America Ferrera
The sixth and youngest child of Honduran immigrants, America Ferrera is living the American dream. She got her big break at 16 when she starred in the Sundance hit Real Women Have Curves. Playing a first-generation Mexican American with body image issues who wants to attend college instead of work in her family's sewing business scored her the best actress prize at the film festival and helped secure her a place in the 2005 film adaptation of Ann Brashares' bestseller The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. She went from poncho to honcho for four seasons on Ugly Betty, which put a Golden Globe, ALMA, Screen Actors Guild award, Image Award, Satellite Award and Emmy in her trophy case. Her role on the show was even praised for raising the profile of Latinos in popular culture and breaking down barriers on the floor of Congress and got her on Time Magazine's 50 Most Influential People list in 2006. She married her longtime boyfriend Ryan Piers Williams, whom she met while studying international relations at USC, in 2011.
