Valery Ortiz

Valery Milagros Ortiz was born on August 1st, 1984 in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Hector and Aracelis Ortiz. Valery's first passion was to become a "ballerina" and she explored her dancing talents after receiving a scholarship to The Southern Ballet Theatre Performing Art Centre in Orlando, Florida. She continued to dance but her curiosity to be in front of the camera grew as her older brother, Hector, explored his interest in 'movie making'. Continuing in her brothers' footsteps, Valery was accepted into the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Theatre Magnet High School. Four years of study lead to working in several productions like Latins Anonymous (Orlando Fringe Festival), West Side Story as Maria, A Midsummer Night's Dream as Helena, The Vagina Monologues (Orlando Premiere) and The Edinburgh, Scotland Fringe Festival. While Ms. Ortiz was attending the University of Central Florida for a Bachelor in Fine Arts, she was given the opportunity to work as Host on Nickelodeons Live television show, Splat! After the first season, a one week road trip "vacay" to Los Angeles turned into permanent residence in the Valley. Valery quickly started working as a VJ on a local television show called LATV Live. Shortly thereafter she was cast in the pilot Emily's Reason's Why Not, which was picked up and is airing in 2006. Valery can now be seen in Date Movie, playing the role of 'Jell-o', a spoof on Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner. Currently she can be seen on the hit N series South of Nowhere playing queen bee Madison Duarte. She is currently filming season 2 of this breakthrough series.