlfriend that needs rescuing? Or the girlfriend?
Evincing a charismatic screen presence that recalled a female version of Marlon Brando, Michelle Rodriguez became an overnight star as Diana Guzman, a troubled high school senior who builds self-esteem and discovers her calling as a boxer in the affecting Sundance entry "Girlfight" (2000). After a somewhat peripatetic childhood that saw her family move from Texas to her mother's native Dominican Republic to her father's home of Puerto Rico, she and her family finally settled in Jersey City, New Jersey. Rodriguez dropped out of high school (eventually earning her GED) and passed her time landing extra work in movies filmed in NYC (like "Cradle Will Rock" and "Summer of Sam", both 1999). Answering an advertisement for an open casting to play a woman boxer, she almost didn't land her breakthrough role. Having Rollerbladed to the audition with a self-confessed "pessimistic attitude", Rodriguez failed to impress director Karyn Kusama with her audition. In fact, the filmmaker was dead set against hiring the aspiring actress whom she felt projected a lousy attitude. Kusama's producer and a casting agent intervened on Rodriguez's behalf and persuaded the director to reconsider and eventually Kusama relented. For her part, Rodriguez more than proved her mettle, delivering a star-making turn as the feisty, sexy Diana.
Having become the "It Girl" of the indie world when "Girlfight" debuted at Sundance in 2000, Rodriguez watched her stock rise. No longer relegated to extra work, she was courted for major roles. Rodriguez followed up playing a tough cabby in the 2001 Sundance entry "3 A.M." (which aired on Showtime) and then co-starred as a driver in "The Fast and the Furious" (2001), about a rookie cop who infiltrates a race team suspected of participating in a jewel heist. The rising star then seen in in the action thriller "Resident Evil" (2002), a feature film based on the popular video game and as tough cookie surfer girl Eden in "Blue Crush" (2002), the first surfing movie of the new millennium--this time with a trio of eye-candy female leads and some truly awesome surf footage, making it a surprising guilty pleasure. She was then tapped as a tough cookie female police officer in the big-budget, action-oriented film adapation of the 70s crime drama "S.W.A.T." (2003). After a first season guest appearance on the hit ABC drama "Lost" as Ana-Lucia Cortez, a passenger who flirts with Jack (Matthew Fox) in a Sydney airport bar before boarding the ill-fated airliner, Rodriguez became a regular member of the cast in second season as part of second group of crash survivors.
With her distinctive, husky vocals, Rodriguez also enjoyed a burgeoning career as a voice actor, specializing in video games including "Halo 2" (2004), "True Crime: Streets of LA" (2003) and "Driv3r" (2004).
Born:
on 07/12/1978 in Bexar County, Texas
Job Titles:
Actress
Family
Brother: Omar Rodriguez. born c. 1970; twin of Raul
Brother: Raul Rodriguez. born c. 1970; twin of Omar
Father: Rafael Rodriguez. Puerto Rican; separated from Rodriguez's mother c. 1986; died in 1997
Mother: Carmen Rodriguez. Dominican; separated from Rodriguez's father c. 1986
Significant Others
Companion: Kristanna Loken. met on the set of "BloodRayne"; The Advocate and other LGBT news sources reported in November 2006 that they were rumored to be romantically involved
Companion: Vin Diesel. co-starred in "The Fast and the Furious"; dated in 2001
Milestones
1986 Lived with her maternal grandmother in the Dominican Republic (dates approximate)
1990 Settled in Jersey City, New Jersey with her mother (date approximate)
2000 Breakthrough screen role, the lead in "Girlfight"; portrayed Diana, a tough, troubled high school student who finds an outlet for her aggression in boxing
