Maria Canals-Barrera

Maria Canals-Barrera
Maria Canals-Barrera
	Canals-Barrera at the 2010 Imagen Awards
Born	Maria Canals
Other names	Maria Canals Barrera
Alma mater	University of Miami
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1990–present
Spouse	David Barrera (m. 1999)
Children	2

Maria Canals-Barrera (née Canals) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Theresa Russo in the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–2012), Connie Torres in Camp Rock (2008) and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010), and Daniela in the ABC comedy series Cristela (2014–2015).

Canals-Barrera has voiced Shayera Hol/Hawkgirl in Justice League, Justice League Unlimited and Static Shock as part of the DC Animated Universe, Sunset Boulevardez in The Proud Family (2001–2005) and Paulina in Danny Phantom (2004–2007).

Early life

Canals-Barrera was born to Cuban parents of Catalan descent.^[1] Canals-Barrera also speaks Spanish and took drama classes in junior high school.^[2]

Canals-Barrera graduated from Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School before winning a theatrical scholarship to the University of Miami.^[3]

Career

In her early years, Canals-Barrera worked extensively in theater in both Miami and Los Angeles. In 1990, she starred as Amanda in a production of The Glass Menagerie.^[4] In 1992, she starred in a production of Brian Michael Riley's A Cradle of Sparrows.^[5] The same year, she began starring on Telemundo Spanish-language telenovela Marielena.^[3] She later had the recurring role in the short-lived 1993 Fox comedy-drama series, Key West. During the 1990s, Canals-Barrera also guest starred in a number of television series, such as 21 Jump Street, Murder, She Wrote, Almost Perfect, and Caroline in the City.^{[citation needed]} In 1996, she starred as the title character in a production of Hedda Gabler.^[6] The next year she played Digna in a production of Guillermo Reyes' Chilean Holiday.^[7]

Her first regular role was on the short-lived NBC sitcom The Tony Danza Show in 1997.^[3] In early 2000s, Canals-Barrera had supporting roles in films America's Sweethearts, The Master of Disguise and Imagining Argentina. She has gained much recognition with comic book fans in recent years for her role as Hawkgirl/Shayera Hol on Bruce Timm's Justice League animated series (2001–04) and Justice League Unlimited (2005–06). She also had a recurring role in Static Shock as news reporter Shelly Sandoval, and in Danny Phantom as Paulina, the title character's high school crush. She also performed the voice of Mercedes "Meche" Colomar in the 1998 video game Grim Fandango. Canals-Barrera also played incidental characters in two episodes on the TV series The Boondocks ("Grandad's Fight" and "Home Alone").

From 2007 to 2012, Canals-Barrera co-starred as Theresa Russo, the mother of lead character Alex Russo (played by Selena Gomez), in the Disney Channel family sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place. She also co-starred in Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, a 2009 Disney Channel Original film based on the series. Canals-Barrera also appeared in the Disney Channel Original Movies Camp Rock (2008) and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010) as Connie Torres, the mother of Demi Lovato's character. In 2011, she appeared opposite Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in the romantic comedy film Larry Crowne.

In 2014, Canals-Barrera was cast as Hilda in the ABC soap opera Members Only, created by Susannah Grant.^[8] However, it was cancelled by the network before its premiere. Later in that year she joined the cast of ABC comedy series Cristela, aas Daniela Gonzaler.^[9]

On August 27, 2018, Canals-Barrera was cast as the mother of Fernando Hernandez-Guerrero-Fernandez-Guerrero on the Netflix series Fuller House.^[10]

Personal life

Barrera has been married to actor David Barrera since 1999, with whom she has two daughters.^[11]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1993	Cop and a Half	Mrs. Bobo #2
1995	My Family	Young Irene		^[12]
2001	America's Sweethearts	Adinah
2002	Bad Boy	Woman at bar
2002	The Master of Disguise	Sophia
2003	Imagining Argentina	Esme Palomares
2003	Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico	Sofia Otero	Voice, direct-to-video
2011	Larry Crowne	Lala Pinedo
2012	Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Part 1	Ellen Yindel	Voice, direct-to-video^[13]
2013	Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Part 2	Ellen Yindel	Voice, direct-to-video^[13]
2013	Night of the Hipsters	Barbara	Short film
2016	God's Not Dead 2	Catherine Thawley
2017	Teen Titans: The Judas Contract	Bianca Reyes^[13]	Voice, direct-to-video
2019	Sweet Inspirations	Bonnie	Voice, direct-to-video

