America Ferrera has never been afraid of tackling big topics throughout her career. From the convention-breaking cult hit Ugly Betty to her famous, frustrated monologue at the end of the 2023 Barbie film, she has established herself as a prominent voice in American pop culture.

The youngest of six children, America Georgina Ferrera was born on April 18, 1984, in Los Angeles, California. Her parents, Carlos Gregorio Ferrera and América Griselda Ayes, had emigrated from Honduras in the 1970s. Her parents were divorced when she was 7 years old, and her father returned to Central America. They did not see him again before his death in 2010. After her parents divorced, she was raised by her single mother from Honduras with her 5 older siblings. Her mother made sure she received a proper education and once America went to college she noticed how little she knew about the world and she really wanted to make a difference in the world. Ferrera attended the University of Southern California, where she met Ryan Piers Williams in 2003. The couple got engaged in 2010 and married the next year. They have two children, Sebastian Piers Williams (born May 2018) and Lucia Marisol Williams (born May 2020).

America wanted to become an actress since she was a child but was told it was nearly impossible due to the fact that not many faces like hers have been seen on screen as they are today. She is a woman, who is a firm believer that a single person can make an impact if they really put effort and try. She began to think that her acting career was more self-serving than helping others, so she decided to quit acting but consulted her professor who left his corporate job to teach. Instead of supporting her like she thought was going to happen he persuaded her otherwise and proceeded to tell her a story where her acting in “Real Women Have Curves,” helped him connect with a Latina student he’d been mentoring.

After making a name for herself in Real Women Have Curves in 2002 and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in 2005, Ugly Betty allowed Ferrera to break out as a leading woman. Ferrera played the titular star in four seasons of Ugly Betty between 2006 and 2010. The show is a fish-out-of-water comedy about an ambitious, yet unstylish young woman who works her way into a gig with a high-end fashion magazine.

Once a theater and international relations double-major at USC, Ferrera has always used her platform to discuss social issues and be politically active, which earned her a spot on Time’s 100 Most Influential People list in 2007.Ferrera has used her celebrity status to speak up for causes she believes in, such as immigration reform. She has also served as an ambassador for Save the Children. For the 2012 PBS documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, Ferrera traveled to India to meet the children of prostitutes and bring attention to the devastation caused by sex trafficking. She has also spoken at high schools and encouraged youth to overcome any obstacles in the way of achieving their dreams and to take advantage of unexpected opportunities.

She has consistently advocated for Latino voters’ rights in recent presidential elections and she has spoken out about sexual harassment and advocated for women’s rights, and she was first to speak at the 2017 Women’s March on Washington.

America doesn’t shy away from her past when she can make an impact, which has led her to be an advocate for children’s mental health support. In May 2023, Ferrera spoke to the Child Mind Institute about the social isolation she faced in college when she first left her family to pursue her education. She shared personal stories for the “You Got This” campaign, sharing how opening up about her issues and facing her sadness head-on helped her out of a dark place away from home. She has also addressed the impact social media has on mental health in recent interviews, and shared her thoughts on presence-of-mind and meditation as effective ways to regain control of one’s mental space during difficult times.

America Ferrera was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the top entertainers in the Time 100: The Most Influential People in the World issue. America received the Global Action award for Childhood Development and Education in 2011 due to her efforts of raising more the $44,000 to build an elementary school in Mali. She was also awarded with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s Inspira Award which was given to her as a result of her contributions as a role model through her work as an activist and actress. In 2013, Ferrera was the keynote speaker at The Women’s Foundation of Colorado’s annual Denver luncheon; instead of speaking about her career she spoke about inspiring stories and then shared hers.

In 2023, Ferrera’s show-stopping monologue in Barbie struck a chord with audiences, and became a defining moment in her career. In 2024, she was named the Global Goodwill Ambassador of the International Organization for Migration, a fitting role given her family immigrated to the United States from Honduras in the 1970s.