Claim: Michelle Rodriguez is a thespian.

Mayte Michelle Rodriguez -LRB- -LSB- rɑːˈdriːgɛz -RSB- born July 12 , 1978 -RRB- is an American actress and screenwriter . Her breakout role was as a troubled boxer in the independent film Girlfight -LRB- 2000 -RRB- , which was met with critical acclaim and earned her several awards , including the Independent Spirit Award and Gotham Award for Best Debut Performance . The following year , she starred as Letty in the blockbuster film The Fast and the Furious -LRB- 2001 -RRB- , a role she has reprised in four additional films in the Fast and Furious franchise to date . During her career , Rodriguez has played in a number of successful action films , including Resident Evil , S.W.A.T. , and Avatar .   Rodriguez also branched into television , playing Ana Lucia Cortez in the second season of the television series Lost . She has also had numerous voice work appearances in video games such as Call of Duty and Halo , and lent her voice for the 3D animated film Turbo and the television series IGPX . With her films grossing over $ 5 billion -LRB- U.S. -RRB- collectively , a 2013 Entertainment Weekly article described Rodriguez as `` arguably the most iconic actress in the action genre , as well as one of the most visible Latinas in Hollywood '' .