Mayte Michelle Rodriguez (born July 12, 1978), better known as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American actress, known for her role in the television series Lost and action films Girlfight, The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil and S.W.A.T..

Rodriguez was born in Bexar County, Texas, the daughter of Carmen Milady (née Pared), a native of the Dominican Republic, and Rafael Rodriguez, a Puerto Rican who served in the US military. Rodriguez moved to the Dominican Republic with her mother when she was eight and lived in Puerto Rico when she was 11, later settling in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Having run across an ad for an open casting call and attending her first audition, Rodriguez beat 350 other applicants to win her first role in the low-budget 2000 independent film, Girlfight. Rodriguez’s performance as Diana Guzman, a troubled teen who decides to channel her aggression by training to become a boxer, was recognized by both critics and audiences, but despite major industry buzz of a possible Academy Award nomination, she did not receive the Oscar nod. Rodriguez did however accumulate several other significant awards and nominations for the role in independent circles, including major acting accolades from the National Board of Review, Deauville Film Festival, Independent Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards, Las Vegas Film Critics Sierra Awards, and many others. The film itself took home top prizes at both the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals.

she has had notable roles in other successful movies, including S.W.A.T., The Fast and the Furious and Resident Evil. In 2002, she was ranked #77 in Stuff magazine’s “102 Sexiest Women In The World”, and #34 in Maxim’s “100 Sexiest Women”. That same year, Rodriguez portrayed Eden in the surfer girlpower flick Blue Crush.

In 2004, Rodriguez lent her voice to the video game Halo 2, playing a Marine. She also provided the voice of Liz Ricarro in the Cartoon Network series IGPX. From 2005 to 2006, she played tough cop Ana Lucia Cortez on the television series Lost during the show’s second season (the character’s first appearance was a flashback on season 1’s finale, Exodus: Part 1).

In 2006, Rodriguez was featured in her own episode of G4’s show Icons. Her latest film, Battle in Seattle, releases in the U.S. in May 2008 and she recently wrapped filming in New Zealand for James Cameron’s sci-fi adventure Avatar, due out December 18, 2009.

In early 2000, Rodriguez broke off a near engagement to a Muslim boyfriend, citing opposition to religious requirements he demanded of her, which included covering herself completely. At one time, Rodriguez dated her The Fast and the Furious co-star, Vin Diesel. In 2006, she “had her eye on” Irish actor and S.W.A.T. co-star, Colin Farrell. In July 2006, Rodriguez told UK’s Cosmopolitan magazine that she was not gay, but had “experimented with both sexes”.

So this lovely and tough Latina has me feeling that I would gladly take a full on beatdown from her, kicks to the nuts and all that if…

“she would do the naked lambada with me all night long! Or just let me watch her do it with a chick!”

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