Roselyn Sanchez (born April 2nd, 1973 in Santurce, Puerto Rico) is the
first person to play a hispanic character in one of the most popular
soap operas in the U.S.. Roselyn is the youngest of four siblings -
having three older brothers. She received her primary education in San
Juan. At a young age she showed an interest in both dancing and acting
and would put on shows for her family. Roselyn enrolled in the
University of Puerto Rico, where like her father and brothers she was
to study marketing. However, this was not her calling and after three
years she left the course.
In 1991, at the age of 21, Roselyn moved to New York City, where she
took classes in dancing, acting and singing. She returned to Puerto
Rico and in 1992, she made her movie debut, having landed a small part
as an island girl in the movie Captain Ron, which was partly filmed on
the island, starring Martin Short and Kurt Russell.
In 1993, Roselyn won the Miss Puerto Rico Petite contest and in 1994
she won the international title of Miss America Petite. In Puerto
Rico, she gained public attention as a dancer and co-host of the
island's #1 variety show, at that time, "Que Vacilon".
Roselyn returned to New York and landed her first English speaking
role in the CBS soap opera, "As The World Turns". She became the first
hispanic to play a Latina character, when she played the role of
"Pilar Domingo" from 1996 until 1997.
In 2001, Roselyn was cast as "Isabella Molina", a secret customs agent
who was Jackie Chan's love interest in the movie Rush Hour 2. In 2003,
she played the role of "Lorena" in the movie Chasing Papi starring
alongside Jaci Velasquez and Sofia Vergara.
Roselyn Sanchez has already acted in 20 movies and has been cast in
the role of Maria in the Hollywood production Edison and in the role
of "Karen Lopez" in the production of "Underclassman", both due out in
2005. She is also cast in the movies Venus & Vegas and Cayo which are
in the post-prodution stages. She is in the process of composing a
musical about a singer/dancer/actress who leaves Puerto Rico to hit
the big time in New York, in this she is going to play the principal
part. In 2005, her first musical recording "Borinque?a" will be out in
the market. She is preparing for her role in The Perfect Sleep, a
neo-noir drama, where she is co-staring with Patrick Bauchau, Tony
Amendola, Isaac Singleton and Peter Lucas. She has also joined the
cast of Without a Trace.