| Jude Herrera | |
| Birth Place: | New Mexico, United States |
| Education: | AMDA, NYC University of New Mexico |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Nationality: | American |
| Yearsactive: | 1995–present |
Jude Herrera is an American actress. She began her career in theater and made her onscreen debut starring with Ann-Margret and Kris Kristofferson in the television movie, Blue Rodeo, for director Peter Werner.
Herrera was born in central New Mexico to her mother, a kindergarten teacher, and her maternal grandparents (grandmother née Salazar). She was raised in a tight-knit Roman Catholic family in central and northern New Mexico. One of her great grandfathers served briefly as the first chief of police of Española, N.M., also helping nearby communities of Ohkay Owingeh and Santa Fe. Highly educated and well-respected, this grandfather would become a great influence on Herrera.[1]
Herrera began formal dance training at age six and was performing publicly at age seven. She was introduced to acting by her mid-school English teacher who also ran the drama club. By her senior year of high school, while performing in a run of Brighton Beach Memoirs, Herrera decided to pursue acting as a career. She was working as an engineer intern for a U.S. D.O.E. lab at the time. Herrera graduated from a private performing arts conservatory in Manhattan and also enrolled at the University of New Mexico, majoring in religious studies and minoring in communication. While at UNM, she was inducted into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.[2]
Herrera's onscreen debut was portraying a deaf youth in Blue Rodeo, a 1996 CBS Sunday Night Movie of the Week based on a novel of the same name by Jo-Ann Mapson.[3] She has since appeared in television shows such as ER, Felicity, and Walker, Texas Ranger, as well as in independent and studio films.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Postman | Carrier | |
| 1997 | Melting Pot | Dolores | |
| 1998 | East of Hope Street | Alicia Montalvo | |
| 1998 | Yellow Wooden Ring | Greta | short film |
| 1998 | Restons Groupés | Desawenta | |
| 1998 | Legend of Two-Path | Ascopah | docu-drama |
| 1999 | The Green Mile | Bitterbuck's Daughter | deleted scene[4] |
| 2000 | The Independent | Carole/Blue Sky | |
| 2001 | Tortilla Soup | Eden | |
| 2001 | The Doe Boy | Geri | |
| 2002 | The Flats | Paige | |
| 2007 | Tortilla Heaven | Dinora | |
| 2010 | Inhale | Claudia | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Blue Rodeo (TV Movie) | Bonnie Tsotsie | TV movie |
| 1997 | ER | Pedes Nurse | Episode: "Friendly Fire" |
| 1998 | Felicity | (Guest-star role) | Episode: "Drawing the Line: Part 1" |
| 1999 | Walker Texas Ranger | Rachel Falcon | Episode: "Team Cherokee Part I" Episode: "Team Cherokee Part II" |
| 1999 | Air America | (Guest-star role) | Episode: "Engraved Danger" |
| 2000 | Camp P | (Recurring role) | TV pilot for MTV |
| 2006 | Wildfire | Leanne Diaz | Episode: "A Good Convict is Hard to Find" |
| 2008 | Living Hell (aka Organizm) | Pfc. Una Fernandes | TV movie |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | FAITA Awards | Outstanding New Performance | ||
| 1998 | New Orleans Urban Film Festival | Best Actor Award | ||
| 2000 | FAITA Awards | Performance Award (Guest Star) | ||
| 2001 | American Indian Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress Award | ||
| 2008 | ALMA Awards | Outstanding Performance of a Lead Latino/a Cast in a Motion Picture | (Shared) | |