Maria Canals-Barrera is an award-winning American actress whose career to date has encompassed television, film, and video game voice work. A regular presence on American screens for over 30 years, she is currently best known to audiences for playing Theresa Russo, the mother in The Wizards of Waverley Place, a Disney sitcom that won multiple awards, including two Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Children’s Programme. She also starred in ABC sitcom Cristela, 1990s sitcom The Tony Danza Show, and has voiced various characters in several DC series and movies.

Canals-Barrera got her first TV acting roles at the dawn of the 1990s but focused largely on performing in theatre around Miami and Los Angeles. Her breakthrough came in 1997 when she was cast as Carmen Cruz in The Tony Danza Show, a role that saw her nominated for the ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Role. In 2000, she provided the voice for Hawkgirl in DC’s supernatural series Static Shock and has reprised the role several times since (as well as providing others) in the likes of Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and the video game Infinite Crisis.

In 2007, she became one of the stars of The Wizards of Waverley Place, playing the mother of the young Waverley wizards-in-training. The show became a huge hit with young audiences over the next five years. Canals-Barrera was a hit too, winning an ALMA Award and an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress. She continues to make regular appearances in film and television shows, with recent projects including the film Sweet Inspirations and Disney animated series, The Proud Family.