María Canals Barrera
| Maria Canals Barrera | |
|---|---|
 Barrera at the Toy Story 3 premiere, June 2010 |
|
| Born | Maria Pilar Canals September 28, 1966 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress/Singer |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | David Barrera (m. 1999–present; 2 children) |
| Children | 2 daughters |
Maria Canals Barrera (born Maria Pilar Canals; September 28, 1966) is an American actress, voice actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Theresa Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place, Connie Torres in Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, and as the voice of Shayera Hol/Hawkgirl in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
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[edit] Personal life
Barrera, who speaks Catalan and Spanish and is Cuban-Catalan-American, took drama classes in junior high.[1] She lives with her husband, actor David Barrera, and their two daughters, Bridget and Madeleine in Los Angeles, California, while a large percentage of her extended family still lives in Miami, FL.[2]
[edit] Career
She has worked extensively in theater in both Miami and Los Angeles. She made her network television debut in the 1993 TV series Key West and has appeared in the WB series Popular as a prostitute by the name of Candybox, as well as such films as America's Sweethearts and The Master of Disguise. She has gained much recognition with comic book fans in recent years for her role as Hawkgirl/Shayera Hol on Bruce Timm's Justice League and Justice League Unlimited series. She also had a recurring role in Static Shock as Shelly Sandoval, a news reporter, and in Danny Phantom as Danny Fenton/Phantom's high school crush, Paulina. She also performed the voice of Mercedes "Meche" Colomar in the 1998 video game Grim Fandango. Canals also played incidental characters in two episodes on the TV series The Boondocks ("Grandad's Fight" and "Home Alone"). Canals has also starred in The George Lopez Show playing George's sister-in-law. She is the voice of Sunset Boulevardez on The Proud Family. She portrays the main character of Theresa Russo in the hit Disney Channel Original Series Wizards of Waverly Place. She portrayed the main character of Connie Tories in the 2008 Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock. She also co-starred as Theresa Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, a 2009 Disney Channel Original movie based on Wizards Of Waverly Place. In 2010,
She was also featured in Running Scared (2006).
[edit] Awards
In 2002, she won an American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) award for Best Supporting Actress for the TV series The Brothers Garcia.[3]
In 2009, she won an Emmy Award for being part of the cast Wizards of Waverly Place for Outstanding Children's Program.
On the 15th of August 2010, she won an Imagen Award and a Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress/Outstanding Children's Program (television) for her role in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie.[4]
In September 2011, she won an Imagen Award and a American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) for Best Supporting Actress (television) for her role in Wizards of Waverly Place.
[edit] Filmography
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Other |
| 1993 | Cop and a Half | Mrs. Bobo #2 | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 1993 | Harlan & Merleen | Carmen | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 1995 | My Family | Young Irene | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 2002 | Bad Boy | Woman at bar | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 2002 | The Master of Disguise | Sophia | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 2003 | Imagining Argentina | Esme Palomares | Main Role | (as Maria Canals) |
| 2005 | The Proud Family Movie | Sunset Boulevardez | Voice | (as Maria Canals) |
| 2008 | Camp Rock | Connie Torres | Main Role | |
| 2009 | Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie | Theresa Russo | Main Role | |
| 2010 | Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam | Connie Torres | Main Role | |
| 2011 | Larry Crowne | Lala Pinedo | ||
| Straight-to-DVD | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Other |
| 2003 | Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico | Sofia | Voice | (as Maria Canals) |
| 2009 | Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana | Theresa Russo | ||
| Television | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Other |
| 1992–1994 | Marielena | Nancy | recurring role | (as Maria Canals) |
| 1997–1998 | The Tony Danza Show | Carmen Cruz | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 2000–2004 | Static Shock | Shelly Sandoval | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 2001–2004 | Justice League | Hawkgirl, Livewire | Main role | (as Maria Canals) |
| 2001–2005 | The Proud Family | Sunset Boulevardez | recurring role | (as Maria Canals) |
| 2004–2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Hawkgirl, Fire | Main role | (as Maria Canals) |
| 2004–2007 | Danny Phantom | Paulina | recurring role | (as Maria Canals) |
| 2007–2012 | Wizards of Waverly Place | Theresa Russo | Main role | |
| Television guest appearances | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Other |
| 1990 | 21 Jump Street | Rosina | 1 episode | (as Maria Canals) |
| 1991 | Key West | Fig | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 1994 | Murder, She Wrote | Carmen | (as Maria Canals) | |
| Viper | Carla | (as Maria Canals) | ||
| 1995 | Almost Perfect | Carmen | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 1996 | Goode Behavior | Denise | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 1998 | Veronica's Closet | Dannie | (as Maria Canals) | |
| Caroline in the City | Maria | (as Maria Canals) | ||
| 1999 | Beggars and Choosers | Yolanda | multiple episodes | (as María Canals) |
| 2000 | That's Life | ? | 1 episode | (as Maria Canals) |
| 2001 | The Brothers García | Ms. Azteca | (as Maria Canals) | |
| Popular | Candy Box | (as Maria Canals) | ||
| 2003 | Miss Match | Store Manager | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 2004 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Delilah - Hygienist | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 2005 | The Boondocks | Spanish TV Reporter | 2 episodes | (as Maria Canals) |
| 2006 | George Lopez | Claudia Palmero | 1 episode | (as Maria Canals) |
| Handy Manny | Peggy Salazar | (as Maria Canals) | ||
| 2007 | The Loop | Agent Denise | (as Maria Canals) | |
| 2011 | Generator Rex | Valentina | 1 episode | |
| Video Games | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Other |
| 1998 | Grim Fandango | Mercedes "Meche" Colomar | Voice | (as Maria Canals) |
| 2010 | Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds | She-Hulk[5] | Voice | |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- 1966 births
- 20th-century actors
- 21st-century actors
- Actors from Florida
- American entertainers of Cuban descent
- American people of Cuban descent
- American female singers
- American film actors
- American television actors
- American video game actors
- American voice actors
- Hispanic and Latino American actors
- Living people
- People from Miami, Florida
