Earl’s Catalina

Background:

"I’d do a nude scene if the character was challenging, not just ‘the naked girlfriend.’” Nadine Velazquez.

Puerto Rican-American actress and model Nadine Velazquez is popular among TV viewers as motel housekeeper Catalina on NBC sitcom “My Name Is Earl” (2005-Present). On the big screen, she could be seen in Biker Boyz (2003), Chasing Papi (2003), Blast! (2004) and Sueño (2005), as well as in the upcoming films A Day in the Life, a musical starred, written and directed by rapper Sticky Fingaz, and Rogue, action/thriller starring Jet Li, Jason Statham and Devon Aoki.

The breathtaking-beautiful Latina, who appeared on the January 2006 cover of Stuff, was one of Daily Variety's “Ten Actors To Watch for 2005,” USA Today’s "Five Rising Stars to Watch Closely" (October 10, 2005 issue) and Maxim's "100 Sexiest Women" (2004).

"If a guy is too aggressive, that’s a turn-off. And if a guy is too sloppy, with bad breath or untrimmed nose hair." Nadine Velazquez.


Hyper, Clown, Sensitive

Childhood and Family:

“As a child, I was hyper, I was a clown, and I was sensitive. Today I'm all of the above, except I've refrained from bouncing off the walls.” Nadine Velazquez.

A daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants, Nadine Velazquez was born on a snowy winter morning on November 20, 1978 in a multi-ethnic neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. The middle child of three daughters, a self-described hyper, clown and sensitive kid, was a cheerleader and a thespian in her high school, playing the angriest juror in the school production of the classic play “The Twelve Angry Jurors.”

At age 18, Nadine attended the Columbia College, Chicago, Illinois, where she earned a B.A. in Marketing. During her study there, Nadine had a part-time job as her talent agent’s assistant.


Screen Girlfriend

Career:

“I'd seen Punky Brewster, I'd seen Webster, I saw Annie and it was time to either be an orphan or an actress.” Nadine Velazquez.

Originally dreaming of becoming a gymnast, 13-year-old Nadine Velazquez changed her interest into acting after watching her favorite TV series “Punky Brewster” (NBC 1984-1988). She then walked into a talent agency in Chicago, was told to return with her mother, which she did, declined to sign her immediately. A few years later, she returned to the agent and got her first job for a McDonald's commercial, in which she said, "Welcome to McDonald's. May I take your order?" Afterward, more commercials jobs arrived. She also joined an acting troupe and did some stage works.

In October 2001, she drove her Honda Civic to Los Angeles, a city which will help her achieving her childhood dream: to be an actress. In the City of Angels, Nadine landed several small roles, starting with Reggie Rock Bythewood's 2003 film about a predominantly African-American group of underground motorcycle racers, Biker Boyz, as Larenz Tate’s girlfriend, and in Linda Mendoza's 2003 comedy which revolves around three disparate women, Chasing Papi, as a temptress who nearly gets beaten up by Sofia Vergara’s character.

The new comer also appeared on television, securing a recurring role as Anna (2003) on CBS long-running daytime soap “The Bold and the Beautiful” before having a guest appearance in a September 2004 episode of the hot HBO sitcom “Entourage.” Also in 2004, the sexy brunette, who appeared alongside Eddie Griffin, Vinnie Jones, Breckin Meyer and Shaggy in Anthony Hickox's 2004 action comedy Blast!, was ranked #93 on Maxim magazine’s “100 Sexiest Women” list.

The rising screen beauty was subsequently featured in the made-for-TV movies Hollywood Vice and House of the Dead 2: Dead Aim as well as Renee Chabria's drama comedy movie Sueño (all in 2005). She was also spotted as a guest in a November 2005 episode of the crime drama/thriller "Las Vegas."

Nadine absolutely hit the big time in 2005. She was offered and later turned down a recurring role as Fernando Sucre's girlfriend on Fox’s hit action-thriller-drama “Prison Break” to pick the plum role of Catalina Aruca, a good-hearted maid at the motel where the Hickey brothers (played by Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee) reside, on NBC's Emmy Award-winning sitcom “My Name is Earl.” The role has helped her entering the spotlight in 2005, when she was named as one of USA Today’s “Five Rising Stars to Watch Closely” and Variety’s “Ten Actors To Watch.” The next year, the role earned her nominations at the ALMA Awards (for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Television Series) and the Screen Actors Guild Awards (for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series).

Nadine is currently on set filming her upcoming big screen projects: writer-director-actor Sticky Fingaz's musical A Day in the Life, and Phillip Atwell's action/thriller starring Jet Li, Jason Statham and Devon Aoki, Rogue. She will also appear in Kings of South Beach, a TV movie based on the true story of a Miami Beach nightclub owner who takes a young employee under his wing while trying to avoid bankruptcy and the mafia.

"I’d love to kick somebody’s ass in a movie instead of somebody threatening to kick mine." Nadine Velazquez.

Awards:
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