America Georgine Ferrera is an American actress, voice actress and producer. Making her presence known on the silver screen in 2002’s “Real Women Have Curves,” this California born actress is perhaps best known for her endearing portrayal of fashion magazine assistant Betty Suarez on the ABC hit “Ugly Betty.” Take a look below for 28 more fun and interesting facts about America Ferrera.

1. Born in Los Angeles, California, to Honduran parents, Ferrera developed an interest in acting at a young age, performing in several stage productions at her school.

2. She made her feature film debut in 2002 with the comedy drama “Real Women Have Curves,” winning praise for her performance.

3. Ferrera is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award among others.

4. Ferrera garnered modest success early in her career with roles in films like the Disney original “Gotta Kick It Up!” and the drama “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.”

5. She received the Imagen Award Best Actress and her first nomination at the ALMA Awards for her role in “The Sisterhood for the Traveling Pants.”

6. She ventured into television roles and landed the leading part on the ABC comedy drama “Ugly Betty.”

7. Ferrera garnered critical acclaim for playing the protagonist of the series Betty Suarez, and won the Best Actress Awards at various award ceremonies in 2007.

8. Her awards include the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Primetime Emmy Award, the first for a Latin woman in the category.

9. Ferrera’s other notable film roles include the drama “The Dry Land,” the romantic comedy “Our Family Wedding,” and the crime drama “End of Watch.”

10. She provided the voice of Astrid Hofferson in the “How to Train Your Dragon” franchise, including the three films and the television series “Dreamworks Dragons.”

11. She co-produces and stars as Amy Dubanowski in the NBC comedy series “Superstore.”

12. Ferrera garnered wide recognition for “Ugly Betty.”

13. Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2007.

14. Her mother worked as the director of the housekeeping staff for one of the Hilton Hotels, and stressed the importance of higher education.

15. When she was 7, her parents divorced and her father returned to Honduras.

16. Ferrera was estranged from her father when he died there in 2010.

17. Ferrera was raised in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles, where she attended Calabash Street Elementary School, George Ellery Hale Middle School and El Camino Real High School.

18. From the time she was seven years old, when she landed a small role in a school production of “Hamlet” and then at age 10, the role as the Artful Dodger in “Oliver!”, Ferrera knew that she wanted o be a performer.

19. Her first play was “Romeo and Juliet,” and although only in the third grade, she went to the junior high school and auditioned and got the role of the Apothecary.

20. She acted in school plays and community theater in Los Angeles throughout her youth, though with little help from her mother, who insisted that she pursue other interests because she was concerned her daughter would not be treated fairly.

21. Ferrera disliked her first name as a child and went by her middle name, “Georgine,” until she began acting professionally.

22. While at El Camino High School, she took acting lessons at the age of 15 and was able to pay for them by waiting tables and babysitting.

23. She entered University of Southern California on a presidential scholarship, double majoring in theater and international relations.

24. She dropped out to focus on her acting career but later completed her bachelor’s degree in May 2013.

25. Ferrera first met actor, director, and writer Ryan Piers Williams when he cast her in a student film at USC.

26. The couple became engaged in June, 2010, and married on June 27, 2011. On December 31, 2017, Ferrera and Williams announced that they were expecting their first child.

27. In 2018, her edited anthology of stories, “American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures,” was published by Gallery Publishing Group.

28. In October 2017, Ferrera began her participation in the #MeToo Campaign, publicly revealing that she was sexually harassed when she was 9 years old. She didn’t reveal any details about the harassment or the person who harassed her.