Rosie Perez is an American actress, dancer, director and choreographer.
She was born on September 6, 1964, to Puerto Rican parents in Brooklyn, New York. Her first professional experience was in the late 1980s, when she became a dancer in the syndicated music program Soul Train. She also choreographed music videos for urban and soul artists such as Bobby Brown, Diana Ross, and LL Cool J. She was also chief choreographer for the dance group Fly Girls, who performed in episodes of the comedy program In Living Color. Her choreography was nominated three times for an Emmy award.
In 1989, Rosie Perez was cast in the film Do the Right Thing, after she was discovered by director Spike Lee in a dance club. She also worked on the choreography for that film. She starred in the hit 1992 comedy White Men Can’t Jump, alongside Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. In 1993, she appeared alongside Jeff Bridges in the 1993 drama Fearless. Her role as plane crash survivor Carla Rodrigo earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress, although she lost out to Anna Paquin.
In 1997, Perez appeared in the controversial film Perdita Durango, as the title character who meets and falls in love with a criminal (Javier Bardem). In 2000, she provided the voice of Chel in the animated film The Road to El Dorado.
In 2006, she made her directorial debut with the Puetro Rican film, Yo soy Baricua, pa’que tú lo sepas!, a documentary about the Puerto Rican Day parade in New York. She also participated in the “Join the Fight” campaign against HIV-AIDS, alongside Hispanic celebrities such as Wilmer Valderrama, Julissa Bermudez and 2006 Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera. She is set to appear in the Jude Apatow-produced film, Pineapple Express, opposite Seth Rogen and James Franco.