Michelle Rodriguez, born Mayte Michelle Rodríguez on July 12, 1978, in San Antonio, Texas, is an American actress known for her versatile roles in film and television. Her mother, Carmen Milady Rodriguez, is Dominican, and her father, Rafael Rodriguez, was Puerto Rican and served in the U.S. Army.

Michelle Rodriguez moved to the Dominican Republic with her mother when she was eight years old, and later to Puerto Rico until the age of 17, before finally settling in Jersey City, New Jersey. She dropped out of William L. Dickinson High School but later earned her GED.

She has ten siblings and half-siblings and was partly raised by her devoutly religious maternal grandmother, although she has since abandoned the Jehovah's Witness faith.

She began her career in 2000 with the independent sports drama film "Girlfight," where she played a troubled boxer and won the Independent Spirit Award and Gotham Award for Best Debut Performance.

She gained further recognition for her role as Letty Ortiz in the "Fast & Furious" franchise and Rain Ocampo in the "Resident Evil" series. Her other notable films include "S.W.A.T." (2003), "Avatar" (2009), "Battle: Los Angeles" (2011), and "Widows" (2018). she has also voiced characters in video games such as "Halo 2" and "Call of Duty: Black Ops II".

In television, Michelle Rodriguez is known for her role as Ana Lucia Cortez in the drama series "Lost" (2005-2006, 2009-2010). She has also appeared in animated films like "Turbo" (2013) and "Smurfs: The Lost Village" (2017).