Ana Ortiz
Encyclopedia
Ana Ortíz is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actress and singer. She is a native of Manhattan, but was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. She was a regular cast-member on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...

 series Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...

, in which she plays the title character's
Betty Suarez
Beatriz "Betty" U. Suarez is a central fictional character and heroine of the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is portrayed by America Ferrera, who won a 2007 Golden Globe and 2007 SAG award for her portrayal of the character, as well as the Outstanding Actress in a Comedy award for the role...

 older sister, Hilda Suarez
Hilda Suarez
Hilda Suarez Talercio is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is portrayed by Ana Ortiz. Hilda's character is the American adaptation's equivalent to Julia Solano Galindo de Pinzón, Beatriz Pinzón Solano's mother, and is loosely based on creator Silvio Horta's older...

. The role earned her the ALMA Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress
2007 ALMA Awards
The 2007 ALMA Awards honors the accomplishments made by Hispanics in film and television in 2006. The awards were held in Pasadena, California, on June 1, 2007, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. The show was televised on ABC on June 5, 2007, at 9 p.m. EDT / 8 p.m. CDT. The show was hosted by...

 in 2007.

Life and career

Ortiz was born in Manhattan and is the daughter of Angel L. Ortiz, a former Philadelphia City Council
Philadelphia City Council
The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number...

 member of Puerto Rican descent, and an Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...

 mother.

As a child, Ortiz originally dreamed of becoming a ballerina
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...

, and she studied ballet for eight years, until the pain of dancing en pointe
En pointe
En pointe means "on the tip" and is a part of classical ballet technique, usually practised using specially reinforced shoes called pointe shoes or toe shoes. The technique developed from the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and has evolved to enable dancers to dance on the...

 forced her to pursue a different artistic discipline.

Switching to singing, Ortiz attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...

 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and later the University of the Arts
University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
The University of the Arts is one of the United States' oldest universities dedicated to the arts. Its campus makes up part of the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia...

 in Philadelphia before making her professional stage debut in a regional theater production of Dangerous Liaisons. Her additional stage credits include portraying Chrissy in a European touring production of Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...

, regional theater productions such as Dog Lady and the Cuban Swimmer and in the South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California.Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson and now under the leadership of Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei, is widely...

 Theater's production of References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot.

After joining LAByrinth Theatre Company, she appeared off-Broadway in In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings, which also co-starred Puerto Rican actress Liza Colón-Zayas
Liza Colón-Zayas
Liza Colón-Zayas is an American actress and playwright.She was born and raised in the The Bronx borough of New York City, and began her career starring in Off-Broadway productions...

 and was directed by Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor and director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films...

 and named one of the 10-best plays of 1999 by the magazine Time Out New York.

Career

On television, Ortiz's resume includes NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...

, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, Commander In Chief, Boston Legal
Boston Legal
Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...

, ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...

, The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...

, Over There
Over There (TV series)
Over There is an action / drama / war television series that aired on FX. It premiered in the United States on July 27, 2005 and premiered in Canada on September 6, 2005 on the History Television channel. The series was presented in 16:9 widescreen format in the U.S...

, her first full-time series role, Kristin
Kristin (TV series)
Kristin is an American comedy television series starring Kristin Chenoweth. The series premiered June 5, 2001, on NBC. The show was canceled after six episodes.-Plot:...

and Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...

. Ortiz also had a guest-starring role on Army Wives
Army Wives
Army Wives is an American drama series that follows the lives of four army wives, their families, and an army husband whose wife is in the army. The series, shot at ABC Studios, premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007...

during its second season as a waitress named Sandi.

In addition to her current role on Ugly Betty, she is active in films, which include starring roles King of L.A., Tortilla Heaven
Tortilla Heaven
Tortilla Heaven is an independent comedy film written and directed by Judy Hecht Dumontet. It was first released in theaters on March 16, 2007 in Los Angeles.-Plot:...

and the 2009 TV movie Labor Pains
Labor Pains
Labor Pains is a 2009 romantic comedy starring Lindsay Lohan, Luke Kirby, Cheryl Hines, Chris Parnell, Bridgit Mendler, and Kevin Covais. The film received a television premiere on ABC Family on July 19, 2009. It was originally scheduled to be released in theatres...

co-starring her former Ugly Betty co-star, Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...

.

Ortiz is one of two Philadelphians who are regulars on Ugly Betty, the other being Mark Indelicato
Mark Indelicato
Mark Indelicato is an American actor, singer, fashion blogger, and photographer best known for his role in the ABC comedy series Ugly Betty, as Justin Suarez, the fashion-obsessed nephew of series protagonist Betty Suarez....

