Jessica Marie Garcia
Born
Jessica Marie Garcia

(1987-03-23) March 23, 1987 (age 36)
Orlando, Florida, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1999, 2010–present
Spouse
Adam Celorier
​
(m. 2018)​
Children1[1]

Jessica Marie Garcia (born March 23, 1987) is an American actress. She made her acting debut as Sierra on the drama series Huge (2010), and subsequently played Becky on the sitcom The Middle (2012–2014). Her breakthrough came with playing Willow Cruz on the Disney Channel series Liv and Maddie (2013–2017), and she achieved mainstream success portraying Rhonda Navarro on the thriller series How to Get Away with Murder (2018–2019). She has received acclaim for starring as Jasmine Flores on the Netflix series On My Block (2018–2021), which earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination.

Early life

Garcia was born on March 23, 1987, in Orlando, Florida.[2] Garcia's father is of Mexican descent, while her mother is of Cuban descent.[2] At the age of 19, Garcia moved to Los Angeles.[2] Before pursuing acting, she worked at Olive Garden and a restaurant called The Counter, a job she continued while appearing on the show Liv and Maddie.[3]

Career

Garcia began acting in 2010, making her professional debut starring as Sierra, a recurring role, on the ABC Family drama series Huge,[4] and in the same year starred as Lucero in the independent film Las Angeles. Following this, from 2012 to 2014, she starred as Becky in the ABC sitcom The Middle.[5] During her appearances on The Middle, Garcia began appearing on the Disney Channel series Liv and Maddie as Willow Cruz, a role she played until 2017.[6] Despite her character being a teenager, Jessica was 26 years old when the show began and 30 years old when it wrapped up. In 2017, she starred as Peaches in the film Avenge the Crows.[7]

From 2015 to 2019, Garcia starred in and co-wrote episodes for the comedy sketch show Betch.[8] In 2018, Garcia began appearing in the Netflix drama series On My Block as Jasmine Flores.[9] Originally cast in a recurring role, Garcia was promoted to a series regular from the second season.[10] For her performance, she was nominated for Choice Summer TV Actress at the 2019 Teen Choice Awards.[11] In the same year, she portrayed Rhonda Navarro on the thriller series How to Get Away with Murder, a role she held until 2019.[12] In 2020, Garcia began appearing in the Disney+ series Diary of a Future President as Camila.[13]

Personal life

In 2013, Garcia discovered that she was pre-diabetic, and to prevent getting diabetes, she lost over 70 pounds, stating that her career was her "biggest motivation to start living a healthier life."[3]

In January 2016, Garcia became engaged to actor Adam Celorier,[14] whom she married two years later in October 2018.[14] She announced her first pregnancy in November 2021, and their daughter, Selena Grey, was born in February 2022.[15]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2010 Los Angeles Lucero Film
2017 Avenge the Crows Peaches Film
2020 How to Get $100 Million Hope Short film

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2010 Huge Sierra Recurring role; 5 episodes
2012 County Vicky Santos Television film
2012–2014 The Middle Becky Recurring role; 11 episodes
2013–2017 Liv and Maddie Willow Cruz Recurring role; 36 episodes
2015–2019 Betch Various Also co-writer
2016 Casual Marta Episode: "Phase 3"
2017–2018 Hacking High School Becca Recurring role; 4 episodes
2018–2021 On My Block Jasmine Flores Recurring (season 1); main role (season 2–4)
2018 Goliath Ana Episode: "Alo"
Starter Pack Penley Recurring role; 4 episodes
2018–2019 How to Get Away with Murder Rhonda Navarro Recurring role; 5 episodes
2019 American Princess Nurse Paloma Recurring role; 2 episodes
The Filth Kevin Episode: "Filthy Bro Day"
2020–2021 Diary of a Future President Camilla Recurring role; 11 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer TV Actress On My Block Nominated [16]

References

  1. ^ "Jessica Marie Garcia Welcomes Baby Girl Selena Grey with Husband: 'Love of My Life'".
  2. ^ a b c "Jessica Marie Garcia: 11 facts about the On My Block star you probably didn't know". PopBuzz. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "10 Things You Didn't Know about Jessica Marie Garcia". TV Overmind. March 30, 2020. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  4. ^ "Jessica Marie Garcia Talks ABC Family's 'Huge,' Self-Worth And Choosing To Be Healthy". Galo. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Cuban actress Jessica Marie García stars "On my block"". In South. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  6. ^ "Liv and Maddie Star Jessica Marie Garcia on Losing Weight, Gaining Confidence, and Everything in Between". Glamour. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  7. ^ Hipes, Patrick (October 2, 2018). "'On My Block': Jessica Marie Garcia Upped To Regular On Netflix Series". Deadline. Deadline. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  8. ^ "'On My Block': Jessica Marie Garcia Upped To Regular On Netflix Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  9. ^ "On My Block Is a Remarkable Coming-of-Age Story". Vulture.com. March 19, 2018. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  10. ^ "How On My Block Turned Jasmine From a Punch Line Into a Star". Vulture.com. March 16, 2020. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  11. ^ "Teen Choice Awards: Full List of Winners". Billboard. August 11, 2019. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  12. ^ "'How To Get Away With Murder' season 5: Jessica Marie Garcia has 'the blisters to prove' she was on the sets of the Viola Davis show". meaww.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "'On My Block's Jessica Marie Garcia Loves Supporting Latino Shows: "We Have to Raise Each Other Up"". Remezcla. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "'Liv and Maddie' Star Jessica Marie Garcia Is Married". J-14. October 29, 2018. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  15. ^ Slater, Georgia (November 12, 2021). "On My Block's Jessica Marie Garcia Expecting First Baby with Husband: 'Beautiful Little Secret'". People.
  16. ^ Swift, Andy (July 8, 2019). "Teen Choice Awards: 'Stranger Things' Leads Final Wave of 2019 Nominations". TVLine. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.

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