Nadine Velazquez aka Nadine biography

Real biography: Introduction

Nadine Velazquez is an American actress and model. She is probably most recognizable for her role as Catalina, the exotic dancer, on NBC’s My Name is Earl (Jaime Pressly).

Life Story

Nadine was born in Chicago and raised West of Bucktown. The middle child, she turned out exactly as you think she might: hyperactive, clownish, and extremely attractive in a swimsuit. When she was 10 years old she knew, without a doubt, what she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to be a gymnast. Not knowing how to get her involved, her parents bought her a ballerina Barbie. And thus, she gave up the gymnastics.

At thirteen she decided she wanted to be an actress. She’d seen Punky Brewster, and Webster, as well as Annie and decided that orphanages looked like crap, so she’d better figure out a career.

She acted in stage plays in high school, and then went on to college at Columbia College in Chicago. She thought she was going to be an actress still, but opted for the safer and less self-serving direction of Marketing. While in college, though, she could not exterminate the acting bug, and ended up taking an assistant gig at a Chicago talent agency. From there, she started submitting for small roles and booked her first job: a McDonald’s commercial. Her role was that of a McDonald’s employee who says, “Welcome to McDonald’s. May I take your order?” For many actors, those lines will be the pinnacle of their careers. This could have very easily been Nadine’s, “Are you talking to me?” But no. The story continues.

In October 2001, she packed her Honda Civic and drove to Los Angeles, and has not looked back, except when occasionally singing to her family while standing on her balcony at night.

She appeared in the 2004 film Blast! as well as the TV movie The Last Ride. She currently stars in the My Name is Earl as Catalina Aruca. She appeared on the January 2006 cover of Stuff, and was named #39 in the annual Maxim Hot 100 list. She was also originally cast as Fernando Sucre’s girlfriend, Maricruz, on the FOX series, Prison Break, but took her role in Earl instead. Interestingly enough, the second season of Earl takes place in a state penitentiary; so technically, if she wanted to, Nadine could say, “she can’t seem to escape prison.” Older people who watch Jay Leno would laugh at this joke.

Velazquez is one of the actors in the star-studded Broadway monologue show Skirts & Flirts, and her presence makes being dragged to a live stage show by your girlfriend worth it. Her latest role is in the movie War with Jet Li and Jason Statham. She was called in to try and subdue the levels of testosterone, so as to prevent the audience from tearing the theater apart.