Nadine Velazquez

Nadine E. Velázquez is an American actress and model born on November 20, 1978. She is best known for her television roles as Catalina Aruca on the NBC comedy series My Name Is Earl and Sofia Ruxin on the FX series The League. Over the course of her career, she has appeared in print advertisements, television programs, and feature films, including Blast, A Day in the Life, Flight, Snitch, and Ride Along 2.

Velázquez was born in Chicago, Illinois, and is of Puerto Rican descent. She attended Notre Dame High School for Girls before enrolling at Columbia College Chicago, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing in 2001.

Her acting career began with a role as a drive-through attendant in a McDonald's television commercial. She was initially cast as Maricruz Delgado, the girlfriend of Fernando Sucre, in the Fox series Prison Break, but ultimately chose to portray Catalina Aruca in My Name Is Earl instead. Her early feature film projects included the movie War, featuring Jet Li and Jason Statham, as well as the Oxygen Network television movie Husband for Hire. In 2006, she acted in the monologue show Skirts & Flirts and was ranked number 39 on Maxim's Hot 100 list.

In addition to her acting work, Velázquez served as a judge for the Miss Universe 2008 beauty pageant and hosted the Miss USA 2009 pageant. She went on to secure a recurring role on FX's fantasy football sitcom The League and appeared in the comedy-drama series Hart of Dixie. In 2011, she appeared in the pilot episode of the ABC reboot of Charlie's Angels as Gloria Martinez, a character who was killed off and subsequently replaced by Minka Kelly.

Velázquez appeared in the 2012 drama film Flight, playing flight attendant Katerina Marquez opposite Denzel Washington. In 2013, she reunited with former My Name Is Earl cast members for a guest role in Raising Hope. She also joined the main cast of the TNT drama series Major Crimes starting in its second season, playing District Attorney Emma Rios, a romantic interest for character Julio Sanchez, played by Raymond Cruz.

In March 2021, Velázquez joined the cast of the ABC music drama series Queens alongside Brandy, Eve, and Naturi Naughton. The show was picked up for a full season in May 2021. In October 2021, she featured on the soundtrack singles Nasty Girl, which had a music video directed by Tim Story, and The Introduction, co-written by Nas. The show debuted on October 19, 2021, earning praise from publications such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter for the group's musical performances.

In her personal life, Velázquez married talent agent Marc Provissiero in 2005. The couple divorced in 2011.