, who plays her son Justin. Another connection to the city is co-star Becki Newton
Becki Newton
Rebecca Sara "Becki" Newton is an American actress known for her role as Amanda Tanen on the television series Ugly Betty.-Early life:...

 (who plays Amanda Tanen
Amanda Tanen
Amanda Tanen Sommers is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is played by Becki Newton. Amanda's character is a combination of Patricia Fernandez and Marcela Valencia, but her appearance is similar to Marcia Villarroel from the Columbian adaptation...

), who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

 in Philadelphia.

Originally, Ortiz had auditioned for the Betty Suarez role, but it went to America Ferrera
America Ferrera
America Georgina Ferrera is an American actress, best known for playing the lead role in the television comedy series Ugly Betty...

 instead. Ortiz said in 2008, "I was super plain. I just put on some glasses and kept my hair kind of flat and layered on the clothing", describing what she wore when auditioning for the role of Betty. "I just wanted them to remember me, so that I could be involved in the future".

Ortiz also appeared in the 2010 music video for Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...

 and Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra
Juan Luis Guerra is a singer, songwriter and producer from the Dominican Republic who has sold over 30 million records, and won numerous awards including 12 Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Latin Billboard Music Awards...

's "Cuando me enamoro".

Personal life

Ortiz graduated from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Ortiz lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, horseback riding, softball, and water sports, and writes poetry. She married musician Noah Lebenzon on June 9, 2007 in Rincón
Rincón, Puerto Rico
Rincón is a municipality of Puerto Rico founded in 1771 by Don Luis de Añasco . It is located in the Western Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada. Rincón is spread over 8 wards and Rincón Pueblo...

, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

. The couple were expecting their first child on June 25, 2009. On Saturday, June 27, 2009, Ana and Noah welcomed a daughter, named Paloma Louise Lebenzon. Paloma was born at 4:25 p.m. and weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces. The second child, a son named Rafael, was born on September 24, 2011.

Ortiz is active in raising awareness against domestic abuse, citing her own experiences when she was in her 20s and involved in a romantic relationship that turned physically abusive. In an article for USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

, Ortiz notes that the final scene from the Ugly Betty episode "How Betty Got Her Grieve Back
How Betty Got Her Grieve Back
"How Betty Got Her Grieve Back" is the season two premiere of dramedy series Ugly Betty. It aired on September 27, 2007. It is the 24th episode in the series, which was written by Silvio Horta & Marco Pennette and directed by James Hayman...

", in which Hilda sat on her bed staring at the bathroom after realizing that Santos had died, was drawn from that experience: "I used some of that subconsciously ... It's something that is always with me".

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1995 Condition Red
Condition Red
Condition Red, Red Rockers' first full length album, was released in 1981 on 415 Records. It was recorded at the famed Automatt studio in San Francisco. The Dead Kennedys' Jello Biafra sings background vocals on Folsom Prison Blues...

C Block Inmate First feature film
2002 Lehi's Wife Kelly (as Anna Ortiz)
2003 Carolina
Carolina (film)
Carolina is a 2003 romantic comedy film directed by Marleen Gorris, starring Julia Stiles, Shirley MacLaine, Alessandro Nivola, Mika Boorem, Randy Quaid, and Jennifer Coolidge. Lisa Sheridan has a cameo role in the film, and Barbara Eden has the uncredited part of Daphne. It is set in Los Angeles,...

Perfect Date Assistant Christen
2007 Tortilla Heaven
Tortilla Heaven
Tortilla Heaven is an independent comedy film written and directed by Judy Hecht Dumontet. It was first released in theaters on March 16, 2007 in Los Angeles.-Plot:...

Chicana #1
2008 Meet the Browns
Meet the Browns (film)
Meet the Browns is a 2008 romantic comedy-drama film released by Lionsgate on March 21, 2008. The film was based on the play of the same name by Tyler Perry.-Plot:...

The Winged Man Wanda Independent film
Batman: Gotham Knight
Batman: Gotham Knight
is a 2008 direct-to-DVD animated superhero anthology film of six animated short films set in-between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It depicts Batman battling against the mob of Gotham City, as well as other villains...

Anna Ramirez Segments "Crossfire" and "In Darkness Dwells"
Direct-to-DVD
2009 Labor Pains
Labor Pains
Labor Pains is a 2009 romantic comedy starring Lindsay Lohan, Luke Kirby, Cheryl Hines, Chris Parnell, Bridgit Mendler, and Kevin Covais. The film received a television premiere on ABC Family on July 19, 2009. It was originally scheduled to be released in theatres...

