Rosa MarÃa Perez (born September , ) is an American actress,
community activist, talk show host, author, dancer, and choreographer.
Her film breakthrough performance was her portrayal of Tina in Spike
Lee's Do the Right Thing (), which she followed with White Men Can't
Jump (). Among many honors, she was nominated for the Academy Award
for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Fearless () as well
as three Emmy Awards for her work as a choreographer on In Living
Color (â€"). Perez has also performed in stage plays on Broadway, such
as The Ritz, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, and Fish in the
Dark. In addition, she was a co-host on the ABC talk show The View
during the series' th season.Perez was born on September , in the
Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, to Lydia Perez and Ismael
Serrano, a merchant marine seaman. Her parents, who were both from
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, were married to other people when they met.
She was born at the now-closed Greenpoint Hospital in the Greenpoint
neighborhood of Brooklyn. Perez was raised by an aunt until she became
a ward of the state when her mother took her from an aunt when she was
three years old. She was then transferred to a group foster home and
lived in foster care in New York and Peekskill until age eight, and
was still legally considered a ward of the State of New York until age
twelve. Her mother and aunt frequently visited, and her father made an
unsuccessful custody bid at one point.Perez has five brothers and
sisters from her mother's first marriage to Ventura Perez but also has
additional half-brothers and half-sisters (a total of children). When
she was in third grade, Perez learned that she had a speech
impediment. She had a strict Catholic upbringing, which she has
credited to the influence of the nuns during her childhood. She
eventually moved in with paternal aunt, Ana Dominga Otero
Serrano-Roque, and attended Grover Cleveland High School, in the
Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens. Her mother died of AIDS-related
complications in .
community activist, talk show host, author, dancer, and choreographer.
Her film breakthrough performance was her portrayal of Tina in Spike
Lee's Do the Right Thing (), which she followed with White Men Can't
Jump (). Among many honors, she was nominated for the Academy Award
for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Fearless () as well
as three Emmy Awards for her work as a choreographer on In Living
Color (â€"). Perez has also performed in stage plays on Broadway, such
as The Ritz, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, and Fish in the
Dark. In addition, she was a co-host on the ABC talk show The View
during the series' th season.Perez was born on September , in the
Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, to Lydia Perez and Ismael
Serrano, a merchant marine seaman. Her parents, who were both from
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, were married to other people when they met.
She was born at the now-closed Greenpoint Hospital in the Greenpoint
neighborhood of Brooklyn. Perez was raised by an aunt until she became
a ward of the state when her mother took her from an aunt when she was
three years old. She was then transferred to a group foster home and
lived in foster care in New York and Peekskill until age eight, and
was still legally considered a ward of the State of New York until age
twelve. Her mother and aunt frequently visited, and her father made an
unsuccessful custody bid at one point.Perez has five brothers and
sisters from her mother's first marriage to Ventura Perez but also has
additional half-brothers and half-sisters (a total of children). When
she was in third grade, Perez learned that she had a speech
impediment. She had a strict Catholic upbringing, which she has
credited to the influence of the nuns during her childhood. She
eventually moved in with paternal aunt, Ana Dominga Otero
Serrano-Roque, and attended Grover Cleveland High School, in the
Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens. Her mother died of AIDS-related
complications in .
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