Ana Ortiz Bio

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Ana Ortí­z (born January 25, 1971) is an American actress and singer. She is a native of Manhattan, New York but was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is a regular cast-member on the ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty, in which she plays the title character's older sister, Hilda Suarez. The role earned her the ALMA Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2007.

Ana Ortiz: Biography

Ortiz is the daughter of Angel L. Ortiz, a former Philadelphia City Council member, and an Irish American mother.

As a child, Ortiz originally dreamed of becoming a ballerina, and she studied ballet for eight years, until the pain of dancing en pointe 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 in New York City and later the University of the Arts 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, regional theater productions such as "Dog Lady and the Cuban Swimmer" and in the South Coast Repertory 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 and was directed by Academy Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and named one of the 10-best plays of 1999 by the magazine Time Out New York.

Ana Ortiz: Career

On television, Ortiz's resume includes NYPD Blue, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, Commander In Chief, Boston Legal, ER, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Over There, her first full-time series role, Kristin and Everybody Loves Raymond. Ortiz also had a guest starring role on Army Wives during its second season as a waitress named Sandi.

In addition to her current gig on Ugly Betty she is also active in films, which include starring roles King of L.A., Tortilla Heaven and the 2009 TV movie, Labor Pains co-starring her former Ugly Betty co-star, Lindsay Lohan.

Ortiz is also one of two Philadelphians who are regulars on Ugly Betty, the other being Mark Indelicato, who plays her son Justin. Another connection to the city is co-star Becki Newton (who plays Amanda Tanen), who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Originally, Ortiz had auditioned for the Betty Suarez role, but it went to America Ferrera 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".

Ana Ortiz: Personal life

Ortiz lives in Los Angeles, California. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, horseback riding, softball, water sports, and writes poetry. She married musician Noah Lebenzon on June 9, 2007 in Rincón, Puerto Rico. 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.

Ortiz is also 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, Ortiz notes that the final scene from the Ugly Betty episode "How Betty Got Her Grieve Back", 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".