Donna
Noah's Ark: The New Beginning
Noah's Ark: The New Beginning
Noah's Ark: The New Beginning is an upcoming animated film featuring an ensemble voice cast. It is a retelling of the Biblical story of Noah's Ark, told from the point of view of the animals on the ark, and is the second in the Promenade Pictures Epic Stories of the Bible film series, following on...

Tier Voice Only
2011 Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son is a 2011 crime comedy film directed by John Whitesell and written by Matthew Fogel and Don Rhymer. The film is the second sequel to Big Momma's House and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner...

Gail
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1999 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Movie Pregnant Woman Television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...

2000 King of the Korner Isabel
2001 Kristin
Kristin (TV series)
Kristin is an American comedy television series starring Kristin Chenoweth. The series premiered June 5, 2001, on NBC. The show was canceled after six episodes.-Plot:...

Santa Clemente Main role
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...

Natasha 1 episode: "Raybert" (6.10)
2002 Greetings from Tucson
Greetings from Tucson
Greetings from Tucson is a television sitcom which aired on The WB during the 2002-2003 season. The series was executive produced by Rob LaZebnik, Peter Murrieta, Howard Klein and David Miner....

Angela 1 episode: "Eegee's vs. Hardee's" (1.22)
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...

Luisa Lopez 1 episode: "Dead Meat in New Deli" (9.21)
Strong Medicine
Strong Medicine
Strong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and...

Elena Delgado 1 episode: "Family History" (3.09)
Do Over
Do Over
Do Over is an American comedy-drama/fantasy series created by Kenny Schwartz and Rick Wiener. The series, which was broadcast on The WB in 2002, stars Penn Badgley.-Synopsis:...

Mrs. Rice 1 episode: "Rock 'n' Roll Parking Lot" (1.06)
Mr. St. Nick
Mr. St. Nick
Mr. St. Nick is a 2002 Christmas comedy-fantasy film starring Kelsey Grammer. It was produced by Hallmark Entertainment and shown on ABC in the United States...

Lorena TV Movie
ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...

Laura 1 episode: "Hindsight" (9.10)
2003 Life on Parole Loretta TV Movie
A.U.S.A.
A.U.S.A.
A.U.S.A. is an American sitcom television series that aired in 2003 on NBC, starring Scott Foley.-Plot:Adam Sullivan is a naive, but well-intentioned federal prosecutor in New York City, who must contend with the difficulties of both his work life and his romantic life...

Ana Riveria Main Role
2004 Foster Hall TV Movie
North Shore
North Shore (TV series)
North Shore is an American prime-time soap opera that aired on Fox every Monday at 8 p.m. EST for seven months in 2004 and 2005...

Ana Green 1 episode: "Secret Service" (1.06)
2005 Blind Justice Letitia Barreras 1 episode: "Past Imperfect" (1.08)
Freddie
Freddie
Freddie is a television sitcom created by, and starring, Freddie Prinze, Jr. that aired from October 5, 2005 to April 12, 2006. Freddie is inspired by Prinze Jr.'s real life, growing up in a house filled with women...

Gina 1 episode: "Rich Man, Poor Girl" (1.01)
Over There
Over There (TV series)
Over There is an action / drama / war television series that aired on FX. It premiered in the United States on July 27, 2005 and premiered in Canada on September 6, 2005 on the History Television channel. The series was presented in 16:9 widescreen format in the U.S...

Anna 7 episodes
2006 Commander in Chief Isabelle Rios 1 episode: "Wind Beneath My Wings" (1.12)
Boston Legal
Boston Legal
Boston Legal is an American legal dramedy created by David E. Kelley, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC...

A.D.A. Holly Raines 4 episodes
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...

Belinda 1 episode: "Some of My Best Friends Are Portuguese" (1.12)
2006–2010 Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...

Hilda Suarez
Hilda Suarez
Hilda Suarez Talercio is a fictional character in the American dramedy series Ugly Betty. She is portrayed by Ana Ortiz. Hilda's character is the American adaptation's equivalent to Julia Solano Galindo de Pinzón, Beatriz Pinzón Solano's mother, and is loosely based on creator Silvio Horta's older...

Main role
2008 Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story
Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story
-Plot:The story depicts the struggle of Luz Cuevas to find her baby daughter, Delimar Vera Cuevas, who disappeared in 1997 after their house caught fire during a party. The police reported that Delimar was killed in the fire. However, Cuevas suspects that she was kidnapped, and that the fire was...

Valerie Valleja Television Movie
2011 Hung
Hung
Hung can refer to:People:* Hùng Vương, a king of Vietnam* Hung Hei-Gun, founder of the martial art Hung Gar Kung Fu* Hung Shing, Chinese government official during the Tang dynasty...

Lydia recurring role, season 3

External links

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