2001 Cast as a tough NYC cabbie in the Showtime original "3 A.M."; screened at Sundance
2001 Co-starred as a gang member with a penchant for racing sports cars in "The Fast and the Furious"
2002 Cast in the surfing movie "Blue Crush"
2002 Starred in the action film "Resident Evil"
2003 Portrayed the character Chris in the summer action feature "S.W.A.T."
2004 Lent her voice to the video games, "True Crime: Street of LA," "Driv3r" and "Halo2"
2005 Joined the cast of "Lost" (ABC) in its second season as ex-police officer, Ana-Lucia Cortez; character killed off at the end of the second season
2006 Starred in the big-screen version of the popular video game "BloodRayne"
Moved to Puerto Rico to live with her father (dates approximate)
Raised in Texas until her parents separated when she was eight
Worked as an extra in films shot in NYC like "Summer of Sam", "Cradle Will Rock" and "For Love of the Game"
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Actress:
In Production
2000s
Avatar (2009) (filming) .... Trudy Chacon
Battle in Seattle (2007) .... Lou
"Lost" .... Ana-Lucia Cortez (24 episodes, 2005-2006) - Live Together, Die Alone (2006) TV Episode (credit only) .... Ana-Lucia Cortez - Three Minutes (2006) TV Episode (credit only) .... Ana-Lucia Cortez - ? (2006) TV Episode .... Ana-Lucia Cortez - Two for the Road (2006) TV Episode .... Ana-Lucia Cortez - S.O.S. (2006) TV Episode .... Ana-Lucia Cortez (19 more)
The Breed (2006) .... Nicki
"IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix" .... Liz Ricarro (1 episode, 2005) - Time to Shine (2005) TV Episode (voice: English version) .... Liz Ricarro
BloodRayne (2005) .... Katarin
Sian Ka'an (2005) (voice)
Control (2004) .... Teresa
Halo 2 (2004) (VG) (voice) .... Marine
Driv3r (2004) (VG) (voice) .... Calita
True Crime: Streets of LA (2003) (VG) (voice) .... Rosie Velasco
S.W.A.T. (2003) .... Chris Sanchez
Blue Crush (2002) .... Eden... aka Blue Crush (Germany)
Resident Evil (2002) .... Rain Ocampo... aka Resident Evil (France) (Germany)
The Fast and the Furious (2001) .... Letty... aka The Fast and the Furious (Germany)
3 A.M. (2001) .... Salgado
Girlfight (2000) .... Diana Guzman
Self:
Adventures in Voice Acting (2007) (V) .... Herself
"Last Call with Carson Daly" .... Herself (1 episode, 2006) - Episode dated 14 March 2006 (2006) TV Episode .... Herself
"Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show" .... Herself (1 episode, 2006) - Episode dated 10 March 2006 (2006) TV Episode .... Herself
"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" .... Herself (3 episodes, 2001-2006) - Episode dated 8 March 2006 (2006) TV Episode .... Herself - Episode dated 16 August 2002 (2002) TV Episode .... Herself - Episode dated 19 June 2001 (2001) TV Episode .... Herself
2005 Taurus World Stunt Awards (2005) (TV) .... Herself
"Punk'd" .... Herself (1 episode, 2005) - Episode #4.2 (2005) TV Episode .... Herself
Destination: Lost (2005) (TV) .... Ana-Lucia Cortez
2004 MTV Movie Awards (2004) (TV) .... Herself
2004 Taurus World Stunt Awards (2004) (TV) .... Herself
"HBO First Look" .... Herself (1 episode, 2003) - S.W.A.T. (2003) TV Episode .... Herself
"Tinseltown TV" .... Herself (1 episode, 2003) - Episode dated 9 August 2003 (2003) TV Episode .... Herself
Women of the Beach (2002) (TV) .... Herself
2002 ABC World Stunt Awards (2002) (TV) (uncredited) .... Herself - Presenter
Playing Dead: 'Resident Evil' from Game to Screen (2002) (V) .... Herself
The 2001 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2001) (TV) .... Herself
Film-Fest DVD: Issue 5 - Cannes 2000 & SXSW (2000) (V) .... Herself
Archive Footage:
The Lost Survival Guide (2006) (TV) .... Ana-Lucia Cortez
Lost: Revelation (2006) (TV) .... Ana-Lucia Cortez
"Celebrities Uncensored" - Episode #2.6 (2004) TV Episode .... Herself
Plans to create a fashion line named Ishkadada which will be inspired by world cultures. (July 14, 2007)
Is reportedly in lesbian relationship with Kristanna Loken. (November 17, 2006)
Has been blasted by PETA for taking a baby tiger cub to a nightclub. (July 6, 2006)
Claimed she does not have a problem with alcohol despite a conviction for drink driving, saying, My father threw up his liver. If I were going to be an alcoholic, I'd know it by now. (June 3, 2006)
Was released from her two-month term at the Los Angeles County Jail after only a few hours because of crowded conditions. (May 31, 2006)
Rodriguez, who served five days in jail in Hawaii last month for drunk driving, must serve 60 days for violating her probation with that arrest. (May 23, 2006)
Said that her time spent in jail was an amazing experience and she has no regrets. (May 12, 2006)
Says she treats people with respect - unless provoked. (January 28, 2006)
Paid nearly $1,000 in traffic fines in Hawaii since August of 2005. (December 15, 2005)
Rodriguez and her Lost so-star Cynthia Watros were arrested within 15 minutes of each other in Kailua for allegedly driving under the influence of an intoxicant. (December 5, 2005)
Has been sentenced to serve community service at a morgue, after being convicted of driving offenses. (June 9, 2004)
Faces eight misdemeanor charges after she was caught driving fast and furiously twice on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. (November 20, 2003)
Refuses to play maid roles.
Of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent
She cemented her tough-girl rep while filming the surf movie BLUE CRUSH on the north shore of Hawaii.