Michelle Rodriguez

Mayte Michelle Rodriguez is an American actress born on July 12, 1978, in San Antonio, Texas. She is widely recognized for her recurring portrayal of Letty Ortiz in the Fast & Furious film series and Rain Ocampo in the Resident Evil franchise. She has also starred in major feature films such as James Cameron's science fiction epic Avatar, the action thriller S.W.A.T., the independent drama Girlfight, and the television drama series Lost.

Rodriguez was raised by her Dominican mother, Carmen Milady Rodriguez, and her Puerto Rican father, Rafael Rodriguez, a veteran of the U.S. Army. During her youth, she lived in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico before settling in Jersey City, New Jersey. Raised partly by her maternal grandmother as a Jehovah's Witness, she later stepped away from the religion. After being expelled from five high schools, she obtained her GED and briefly attended business school before leaving to pursue an acting career, aiming to eventually work as a screenwriter and director.

Her acting debut occurred in 2000 when she responded to an open casting call for her first audition, beating out 350 other candidates to star in the independent sports film Girlfight. Her depiction of Diana Guzman, a troubled teen who turns to boxing, earned widespread recognition, winning her Best Debut Performance honors at the Independent Spirit Awards and Gotham Awards, along with accolades from the National Board of Review.

Following her breakthrough, Rodriguez secured roles in high-profile action films, including The Fast and the Furious in 2001 and Resident Evil in 2002. Throughout the decade, she appeared in Blue Crush, S.W.A.T., and Battle in Seattle, while playing Ana Lucia Cortez on the television show Lost. She also expanded into voice acting, providing performances for the anime series Immortal Grand Prix and video games such as Halo 2, Driver 3, True Crime: Streets of LA, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

In 2009, she appeared in Fast & Furious and James Cameron's Avatar, which became the highest-grossing film in history. She subsequently headlined the Dominican historical film Trópico de Sangre and starred in action releases including Machete, Machete Kills, and Battle: Los Angeles. She also voiced characters in the animated features Turbo and Smurfs: The Lost Village, while returning for multiple sequels in both the Fast & Furious and Resident Evil franchises.

In her later work, Rodriguez earned critical praise for her role in the 2018 heist film Widows and featured in Alita: Battle Angel. She launched Cheshire Kat Productions, producing the documentary Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story in 2019. Beyond film production, her personal interests include DJing, skydiving, and tactical gun training, and she has spoken openly in interviews about identifying as bisexual.