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1990	21 Jump Street	Rosina	Episode: "La Bizca"
1991	Super Force	Lori Wechsler	2 episodes
1992–1993	Corte Tropical	Adrianita		^[3]
1992–1994	Marielena	Nancy	Recurring role	^[3]
1993	Harlan & Merleen	Carmen	Television film
1993	Key West	Fig	Recurring role, 5 episodes
1994	Viper	Carla	Episode: "Wheels of Fire"
1994	Murder, She Wrote	Carmen	Episode: "Wheel of Death"
1995	Almost Perfect	Carmen	Episode: "You Like Me, You Really Like Me"
1996	Goode Behavior	Denise	Episode: "Goode Feelings"
1997–1998	The Tony Danza Show	Carmen Cruz	Main role, 7 episodes	^[3]
1998	Caroline in the City	Maria	Episode: "Caroline and the Toothbrush"
1998	Veronica's Closet	Dannie	Episode: "Veronica's a Partner Now"
1999	Beggars and Choosers	Yolanda	Recurring role
2000–2003	Static Shock	Shelly Sandoval, Hawkgirl	Voice, 14 episodes^[13]
2000	Pepper Ann	Señorita Vivas	Voice, episode: "The Spanish Imposition"
2000	That's Life		Episode: "Bad Hair Week"
2001	Popular	Candy Box	Episode: "Fire in the Hole"
2001	The Brothers García	Ms. Azteca	Episode: "Love Is Very... Confusing"
2001–2002	Clifford the Big Red Dog	Teresa, Tonya	Voice, 2 episodes^[13]
2001–2005	The Proud Family	Sunset Boulevardez	Voice, 19 episodes
2001–2004	Justice League	Hawkgirl, Livewire	Voice, main role^[13]
2002	American Family	Christy	Recurring role, 5 episodes
2003	Miss Match	Store Manager	Episode: "Santa, Baby"
2004	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Dalilah the Hygienist	2 episodes
2004–2007	Danny Phantom	Paulina, additional voices	Voice, 15 episodes^[13]
2005–2006	Justice League Unlimited	Hawkgirl	Voice, 11 episodes^[13]
2005	The Proud Family Movie	Sunset Boulevardez, Newscaster Peanut	Voice, television film^[13]
2005–2007	The Boondocks	Spanish TV Reporter, Costa Rican Woman	Voice, 2 episodes
2006	George Lopez	Claudia	Episode: "A Funeral Brings George to His Niece"
2006	Handy Manny	Peggy Salazar	Voice, episode: "Supremoguy/Tool Talk"
2007	The Loop	Agent Denise	Episode: "Yeah, Presents"
2007–2012	Wizards of Waverly Place	Theresa Russo	Main role, 84 episodes
2008	Camp Rock	Connie Torres	Television film
2009	Special Agent Oso	Additional voices	Episode: "Octo-Puzzle/One Suitcase Is Now Enough"
2009	Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie	Theresa Russo	Television film
2010	Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam	Connie Torres	Television film
2011	Generator Rex	Valentina	Voice, episode: "Outpost"^[13]
2012	Pound Puppies	Dr. Trudy	Voice, 3 episodes^[13]
2013	The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex	Theresa Russo	Television special
2014	Baby Daddy	Carol Beltran	Episode: "Bonnie's Unreal Estate"
2014	Gang Related	Marciela Acosta	2 episodes
2014–15	Cristela	Daniela	Main role, 22 episodes	^[14]
2015	Members Only	Hilda	Main role; unaired television series
2016	Ultimate Spider-Man	Rio Morales	Voice, 3 episodes^[13]
2016	A Bronx Life	Angela	Television film
2016	Last Man Standing	Sheryl	Episode: "Where There's Smoke, There's Ire"
2016	The Big Bang Theory	Isabella	Episode: "The Brain Bowl Incubation"
2017	Vixen: The Movie	Dr. Vargas	Voice, television film
2017	Triangle	Alice
2018	The Wedding Do Over	Irene Anderson	Television film
2018	Knight Squad	Saffron	Episode: "Parent Teacher Knight"
2018	Young & Hungry	Marisol	Episode: "Young & Mexico, Part 1"
2018	Fuller House	Nadia	Episode: "Perfect Sons"
2022	Madagascar: A Little Wild	Pilar	Voice, 4 episodes
2022	Kenan	Loretta	2 episodes
2022	Side Hustle	Roxie Rockhart	Episode: "Return of Uncle Nedward"
2022	Lopez vs Lopez	Lily	Episode: "Lopez vs. Birthday"
2022–present	The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder	Sunset Boulevardez	Voice	^[15]
2023	The Morning Show	Mercedes	2 episodes
2024	Dora	Abuela	Voice	^[16]^[17]

