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Born as Mayte Michelle Rodriguez on July 12, 1978 in San Antonio Texas to parents Carmen Milady and Rafael Rodriguez, Michelle has a Dominican Republic and Puerto Rican background. She has a large family, being a sister to ten half-siblings. Michelle Rodriguez was raised by her religious maternal grandmother and brought up to a Jehovah’s Witness religion. At age 8, she moved to the Dominican Republic, transferred to Puerto Rico at 11 and later settled in New Jersey. When Rodriguez was 17 years old, she dropped out of high school, but earned her GED afterwards.

In 2000, Michelle Rodriguez discovered how lucky and talented she truly was, having won a leading role for her first film. After attending her first audition, she beat over 300 applicants for the part of Diana Guzman in the low-budget independent film, “Girl Fight”. Critics and audiences worldwide recognized her portrayal as a troubled teen who trained to become a boxer. She received several awards and nominations in the independent circle, including the Independent Spirit Awards, National Board of Review, Las Vegas Film Critics Sierra Awards and Deauville Film Festival. The 2000 film also won prizes at the Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals.

Michelle Rodriguez’s role in “Girl Fight” led to several notable roles in movies, such as “S.W.A.T.”, “The Fast and the Furious”, “Resident Evil” and “Blue Crush”. Aside from big screen pictures, Michelle Rodriguez also appeared in the first and second seasons of the hit TV series, “Lost” as a tough cop named Ana Lucia Cortez. She also gave her voice to three video games – “Halo 2”, “Driver 3” and “True Crime: Streets of LA”.

In 2000, Michelle Rodriguez broke up with a longtime Muslim boyfriend, citing opposition of religious requirements. A year later, she was dating “Fast and the Furious” co-star Vin Diesel. In 2006, however, Michelle Rodriguez was rumored to be a lesbian, but denied this by saying she “had experience with both sexes”. Recently, she was linked to Oliver Martinez, after being spotted together dining at the Chateau Marmont.

Michelle Rodriguez had several problems with the law. She was arrested for assault in 2002 after a fight with her roommate, but the charges were dropped after her roommate declined to settle in court. A year later, Rodriguez faced eight misdemeanor charges, including a DUI and hit-and-run. In 2004, she pleaded no contest to three of the charges – drunk driving, hit-and-run, and driving with a suspended license. As punishment, she spent 48 hours in jail, performed community service, finished a 3-month alcohol program and placed under probation for three years.