| Francia Raisa | |
| Birth Name: | Francia Raisa Almendárez |
| Birth Date: | 26 July 1988 |
| Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years Active: | 2004–present |
| Father: | Renán Almendárez Coello |
Francia Raisa Almendárez (born July 26, 1988[1]) is an American actress.[2] Raisa is known for her roles in , The Secret Life of the American Teenager,[3] Grown-ish, and How I Met Your Father.
Raisa was born in Los Angeles, California to a Mexican mother, Virginia Almendárez (née Pelayo), and Renán Almendárez Coello, a Honduran-born radio personality; and raised in Los Angeles.[4] [5] A few years after she was born, her father started using his new Latin radio personality, "El Cucuy".
Raisa attended Bishop Alemany High School in Mission Hills, California, where she was a cheerleader.[6]
Raisa began to take acting jobs in her junior year of high school, modeling for print ads and appearing in commercials. She guest-starred in the sitcoms American Family: Journey of Dreams and Over There. Raisa appeared in Lil' Romeo's music video "My Girlfriend" as Tamy in 2004 and in Iyaz's music video "So Big". A month into her senior year, she booked one of her first lead roles, starring opposite Hayden Panettiere in . She co-starred in the Nickelodeon movie Shredderman Rules, where she portrayed Isabel, and in and as Alexandra Delgado. She played the role of Adrian Lee in the hit ABC Family drama, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, from its beginning in July 2008, until the series finale in early June 2013.
In 2009, Raisa guest-starred on the USA Network's TV series In Plain Sight and co-starred in a short film directed by David Henrie called Boo, which aired on YouTube. In 2013, Raisa starred in the Christmas-themed movie Christmas Bounty alongside Mike "The Miz" Mizanin.
From 2018 to 2022, Raisa starred in the Freeform show, Grown-ish, executive produced by Black-ish creator Kenya Barris.[7] [8] She starred in the show's first four seasons, exiting upon the character's graduation at the end of the fourth season.[9] She also starred in Freeform's 2018 television film, Life-Size 2, opposite Tyra Banks.[10] [11]
In May 2021, Raisa was cast in How I Met Your Mothers spinoff series How I Met Your Father, which premiered on Hulu on January 18, 2022.[12] In February 2022, the series was renewed for a 20-episode second season.[13] In September 2023, however, it was cancelled after two seasons.[14]
Raisa was born in Los Angeles.[15] In the summer of 2017, Raisa donated one of her kidneys to her friend, singer and actress Selena Gomez, who has lupus.[16] [17] [18] Raisa said that Gomez was told by doctors that the two were match before she was and that it was Gomez who informed her that the two were a match.[19] In 2023, Raisa shared on Instagram about her recent diagnosis with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).[20]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Leti | Video | ||
| 2007 | Shredderman Rules | Isabel Lopez | TV movie | |
| 2008 | Alexandra "Alex" Delgado | TV movie | ||
| 2009 | Fired Up! | Marly | ||
| Boo! | Herself | Short | ||
| 2010 | Bulletface | Maria | ||
| Alexandra "Alex" Delgado | TV movie | |||
| ASD. Alma sin dueño | - | |||
| 2012 | Strain | Julie | Short | |
| 2013 | Chastity Bites | Katharine | ||
| Christmas Bounty | Tory Bell | TV movie | ||
| Penny | TV movie | |||
| 2015 | Beyond Paradise | Shahrzad | ||
| 2016 | Gretchen | TV movie | ||
| The Secrets of Emily Blair | Tara | |||
| Holly's Girl | Girl | Short | ||
| 2017 | Dirty Lies | Officer Ramirez | ||
| Tiny House of Terror | Sam | TV movie | ||
| Once Upon a Date | Izzy Flores | TV movie | ||
| 2018 | Life-Size 2 | Grace Manning | TV movie | |
| 2020 | Second Team | Molly | Short |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Over There | Sawa | Episode: "The Prisoner" |
| 2008–13 | Adrian Lee | Main Cast | |
| 2009 | Herself | Episode: "Kathy at the Apollo" | |
| In Plain Sight | Olivia Moreno/Olivia Morales | Episode: "Jailbait" | |
| 2012 | Erin Vickler | Episode: "Trends with Benefits" | |
| 2013 | WWE Raw | Herself | Episode: "Episode #21.47" |
| Massholes | Herself | Episode: "Catfish and Coldcuts" | |
| Katie | Episode: "Frat Party" | ||
| 2014 | Halloween Wars | Herself/Guest Judge | Episode: "Mummies vs. Werewolves" |
| 2016 | Hit the Floor | Rennae | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| 2017 | Rosewood | Lena Price | Episode: "Mummies and Meltdowns" |
| Dear White People | Vanessa | Recurring Cast: Season 1 | |
| Shut Eye | Palm Reading Girl | Episode: "Are You Listening?" | |
| 2018 | Black-ish | Ana Torres | Episode: "Don't You Be My Neighbor" |
| 2018–24 | Grown-ish | Ana Torres | Main Cast: Season 1-4, Guest: Season 5-6 |
| 2020 | Floored | Herself/Guest Judge | Episode: "Heart Attack" |
| 2021 | To Tell the Truth | Herself/Panelist | Episode: "Kevin Nealon, Retta and Francia Raisa" |
| Celebrity Family Feud | Herself/Celebrity Player | Episode: "Episode #8.5" | |
| The Talk | Herself/Guest Co-Host | Recurring Guest Co-Host: Season 11 | |
| 2022 | Guy's Ultimate Game Night | Herself/Contestant | Episode: "Pizza Guy Delivers" |
| Celebrity Wheel of Fortune | Herself/Celebrity Contestant | Episode: "Francia Raisa, Joel Madden & Jenifer Lewis" | |
| 2022–23 | How I Met Your Father | Valentina Morales | Main Cast |
| 2023 | Play-Doh Squished | Herself/Guest Judge | Episode: "Dinosaurs" |
| The $100,000 Pyramid | Herself/Celebrity Player | Episode: "Episode #6.17" |
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "So Big" | Iyaz | ||
| 2013 | "Everybody Knows" | Dustin Tavella | [21] | |
| 2015 | "Gibberish" (feat. Hoodie Allen) | MAX | [22] | |
| 2020 | "Man" | JoJo | ||
| 2020 | "Red Sangria" | Jordin Sparks |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | ALMA Awards | Favorite TV Actress: Leading Role in a Drama | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | [23] | ||
| 2011 | Gracie Allen Awards | Outstanding Female Rising Star in a Drama Series or Special | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | [24] | ||
| 2012 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Scene Stealer: Female | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | [25] | ||
| 2012 | Imagen Awards | Best Young Actress in a Television Series | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | [26] | ||
| 2016 | Imagen Awards | Best Actress - Feature Film | Beyond Paradise | [27] | ||
| 2018 | Imagen Awards | Best Supporting Actress - Television | Grown-ish | [28] | ||
| 2022 | NHMC Impact Awards Gala | Impact Award for Performance in a Sitcom | How I Met Your Father | [29] |