Rosie Perez

Rosie Perez was born in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City She was the daughter of Lydia Perez and Ismael Serrano who was a merchant marine. Rosie is of Puerto Rican descent. Rosie was educated at Grover Cleveland High School, Ridgewood, Queens, New York. She then enrolled at Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles, California. Rosie Perez was just starting her second year of college, and was about to go back to New York. She was invited to a leaving party by her friends. Spike Lee offered her a part in his film Do the Right Thing (1989). She accepted. It was her first major acting gig. She was later nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Carla Rodrigo (Peter Weir’s Fearless, 1993). She was beaten by Anna Paquin, for The Piano (1993). In the early years of my career my Latin community was responsible for much of the criticism I was subjected to. They would take me out for lunch and say, "Can I go and take lessons to improve my accent?" or "Can you not be funny and loud during a talk-show?" My voice was a constant critic. I tried to improve my voice. Although I tried to change my voice, it wasn't my way of speaking. Thank God, my octaves fell as I got older. Boxing is about conquering your fears. It's about being confident. Floyd Mayweather could get punched by a straight punch in the middle and to his face - and he'd never flinch. I know the way he's doing. The person who spoke about Don Cornelius watching her dancing]: Don Cornelius didn't want to watch me dance. I was dancing hip hop which was something that was not known to Californians. They were only acquainted with popping and locking, so hip-hop dancing was not something they would like to learn. Don was as if, "No, no, no. You're an asian woman. I thought, "What? This is truly bizarre. This is really strange.