Born in Los Angeles, America Ferrera began acting in community theater and school plays at the age of eight. She made her film debut with a starring role in the indie flick Real Women Have Curves (2002), which earned her a Sundance Jury Award for Best Actress and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Debut Performance, as well as a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance for a Leading Young Actress.
Since then America has appeared in several TV movies, including the Hallmark Hall of Fame's Plainsong (2004), starring Aidan Quinn and major motion pictures such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) with Alexis Bledel and Lords of Dogtown (2005) starring Heath Ledger. She's also made guest appearances on Touched by an Angel and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
In 2006, she debuted in the title role of the new ABC TV series Ugly Betty, which quickly earned rave reviews and excellent ratings. At the 64th Annual Golden Globes, Ferrera picked up a statuette for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy.
Since the show came to a close in 2010, she's been concentrating her work on the big screen, appearing in films such as Our Family Wedding (2010) and providing a voice for How to Train Your Dragon (2010). In 2012, she landed another television series called Christine and plays the title character. She was also seen in the 2012 action flick End of Watch alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña.
In 2024, she received her first Oscar nomination, for her performance as Gloria in Barbie (2023), in the Supporting Actress category.
Filmography:
Barbie (2023)
Dumb Money (2023)
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
Special Correspondents (2016)
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
X/Y (2014)
Cesar Chavez (2014)
Sid the Science Kid: The Movie (2013)
End of Watch (2012)
It's a Disaster (2012)
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) (voice)
Our Family Wedding (2010)
The Dry Land (2010)
An Invisible Sign of My Own (2009)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)
La Misma luna (2007)
Hacia la oscuridad (2007)
Steel City (2006)
Lords of Dogtown (2005)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer (2005)
Darkness Minus Twelve (2004)
Real Women Have Curves (2002)