Ana Ortiz is an American actress and singer. Having pursued a career in ballet and singing from a young age, she eventually attended University of the Arts. Take a look below for 27 more fun and interesting facts about Ana Ortiz.

1. Ortiz began her acting career in theater, in early 2000s starred in the short-lived NBC sitcoms “Kristin,” and A.U.S.A.,” and had recurring roles on “Over There” and “Boston Legal.”

2. Ortiz garnered widespread attention for her role as Hilda Suarez in the ABC comedy drama series “Ugly Betty” from 2006 to 2010.

3. She appeared in such films like “Labor Pains,” and “Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son.” and starred in “Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story.”

4. From 2013 to 2016, Ortiz starred as Marisol Suarez in the Lifetime television comedy-drama series “Devious Maids,” for which she received the Imagen Award for Best Actress – Television.

5. She was born in New York City, and is the daughter of Angel Ortiz, a former Philadelphia City Council member of Puerto Rican descent, and an Irish-American mother, Kathleen Kulhman.

6. As a child, Ortiz studied ballet for eight years, until the pain of dancing en pointe forced her to pursue a different artistic discipline.

7. Ortiz graduated from University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

8. Switching to singing, Ortiz attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Arts in New York City and later the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

9. She made her professional stage debut in a regional theater production of “Dangerous Liaisons.”

10. Her additional stage credits include portraying Chrissy in a European touring production of “Hair.”

11. She was in a regional theater production of “Dog Lady and the Cuban Swimmer” and in the South Coast Repertory Theater’s production of “References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot.”

12. After joining Labyrinth Theater Company, she appeared Off-Broadway in “In Arabia, We’d All Be Kings,” directed by Academy Award winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.

13. Ortiz appeared in several television shows including “NYPD Blue,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Commander In Chief ER,” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine.”

14. She had her first series regular role in short-lived NBC comedy series “Kristin.”

15. She later starred in another short-lived sitcom, called “A.U.S.A.” in 2003.

16. She later had recurring roles in the FX drama “Over There,” and ABC series “Boston Legal.”

17. Ortiz married musician Noah Lebenzon in June, 2007, in Rincon, Puerto Rico.

18. Their daughter, Paloma Louise Lebenzon, was born on June 25, 2009.

19. Their second child, son Rafael, was born on September 24, 2011.

20. 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.

21. In an article for USA Today, Ortiz noted 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.

22. In 2006, Ortiz was cast as Hilda Suarez, the lead character’s sister, in the ABC comedy drama series “Ugly Betty.”

23. Originally, Ortiz had auditioned for the Betty Suarez role.

24. In addition to her role on “Ugly Betty,” Ortiz was active in films, which include starring roles in “Tortilla Heaven,” and “Labor Pains.”

25. She also had a voice role in “Batman: Gotham Knight.”

26. In 2012, Ortiz was cast as a lead character on the ABC comedy-drama pilot “Devious Maids.”

27. In 2014, Ortiz was cast in the gay-drama film “Love Is All You Need?”, based on the 2011 short film with the same name.