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Grim Fandango	Mercedes 'Meche' Colomar^[13]	Voice
2011	Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds	She-Hulk
2011	Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3	She-Hulk
2015	Infinite Crisis	Hawkgirl

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
1998	Ovation Award	Outstanding Actress	Changes of Heart	Nominated
1998	ALMA Award	Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series	The Tony Danza Show	Nominated
2002	ALMA Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Television Series	The Brothers Garcia	Won
2008	ALMA Award	Outstanding Female Performance in a Comedy Television Series	Wizards of Waverly Place	Nominated
2008	Imagen Award	Best Supporting Actress – Television	Wizards of Waverly Place	Nominated
2009	Imagen Award	Best Supporting Actress/Television	Wizards of Waverly Place	Nominated
2009	ALMA Award	Actress in Television – Comedy	Wizards of Waverly Place	Nominated
2010	Imagen Award	Best Supporting Actress – Television	Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie	Won
2011	Imagen Award	Best Supporting Actress – Television	Wizards of Waverly Place	Nominated
2011	ALMA Award	Favorite TV Actress – Supporting Role	Wizards of Waverly Place	Won
2013	Behind the Voice Actors Awards	Best Vocal Ensemble in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Theatrical Short	Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (Shared with cast)	Nominated
2014	Behind the Voice Actors Awards	Best Vocal Ensemble in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Theatrical Short	Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (Shared with cast)	Nominated
2015	Imagen Award	Best Supporting Actress – Television	Cristela	Nominated

References

^ "Maria Canals-Barrera on Twitter". Retrieved November 2, 2018.
^ "411 Movies Interview: Maria Canals-Barrera". 411mania.com. October 18, 2007. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Jackson, Terry (July 24, 1997). "South Florida actors ready for prime time, Danza show". The Miami Herald. p. 3F. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
^ Dolen, Christine (February 19, 1990). "This Glass Menagerie is shattered". The Miami Herald. p. 5C. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
^ Dolen, Christine (July 14, 1992). "Acme opens festival, new home with A Cradle of Sparrows". The Miami Herald. p. 2E. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
^ Collins, Scott (April 11, 1996). "East L.A.'s 'Gabler' Treads Lightly on Heavy Material". The Los Angeles Times. p. F10. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
^ Shirley, Don (May 1, 1997). "Taking a 'Chilean Holiday'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
^ "'Wizards of Waverly Place's' Maria Canals-Barrera Joins Susannah Grant's ABC Series". Variety. March 25, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
^ "ABC Medianet". Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
^ Swift, Andy (August 27, 2018). "Fuller House Is Expanding [Spoiler]'s Family Tree in Season 4". TVLine. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
^ "Maria Canals-Barrera on Twitter". Retrieved November 2, 2018.
^ Rodriguez, Rene (May 3, 1995). "As a 'family' moves along, Chicano epic stirs the soul". The Miami Herald. p. 5E. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l "Maria Canals (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved September 10, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
^ Helmore, Edward (October 25, 2014). "Lead roles for Latin actors as US television notes shift in social and economic power". The Guardian. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
^ "'The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder' coming to Disney+ on Feb. 23". UPI. January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
^ "Paramount+ | Dora | About". paramountpressexpress.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ Milligan, Mercedes. "Trailer: CG-Animated 'Dora' Adventure Begins April 12 on Paramount+". animationmagazine.net. Retrieved March 2, 2024.