Michelle Rodriguez

Mayte Michelle Rodriguez[5] was born on July 12, 1978,[6][7] in San Antonio, Texas.[7][8] Her mother, Carmen Milady Rodriguez (née Pared Espinal),[lower-alpha 1] is Dominican, while her father, Rafael Rodriguez, was Puerto Rican and served in the U.S. Army.[7][9][10] Rodriguez moved to the Dominican Republic with her mother when she was eight years old, and lived there until age 11. Later, she moved to Puerto Rico until the age of 17, and finally settled in Jersey City, New Jersey. She dropped out of William L. Dickinson High School, but later earned her GED.[11][12] In total, she was expelled from five schools.[13] She briefly attended business school before quitting to pursue a career in acting, with the ultimate goal of becoming a screenwriter and director.[14] Rodriguez has 10 siblings and half-siblings. She was partly raised by her devoutly religious maternal grandmother, and was brought up as a Jehovah's Witness (her mother's religion), although she has since abandoned the faith.[15][16] A DNA test of Rodriguez, performed by the television program Finding Your Roots, found that her ancestry is 72.4% European, 21.3% African, and 6.3% Native American.[17] She also stated on the show that there was some racial conflict between her families, since her Puerto Rican father had a light complexion, and her Dominican mother had a dark complexion.

Rodriguez at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con

Rodriguez's hobbies include tactical gun training,[37] skydiving,[38] and DJing.[39]

In early 2000, Rodriguez broke off an engagement to a Muslim boyfriend, citing opposition to religious requests he made of her.[40][41] In 2001, she reportedly dated her Fast & Furious co-star Vin Diesel.[42]

In 2013, Entertainment Weekly quoted her as saying, "I've gone both ways. I do as I please. I am too curious to sit here and not try when I can. Men are intriguing. So are chicks."[4] As she explained to Latina magazine, "I'm getting older. Eventually it's going to wrinkle up and I'm not going to be able to use it. I wanted to be honest about who I am and see what happens."[43] The following year, she said in an interview that she hoped her actions would help others in a similar situation: "Maybe by me opening my big fat mouth like I usually do and stepping up and owning who I am, maybe it might inspire somebody else to do the same."[44] She described herself as bisexual in another interview later that month: "Bi, yeah, I fall under the B category of LGBT." Regarding the lack of unconventional female roles available in films, she said, "What's wrong with being bi? I mean, we're getting flak everywhere we go."[45]

In March 2002, Rodriguez was arrested for assault after getting into a fight with her roommate. The charges were later dropped, after the roommate declined to press the allegations in court.[46]

In November 2003, Rodriguez went to court to face eight misdemeanor charges based on two driving incidents, including a hit and run and driving under the influence (DUI).[47] In June 2004, Rodriguez pleaded no contest in Los Angeles to three of the charges: hit and run, drunken driving, and driving with a suspended license.[48] She went to jail for 48 hours, performed community service at the morgues of two New York hospitals, completed a three-month alcohol program, and was placed on probation for three years.[49]

In 2005, while filming Lost in Hawaii, Rodriguez was pulled over by Honolulu police multiple times for speeding violations, and on December 1 was arrested for DUI.[50][51] In April 2006, she pleaded guilty to one charge of driving under the influence, and chose to pay a US$500 fine and spend five days in jail.[48]

She cited her high doses of allergy-relieving steroids as part of the reason for her erratic behavior.[52] Because the incident was a violation of her Los Angeles probation, she was sentenced to 60 days in jail, a 30-day alcohol rehabilitation program, and another 30 days of community service, including work for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.[53] Because of overcrowding, she was released from jail on the same day she entered.

In September 2007, Rodriguez allegedly violated her probation by neither completing her community service nor following an alcohol education program. Her lawyer claimed it was a clerical error.[54] On October 10, 2007, following a hearing, she was sentenced to 180 days' jail time after agreeing to admit to violating her probation. She was expected to spend the full 180-day term in jail but was released 18 days later due to overcrowding.[55] In January 2009, Rodriguez completed her community service.[56]

• Michelle Rodriguez at IMDb