Short Biography

Rosa María "Rosie" Pérez (born September 6, 1964) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress, dancer, choreographer and director. She is recognized for her nasal voice and thick Brooklyn accent. Pérez was born and raised in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick to Puerto Rican parents Lydia Pérez (née Fontanez), a singer, and Ismael Serrano, a sailor employed in the merchant-marine. At the time of her birth, her mother was married to Ventura Pérez, and had an affair with Serrano. Pérez attended the Grover Cleveland High School in Queens, New York and a community college in Los Angeles.

She started her career in the late 1980s as a dancer on Soul Train and has choreographed music videos by Janet Jackson, Bobby Brown, Diana Ross, LL Cool J and The Boys. She was the choreographer for the dancing group, the Fly Girls who were featured on every performance of In Living Color.

She is a Puerto Rican activist who fights for Puerto Rican rights from America. Her film Yo Soy Boricua! Pa` Que Tú Lo Sepas! (I`m Puerto Rican, Just So You Know!) is about this fight. 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 Elias, singer/actress Lorena Rojas, 2006-2007 Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera, and actress Judy Marte. An English-language campaign was also directed by Liev Schreiber. She has more recently played corrupt female police officer Carol Brazier in the Judd Apatow-produced film Pineapple Express co-starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.

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