Naya Rivera

Naya Marie Rivera was born on January 12, 1987, and is an American singer, song-writer, actress, and a model. She is best known for her role in the musical comedy series Glee, as Santana Lopez.

Early Life[]

Rivera was raised in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California and has lived in or around Los Angeles for most of her life. She is of half Puerto Rican, quarter African American, and quarter German descent. Her parents are George and Yolanda Rivera. At eight or nine months old, Naya began to be represented by the same talent agent as her mother, who had moved to Los Angeles to pursue modeling. She is the oldest of three in the family. She has a brother named Mychal Rivera and a sister named Nickayla Rivera.

Career[]

As a baby, Rivera appeared in commercials for Kmart, but her first significant acting job was at the age of four when she starred as Hillary Winstonin the Eddie Murphy produced sitcom The Royal Family in 1991.

Between 1992 and 2002, she had small roles in The Fresh Prince of Bel-air, Family Matters, Live Shot, Baywatch, Smart Guy, The Jersey, House Blend, Even Stevens, and The Master of Disguise. She was hired for a single episode guest appearance on The Bernie Mac Show in 2002, but she was brought back to work on a further ten episodes throughout all five seasons. She was later featured in episodes of 8 Simple Rules and CSI: Miami. In between auditions and roles, Rivera worked odd jobs as a telemarketer, a nanny, and a greeter at an Abercrombie & Fitch store. In 2006 and 2007, Rivera took part in a production of Mark E. Swinton's play U Don't Know Me: The Musical, both in Los Angeles and when the production was taken on national tour.

Glee[]

In 2009, Naya was cast as Cheerios cheerleading squad member Santana Lopez on Fox's musical comedy series Glee, about a high school glee club. Rivera's character comes off as a cold-hearted and vicious cheerleader, who often shows her softer side to fellow cheerleader Brittany S. Pierce (played by Heather Morris). Rivera auditioned for the opportunity "to sing, dance, and act all in the same show," and because she was a fan of co-creator Ryan Murphy's previous work on Nip/Tuck.

Personal Life[]

Rivera is an avid reader and dedicates her time to various charitable organizations, including GLAAD, The Trevor Project, and The Sunshine Foundation. She took up song-writing at the age of 15. According to Rivera, "My passion for music is one of my greatest loves." Rivera has stated that if she could not act or sing she could work as a writer. She has completed several screenplays and television scripts.

Rivera's brother, Mychal, is a college football player, a tight end for the University of Tennessee, their sister is Nickayla which is a model.

On April 9, 2013 she and Big Sean are seen held hands, so they are dating.

Rivera noted in an interview with Latina magazine that she was raised a devout Christian but is very private about it, noting the conflict that can result from revealing such information. "It's hard and sort of sad that you do feel the need to tread lightly when you say, 'Yes I do go to church, and yes I do read the Bible' because once you do that, people will be like, 'Why are her boobs out? Why is her midriff showing? Why is she playing a lesbian?' I don't wanna deal with that stuff, so I've never really discussed it, it's very personal."

Filmography[]

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	The Master of Disguise	Captain America Kid	Deleted Scene
2009	Frankenhood	Hottie	Credited as Naya Maria Rivera (Maria was a typo)
2011	Glee: The 3D Concert Movie	Santana Lopez	3D Concert Film
2013	The Naughty List	Sparkle
2014	Home	Vera

Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991–1992	The Royal Family	Hillary Winston	Regular role
1992–1993	Family Matters	Gwendolyn	Episodes: "Just One Date," "Heart Strings," "Mama's Wedding"
1993	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air	Cindy	Episode: "Bundle of Joy"
1993	The Sinbad Show	Party Guest	Episode: "It's My Party, I'll Cry If I Want To"
1995	Live Shot	Ann	Episode: "Another Day, Another Story"
1996	Baywatch	Willa	Episode: "Scorcher"
1997–1999	Smart Guy	Kelly Tanya	Episodes: "Baby, It's You and You and You," "Never Too Young"
1999	The Jersey	Girl #2	Episode: "Be True to You"
2002	House Blend	Chloe	Pilot
2002	Even Stevens	Charlene	Episode: "Short Story"
2002–2004	Pajama Rama	Herself	Host
2002–2006	The Bernie Mac Show	Donna	Recurring role
2003	Soul Food	Lauryn	Episodes: "Truth's Consequences," "Nobody's Child"
2004	8 Simple Rules	Nice Girl	Episode: "Halloween"
2008	Girlfriends	Young Lady	Episode: "Stand and Deliver"
2008	CSI: Miami	Rachel Calvado	Episode: "Power Trip"
2009–present	Glee	Santana Lopez	Season 1: recurring cast member Seasons 2 - 4: regular cast member
2012	The Glee Project	Herself	Guest Star (Season 2, Episode 4 "Sexuality")
2012	This Is How I Made It	Herself	Episode 3
2013	Fashion Police	Herself	Guesr Star

Trivia[]

She likes to write songs.
Her vital statistics are 34-22-32.
She has a brother named Mychal Rivera, 22 and a sister named Nickayla Rivera, 18.
Her nicknames are NayNay, Bee, Nay Nay Rivers, Na Nay, Little Bee, and the Veiled Fairy.
Had a crush on Robin Thicke.
She likes Sushi and Mexican food.
Her favorite color is pink.
Her favorite band is Coldplay
Has an iPhone.
She loves to read
Is a fan of Nip/Tuck.
Has a Cavalier King Charles puppy named Lucy Ann Rivera
She worked on Hooters
Has a video of "Naya Dance" that has been on Youtube.
Made the cathphrase "Wanky."
She is the only left-handed cast member.
She's 5'5 feet tall (165 cm).
Her first concert was No Doubt.
She's a very good impersonator.
Got a record deal.
Favorite animal was a penguin.
She watches Pretty Little Liars.
She is best friends with Heather Morris.
Has dated glee writer Matthew Hodgson.
Her fans are called "Nayaholics".
One of her best friends is Kat Grahram from The Vampire Diaries.
She and Big Sean announced their engagement in October 2013 [1]

Naya Rivera

Contents

Early Life[]

Career[]

Glee[]

Personal Life[]

Filmography[]

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

Videos []

Fan Feed