# Jude Herrera

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.

## Early life and education

Herrera was born in central New Mexico to her mother, a kindergarten teacher and former Franciscan nun, and her maternal grandparents (grandmother née Salazar). She was raised in a tight-knit Roman Catholic family in central and northern New Mexico. Her father (maternal grandfather that raised her) was a shepherd as a young man for his father (Herrera) and later worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps under President Roosevelt's New Deal. He also served as a Penitente in New Mexico. One of her great grandfathers (Salazar) served 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 also become a great influence on Herrera.
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.

## Career

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. She has since appeared in television shows such as ER, Felicity, and Walker, Texas Ranger, as well as in independent and studio films.

## Filmography
### Film

| 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 |
| 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 | |

### Television

| 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 y Ruiz | Episode: "A Good Convict is Hard to Find" |
| 2008 | Living Hell (aka Organizm) | Pfc. Una Fernandes | TV movie |

## Stage

* The Barber of Seville (1992) (Operetta) by Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, as adapted by Sheila Biggs and Katherine Rosati - Role: Arlequina - National Theatre for the Performing Arts - National Tour, NY
* End Town (1995) by Dante Ventresca - Role: Allegra - Directed by Thor Steingraber - Nailing The Kipper Presents Theatre Company - Hollywood Moguls Theatre, Los Angeles
* Bellyfruit (1996) by Maria Bernhard, Janet Borrus, Susannah Blinkoff, Kerri Green, and Kristen Scheimer - Role: Araceli - Directed by Kerri Green - Los Angeles Theatre Center Main Stage

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1997 | FAITA Awards | Outstanding New Performance | Blue Rodeo | Won |
| 1998 | New Orleans Urban Film Festival | Best Actor Award | East of Hope Street | Won |
| 2000 | FAITA Awards | Performance Award (Guest Star) | Walker Texas Ranger | Won |
| 2001 | American Indian Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress Award | The Doe Boy | Won |
| 2008 | ALMA Awards | Outstanding Performance of a Lead Latino/a Cast in a Motion Picture | Tortilla Heaven | Nominated (Shared) |