Christina Ochoa
Cristina Ochoa Lopez (born 25 January 1985), known professionally as Christina Ochoa, is a Spanish actress and science communicator.[1]
Christina Ochoa | |
|---|---|
 Christina Ochoa in 2015 | |
| Born | Cristina Ochoa Lopez January 25, 1985 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, science communicator |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Parent | Víctor Ochoa |
Early life
Ochoa is the grand-niece of 1959 Nobel Prize winner Severo Ochoa,[2] and the daughter of acclaimed Spanish sculptor Victor Ochoa. She has spent her life surrounded by members of both the scientific and artistic worlds.[1][3]
Theatre and film
From there, Ochoa moved on to work in theatre and TV, including on I Hate My Teenage Daughter,[4] Modern Family[1] and Spain's La que se avecina, as well as in films, including Cats Dancing on Jupiter.
She is the founder and owner of QE (Quantum Entanglement) Productions, responsible for the 2011 short film Stay with Me, which won awards at film festivals both internationally and in the United States.[4][5]
In 2014, Ochoa played Karen Morales on the Robert Rodríguez show, Matador.[1][3]
She has portrayed Renn on the TNT drama Animal Kingdom since 2016.
In 2017 she became the female lead of NBC Universal and Syfy series Blood Drive.
On 20 February 2018, Ochoa played Ashley Morales in the ABC drama series A Million Little Things before the series ordered in May 2018.[6] Ochoa exited the series after one season and 13 episodes in first-season episode, "Twelve Seconds" on 31 January 2019.[7]
Writing
Ochoa has written articles for several publications. Her first published work was featured in Vogue Spain.[8] She has regular spreads featured in H,[9] in which she focuses on profile pieces and book reviews. She also has a monthly film column in El Imparcial.[10]
Science communication and academia
Ochoa is on the advisory board for OCEANA and Earths Oceans. She is the host of the Know Brainer podcast, and has been the host and keynote of several scientific conferences and shows including the college prep program MESA, Bitesize TV's Chaotic Awesome, and NERD ALERT on The Young Turks network.
She is part of the Los Angeles Committee for Science for Society, which promotes science in society and scientific literacy, and which is the sponsor of the Intel Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).[1] She served as commentator for ISEF 2017.
She has been an active member of Mensa since 2009.
After graduating from Santa Isabel La Asunción in Madrid, she began an undergraduate degree in oceanographic engineering at Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria, off the coast of Africa in the Canary Islands.
She continued with advanced marine biology studies at James Cook University in Australia, where she focused on Elasmobranchii, subclass which includes sharks and rays.[4]
She also enrolled in additional subjects in particle physics at the Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED) but merged into full-time acting before she could complete her master's degree.
She has also participated as an expert guest on the scientific comedy podcast Professor Blastoff, part of the Earwolf network; Cara Santa Maria's Talk Nerdy; and several online STEM education platforms.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Contáct@me | Gabriela | |
| 2011 | I Hate My Teenage Daughter | Dominique | Episode: ""Teenage Family Night"" |
| 2012 | Modern Family | Nurse | Episode: "Baby on Board" |
| 2014 | Matador | Karen Morales | |
| 2014 | Chaotic Awesome | Herself | Web series; co-writer and correspondent |
| 2016–2022 | Animal Kingdom | Renn Randall | Recurring role, 35 episodes |
| 2017 | Blood Drive | Grace D'Argento | Main role, 13 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | Valor | CW3 Nora Madani | Main role, 13 episodes |
| 2018–2019 | A Million Little Things | Ashley Morales | Main role (Season 1), 13 episodes |
| 2022 | Promised Land | Veronica Sandoval | Main role |
References
- Castellanos, Melissa (26 August 2014). "'Matador' Actress Christina Ochoa on Her El Rey Role, Ocean Science and Carrying on Her Family's Nobel Prize-Winning Legacy". Latin Post. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1959.
- Rodriguez, Priscilla (15 July 2014). "EXCLUSIVE: Christina Ochoa Talks 'Matador' & Being a Science Enthusiast". Latina. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- McGinnis, Jeff (30 January 2014). "From Science to the Spotlight: Actress Christina Ochoa moves from academia to the arts". Toledo Free Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- Los Angeles Movie Awards 2011 Archived 28 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
- Andreeva, Nellie (20 February 2018). "'Valor' Star Christina Ochoa Cast In 'A Million Little Things' ABC Drama Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- Roots, Kimberly (6 February 2019). "A Million Little Things' Christina Ochoa Leaving? Show Boss, Star Weigh In". TVline. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- , VOGUE Ed. Conde Nast Oct 2010. Article BOA – Christina Ochoa.
- , H Magazine, Ed. Future of Hollywood Spreads, Issues- 2010–2011.
- , Author: Christina Ochoa.