Rose Portillo

Biography

Rose Portillo is an accomplished American actress/writer/director/educator and visual artist whose stage and film career began with a lead role in Luis Valdez's 'Zoot Suit' (original L.A. and Broadway productions and the film). She played the role of Mother in the critically acclaimed 2017 revival, starring Demián Bichir. She was Associate Director of About Productions, now celebrating 24 years of creating original Theaterworks and founded the company's Young Theaterworks, which serves students in Continuation/Options High Schools primarily in East Los Angeles. Since appearing in Theresa Chavez's solo play, L.A. Real, she has directly partnered with Chavez (the company's Artistic Director) on at least 10 critically acclaimed productions.

Known For

Touched by an Angel

María Parades

NCIS

Sheriff Jo

The Rookie

Emilia Lopez

Murder, She Wrote

Maria

Cagney & Lacey

Ana / Rhonda Gallegos

Sliders

Sister Celine

Home Improvement

Woman #2

Marvel's Runaways

Eileen

Filmography

Year	Movie	Role
2025	Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip	Lidia Garcia
2024	Peak Season
2022	That's Amor	Julietta
2021	Encanto	Señora Guzmán (voice)
1995	...And the Earth Did Not Swallow Him	Florentina
1991	Palomino	Donna
1985	The Mean Season	Kathy Vasquez
1984	Best Kept Secrets	Mrs. Zepeta
1982	Seguin	Gertudis
1982	Victims	Pilar Galloway
1981	Zoot Suit	Della
1977	Exorcist II: The Heretic	Spanish Girl
1977	Panic in Echo Park

Year	TV Show	Role
2022	Zootopia+	Additional Voice Talent (voice)
2019	Seis Manos	(voice)
2019	Undone	Speech Teacher
2018	The Rookie	Emilia Lopez
2017	Marvel's Runaways	Eileen
2003	NCIS	Sheriff Jo
1995	Sliders	Sister Celine
1994	Touched by an Angel	María Parades
1991	Home Improvement	Woman #2
1990	Capital News	Officer Bates
1988	Eisenhower and Lutz	Millie Zamora
1984	Murder, She Wrote	Maria
1982	Cagney & Lacey	Ana / Rhonda Gallegos