Lana Parrilla

Lana Parrilla, born on July 15, 1977, in Brooklyn, New York City, built a notable career in both television and film. Her early career saw her in movies such as “Very Mean Men” (2000), “Spiders” (2000), and “Frozen Stars” (2003). She made her television debut in 1999 on the UPN sitcom “Grown Ups.” In 2000, she joined the cast of the ABC comedy series “Spin City,” playing Angie Ordonez for one season. She subsequently starred in the crime drama “Boomtown” (2002–2003), where her portrayal of Teresa, a paramedic, earned her an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress. The series initially gained success but later saw her character transition to a police academy rookie before its cancellation. Throughout the 2000s, Parrilla guest-starred in numerous television dramas, including “JAG,” “Six Feet Under,” “Covert Affairs,” “Medium,” “The Defenders,” and “Chase.” She also held a recurring role as Officer Janet Grafton in “NYPD Blue” in 2004.

In 2005, Parrilla secured a recurring guest role in the fourth season of the Fox series “24” as Sarah Gavin, a Counter Terrorist Unit agent. Her role expanded to a regular cast member for a period before her character was written out. She continued her television work with leading roles in the NBC summer series “Windfall” in 2006, the Lifetime movie “The Double Life of Eleanor Kendall” in 2008, and the CBS summer series “Swingtown” in 2008. In 2010, she played Dr. Eva Zambrano in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced “Miami Medical” on CBS, though these series each ran for 13 episodes before cancellation.

A significant career milestone arrived in February 2011 when Parrilla was cast as Mayor Regina Mills/The Evil Queen in the ABC adventure fantasy drama series “Once Upon a Time.” The series, which premiered in October 2011, garnered positive reviews from critics and viewers, with its pilot attracting 12.93 million viewers. Parrilla’s performance was widely praised, leading to her being considered a contender for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category in 2012 and 2013. She won the TV Guide Award for Favorite Villain and the ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2012, and received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress on Television at the 38th Saturn Awards. Her career extended into directing, with an episode of “Once Upon a Time” in 2018. More recently, she appeared in the Netflix sci-fi thriller film “Atlas” (2024), opposite Jennifer Lopez, and in the second season of “The Lincoln Lawyer” (2023) on Netflix.