Rosie Perez

Rosie Perez was the daughter of Lydia Perez, a merchant marine and Ismael Serano. She was born in Bushwick Brooklyn, New York City. She is Puerto Rican. Rosie was educated at Grover Cleveland High School, Ridgewood, Queens, New York. She then began her studies at Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles, California. Rosie Perez was in her second year of college and was about to relocate back to New York from Los Angeles. Her friends had given her an elopement party. The moment Spike Lee proposed that she be part of his film Do the Right Thing (1989), she agreed. This was her first big acting role. In Peter Weir's Fearless (1993) she played the supporting character Carla Rodrigo, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Artistess. (She lost to Anna Paquin for The Piano (1993).) Most of the critique I received early on in my career came from the Latin community. They would take me out to lunch and say, "Can I go and learn lessons to lessen my accent?" Or "Can you be funny and loud during a talk-show?" My voice was a constant critic. I attempted to alter the way I spoke. I tried my best to change however it was my way of speaking. As I grew older the octaves dropped, thank God. Today, I am enthralled when a teenager comes up and starts imitating me.Boxing is about conquering your fears. It's about staying strong. Floyd Mayweather could get punched by a straight punch in the middle to his face - and he wouldn't flinch. And I understand the way he's performing. (Who spoke about Don Cornelius watching her dance" Don Cornelius did not want to know how I danced . I was dancing hip-hop, and it seemed foreign to people out in California. They only knew about locking and popping, therefore they were not interested in hip-hop dancing. Don was as if, "No. You're an asian woman. I was like, What? This is so strange. This is really weird.