| Maria Canals Barrera | |
|---|---|
Barrera at the Toy Story 3 premiere, June 2010 |
|
| Born | María Pilar Canals September 28, 1966 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress/Singer |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | David Barrera (m. 1999–present; 2 children) |
| Children | 2 daughters |
María Canals Barrera (born María Pilar Canals; September 28, 1966) is an American actress, voice actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Theresa Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place, Connie Torres in Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, and as the voice of Shayera Hol/Hawkgirl in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
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Barrera, who speaks Spanish and is Cuban-American, took drama classes in junior high.[1] She lives with her husband, actor David Barrera, and their two daughters, Bridget and Madeleine in Los Angeles, California, while a large percentage of her extended family still lives in Miami, FL.[2]
She has worked extensively in theater in both Miami and Los Angeles. She made her network television debut in the 1993 TV series Key West and has appeared in the WB series Popular as a prostitute by the name of Candybox, as well as such films as America's Sweethearts and The Master of Disguise. She has gained much recognition with comic book fans in recent years for her role as Hawkgirl/Shayera Hol on Bruce Timm's Justice League and Justice League Unlimited series. She also had a recurring role in Static Shock as Shelly Sandoval, a news reporter, and in Danny Phantom as Danny Fenton/Phantom's high school crush, Paulina. She also performed the voice of Mercedes "Meche" Colomar in the 1998 video game Grim Fandango. Canals also played incidental characters in two episodes on the TV series The Boondocks ("Grandad's Fight" and "Home Alone"). Canals has also starred in The George Lopez Show playing George's sister-in-law. She is the voice of Sunset Boulevardez on The Proud Family. She portrays the main character of Theresa Russo in the hit Disney Channel Original Series Wizards of Waverly Place. She portrayed the main character of Connie Tories in the 2008 Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock. She also co-starred as Theresa Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie,a 2009 Disney Channel Original movie based on Wizards Of Waverly Place. In 2010,
In 2002, she won an American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) award for Best Supporting Actress for the TV series The Brothers Garcia.[3]
In 2009, she won an Emmy Award for being part of the cast Wizards of Waverly Place for Outstanding Children's Program.
On the 15th of August 2010, she won an Imagen Award and a Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress/Outstanding Children's Program (television) for her role in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie.[4]
In September 2011, she won an Imagen Award and a American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) for Best Supporting Actress (television) for her role in Wizards of Waverly Place.
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Other |
| 1993 | Cop and a Half | Mrs. Bobo #2 | (as María Canals) | |
| 1993 | Harlan & Merleen | Carmen | (as María Canals) | |
| 1995 | My Family | Young Irene | (as María Canals) | |
| 2002 | Bad Boy | Woman at bar | (as María Canals) | |
| 2002 | The Master of Disguise | Sophia | (as María Canals) | |
| 2003 | Imagining Argentina | Esme Palomares | Main Role | (as María Canals) |
| 2005 | The Proud Family Movie | Sunset Boulevardez | Voice | (as María Canals) |
| 2008 | Camp Rock | Connie Torres | Main Role | |
| 2009 | Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie | Theresa Russo | Main Role | |
| 2010 | Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam | Connie Torres | Main Role | |
| 2011 | Larry Crowne | Lala Pinedo | ||
| Straight-to-DVD | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Other |
| 2003 | Scooby-Doo and the Monster of Mexico | Sofia | Voice | (as María Canals) |
| 2009 | Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana | Theresa Russo | ||
| Television | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Other |
| 1992–1994 | Marielena | Nancy | recurring role | (as María Canals) |
| 1997–1998 | The Tony Danza Show | Carmen Cruz | (as María Canals) | |
| 2000–2004 | Static Shock | Shelly Sandoval | (as María Canals) | |
| 2001–2004 | Justice League | Hawkgirl, Livewire | Main role | (as María Canals) |
| 2001–2005 | The Proud Family | Sunset Boulevardez | recurring role | (as María Canals) |
| 2004–2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Hawkgirl, Fire | Main role | (as María Canals) |
| 2004–2007 | Danny Phantom | Paulina | recurring role | (as María Canals) |
| 2007–2012 | Wizards of Waverly Place | Theresa Russo | Main role | |
| Television guest appearances | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Other |
| 1990 | 21 Jump Street | Rosina | 1 episode | (as María Canals) |
| 1991 | Key West | Fig | (as María Canals) | |
| 1994 | Murder, She Wrote | Carmen | (as María Canals) | |
| Viper | Carla | (as María Canals) | ||
| 1995 | Almost Perfect | Carmen | (as María Canals) | |
| 1996 | Goode Behavior | Denise | (as María Canals) | |
| 1998 | Veronica's Closet | Dannie | (as María Canals) | |
| Caroline in the City | Maria | (as María Canals) | ||
| 1999 | Beggars and Choosers | Yolanda | multiple episodes | (as María Canals) |
| 2000 | That's Life | ? | 1 episode | (as María Canals) |
| 2001 | The Brothers García | Ms. Azteca | (as María Canals) | |
| Popular | Candy Box | (as María Canals) | ||
| 2003 | Miss Match | Store Manager | (as María Canals) | |
| 2004 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Delilah - Hygienist | (as María Canals) | |
| 2005 | The Boondocks | Spanish TV Reporter | 2 episodes | (as María Canals) |
| 2006 | George Lopez | Claudia Palmero | 1 episode | (as María Canals) |
| Handy Manny | Peggy Salazar | (as María Canals) | ||
| 2007 | The Loop | Agent Denise | (as María Canals) | |
| 2011 | Generator Rex | Valentina | 1 episode | |
| Video Games | ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Other |
| 1998 | Grim Fandango | Mercedes "Meche" Colomar | Voice | (as María Canals) |
| 2010 | Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds | She-Hulk[5] | Voice | |