Natalie Morales

Natalie Morales Headshot

Actress

Birth Date: February 15, 1985

Age: 39 years old

Birth Place: Kendall, Florida

With a magnetic screen presence and beguiling good looks, Natalie Morales could have easily been another ingénue to grace the pages of Maxim, or forever typecast as the sassy Latina. But beneath her toned veneer was a bubbling comedic energy and a self-effacing smirk that brought a spark to her performances. Best known for her all-too short role as Wendy Watson on the comic series "The Middleman" (ABC Family 2008), she continued to charm audiences and critics alike whether she was an FBI agent on "White Collar" (USA 2009-14), Aziz Ansari's formidable girlfriend on "Parks and Recreation" (NBC 2009-) or the spunky sidekick on the critically-acclaimed sitcom "Trophy Wife" (ABC 2013-14). Natalie Morales was born February 15, 1985 in the Miami suburb of Kendall, Florida. Raised in a Cuban family, she attended private school until 8th grade before applying to a magnet school to study law. But due to a serendipitous mix-up, she ended up attending public high school instead and enrolled in drama school freshman year since it was the only elective available. This seemingly trivial chain of events is what set her career path in motion. After graduating high school, she moved out to Los Angeles in 2005, with two of her closest friends from drama class. Morales developed her knack for physical comedy doing theater and sketch comedy before her big break happened when she met her manager the following year. Soon after, she burst onto the scene with her scene-stealing role as the female lead in the superhero dramedy "The Middleman" in 2008. While the sci-fi show didn't last beyond its initial 13-episode order, it lived on in the hearts of fans. After "The Middleman" fizzled out, Morales took on a guest-starring role on the snappy, comedic procedural series "White Collar" (USA 2009-14). Her take-no-prisoners character, special agent Lauren Cruz, was a hit with fans, and she was soon promoted to series regular. But when the second season rolled around, there was a case of musical chairs with casting and an actress who was returning to the series replaced her. Despite this minor setback, Morales quickly found work and returned to her comedic roots, joining the hit series "Parks and Recreation" for a brief arc as the new girlfriend of the recently-divorced Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) in 2010. That year brought continued success not only on the small screen but also marked Morales' big screen debut. She flexed her acting muscles by playing a ruthless Wall Street trader in Oliver Stone's sequel "Wall Street 2" (2010), as well as Drew Barrymore's best gal pal in the romantic comedy "Going the Distance" (2010). After wrapping the indie comedy "6 Month Rule" (2011) in New York, she returned to Los Angles and the world of television, taking a short but memorable guest spot on Aaron Sorkin's "The Newsroom" (HBO 2012-14), where her character got Jeff Daniels' news anchor high before a broadcast. Leaving behind the highbrow world of Sorkin's banter-heavy series, Morales landed a recurring spot on the fifth season of teen-soap reboot "90210" (CW 2008-), followed shortly after by her supporting role on the dysfunctional family comedy "Trophy Wife." Despite its unfortunate title, the series starring Malin Ackerman as Bradley Whitford's reformed party-girl wife was a sleeper hit for the network, and allowed Morales free range to fit her character's wild spirit - even if that meant going topless on television. Despite initially shaky ratings, "Trophy Wife" was extended for a full season and Morales was announced as a guest star in season three of "Girls" (HBO 2012-17). After co-starring on the Rob Lowe legal comedy "The Grinder" (Fox 2015-16), Morales appeared in arcs on Drew Barrymore's horror comedy "Santa Clarita Diet" (Netflix 2017- ) and superhero comedy "Powerless" (NBC 2017) and guest starred on the comedy series "Grace and Frankie" (Netflix 2015- ), "Crashing" (HBO 2017- ) and "Imaginary Mary" (ABC 2017).

Credits

No Hard FeelingsStream

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70%

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2023
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2022

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Jennifer
Movie
2022

Pictionary

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Game Show
2021

RugratsStream

Voice
Betty DeVille
Series
2021
86%

Rugrats Shorts

Voice
Betty DeVille
Show
2021

Mr. MayorStream

Director
Series
2021

Mr. MayorStream

Guest Star
Susan Craw
Series
2021

The Little ThingsStream

Actor
Detective Jamie Estrada
Movie
2021
45%

HappilyStream

Actor
Patricia
Movie
2021
69%

Plan BStream

Director
Movie
2021
96%

Language Lessons

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Cariño
Movie
2021

Language Lessons

Director
Movie
2021

Language Lessons

Executive Producer
Movie
2021

Language Lessons

Screenwriter
Movie
2021

GMA3: What You Need to Know

Guest
Show
2020

Solar OppositesStream

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Stacy K's friend
Series
2020
98%

Dead to MeStream

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Michelle
Series
2019
88%

Abby'sStream

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Abby
Series
2019
71%

Abby's: Extras

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Show
2019

StuberStream

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Nicole
Movie
2019
42%

Busy Tonight

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Talk
2018

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

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Miss Calleros
Movie
2018

Room 104Stream

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Series
2017
88%

Room 104Stream

Director
Series
2017
88%

Soundtracks: Songs That Defined HistoryStream

Actor
Rosie Casals
Series
2017

Imaginary MaryStream

Guest Star
Rebecca
Series
2017
27%

Making HistoryStream

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Mona
Series
2017
92%

PowerlessStream

Guest Star
Green Fury
Series
2017
61%

Battle of the SexesStream

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Rosie Casals
Movie
2017
84%

Ascent

Actor
Emma
Movie
2017

Ascent

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Movie
2017

Mr. Student Body President

Director
Show
2016

Grace and FrankieStream

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Melissa
Series
2016
90%

The GrinderStream

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Claire
Series
2015
93%

At Midnight With Chris HardwickStream

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Game Show
2015

Red Nose Day

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Show
2015

Late Night With Seth MeyersStream

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Talk
2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonStream

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Talk
2014

Trophy WifeStream

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Meg
Series
2013
76%

The NewsroomStream

Guest Star
Kaylee
Series
2012

GirlsStream

Guest Star
Series
2012
89%

6 Month Rule

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Sophie
Movie
2011

The Talk

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Talk
2010

Going the Distance

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Brandy
Movie
2010

White CollarStream

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Brigitte
Series
2009
96%

Parks and RecreationStream

Guest Star
Series
2009
93%

90210Stream

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Ashley Howard
Series
2008

90210Stream

Guest Star
Ashley Howard
Series
2008

The MiddlemanStream

Actor
Wendy Watson
Series
2008
100%

CSI: MiamiStream

Guest Star
Series
2002

Last Call With Carson Daly

Guest
Talk
2002

Today

Guest
News
1952

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