Biography
After a steady string of TV guest spots and appearances on stage and in films throughout the '90s, Judy Reyes finally made her mark as Nurse Carla Espinosa on NBC's quirky sitcom, "Scrubs" (NBC, 2001-08; ABC, 2009-10). Reyes was born Nov. 5, 1967 in the Bronx, NY. Two of her three sisters - Judy's fraternal twin Joselin and their sister Fidias - also became actresses. Reyes began acting while a student at New York's Hunter College, and in 1992, became one of the 13 founding members of the LAByrinth multicultural theater collective. The group eventually grew to nearly 100 members, including Joselin Reyes and stars like Eric Bogosian, Sam Rockwell, and Philip Seymour Hoffman - who also joined the company's board and became its artistic director. Her first major film role came alongside LAByrinth collaborator Rockwell, in 1992's "Jack and His Friends." Soon after, she began a long string of small roles, including guest spots on such police dramas as "Law and Order" (NBC, 1990-2010) in 1992; "Street Justice" (USA, 1991-93) in 1993 and "NYPD Blue" (ABC, 1993-2005) in 1996, as well as on two Bill Cosby productions, "The Cosby Mysteries" (NBC, 1994-95) and "Cosby" (CBS, 1996-2000). Reyes continued to land other TV and film roles during the '90s, the most notable of which was in Martin Scorcese's 1999 drama, "Bringing out the Dead," in which she ironically played a nurse. Meanwhile, she continued to act in and produce LAByrinth productions. Although her film credits continued to grow, Reyes' TV career was gaining the most momentum. She began to receive meatier roles on more crime-related shows, appearing on "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-2006), a two-episode arc on "Third Watch" (NBC, 1999-2005), and a recurring role on the brutal prison show, "Oz" (HBO, 1997-2003). In 2001, Reyes' years of hard work truly paid off when she landed the role of Nurse Carla Espinosa on the uniquely wacky sitcom, "Scrubs." As the sometimes-tender, sometimes-no nonsense Carla, she became one of the show's two female leads and the immediate object of surgical intern Turk's (Donald Faison) affections. The two characters, who married in 2004, provided a stabilizing counterpoint to the show's quirky main character, J.D. (played by Zach Braff) and his similarly off-kilter female counterpart, Elliot (Sarah Chalke). Although the show had been struggling in its first years, it enjoyed a resurgence during its fifth season, when it embraced its surrealist roots. Also that season, after months of trying, Carla became pregnant. In May, 2006, Reyes returned to her stage roots for the U.S. premiere of Neil LaBute's play "Some Girl(s)," along with other NBC stars Maura Tierney ("ER"), and Eric McCormack ("Will and Grace"), as well as Fran Drescher ("The Nanny").
