Michelle Rodriguez

A cross between beauty and brawn, Texas-born Michelle Rodriguez has come a long way from humble beginnings shaped by time spent growing up in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Jersey City. It was from such sometimes rough yet diverse surroundings that Rodriguez began to build a personal persona as a street-smart "tough girl," which, when combined with raw talent and unmatched screen presence, helped her beat out 350 other girls to land her first speaking role as the lead in 2000's critically-acclaimed independent film Girlfight. The award-winning performance quickly helped Rodriguez garner the attention of Hollywood, leading to major roles in blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious and S.W.A.T. as well as a role in ABC's hit television series Lost.

Rodriguez later appeared in Battle in Seattle with Charlize Theron, The Fast and the Furious with Vin Diesel, and Avatar, the highest grossing movie of all time, as well as Robert Rodriguez's Machete. She can next be seen in Battle: Los Angeles alongside Aaron Eckhart. Always seeking opportunities to branch out and reveal her multifaceted layers, Rodriguez is currently developing her own projects as a writer and producer. She speaks on topics surrounding diversity and being a woman in Hollywood.