Biography
Actress Jaina Lee Ortiz first came to attention as a contestant on reality show "Scream Queens" (MTV, 2008-10) before bagging the lead role in police procedural "Rosewood" (Fox, 2015-17). Born at Ford Ord Army base in 1986 to first generation Puerto Rican parents, Ortiz initially pursued a career as a salsa dancer, becoming a professional instructor and performer by the age of 16, but began switching her interest to acting after landing a minor part in fish out of water drama "Sad Spanish Song" (2004). In 2010, Ortiz narrowly missed out on a part in "Saw 3D" (2010) after finishing runner-up in the second season of "Scream Queens" (MTV, 2008-10) and in the same year gained a place at New York's Maggie Flanigan Studio. Ortiz became a MAC make-up artist in order to support herself during her two-year studies, gaining credits on action drama "Justice on the Border" (2011) and LGBT short "Pink and Green" (2012), before appearing as incompetent receptionist Petrona in "The Shop" (2012), a web series about a Sherman Oaks salon, and as assassin Isis in low-budget action adventure "Misfire" (2012). Ortiz was then cast as Officer Marly Gonzalez in Chris Carter's post-apocalyptic drama "The After" (Amazon, 2014) but was left disappointed when the show failed to make it past the pilot stage. However, Ortiz did achieve her major breakthrough a year later when she starred as Annalise Villa, the hard-nosed detective who teams up with Morris Chestnut's pathologist, in crime series "Rosewood" (Fox, 2015-).
