Jossara Jinaro, described in the Latin media as the "strong, smart, and sexy ultimate woman," was the love child of two Maoists in South America. She was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and when her Mother married a Colombian diplomat she moved to Colombia at the age of 3. As a little girl she loved to watch movies. Her favorite was "Gilda" because she loved Rita Hayworth as the night club dancing dame. Jossara always dreamed of being just like her. Samba and salsa rhythms pulled Jossara onto the stage. She began dancing at the age of 5 and by the time she was 8 she did her first play. Her Step-Father was kidnapped by the guerrilla and soon after he was released her family sought safety in the United States.She fully learned English at the age of 15 and soon found herself caught between a traditional Latin Family and her new American identity. She decided to leave home at the age of 16 and pursue her artistic dreams. Her first professional gig was singing and dancing at the theme park Old Indiana Fun Park where everybody recognized her as the girl playing Janet Jackson. This love for singing and dancing got her in a BFA musical theatre program that fall. She graduated top of her class and was recognized as the best actress and most likely to succeed. She got her first agent in Chicago and started working professionally right away. Chicago reviewers referred to her as "dynamic and versatile, the ultimate chameleon," "a classic beauty who fills the stage with heat, passion, and intensity."Jossara left Chicago to play Rene, the seductress in "Dark Rapture," at the American Conservatory Theatre. An agent approached her after her opening night and asked her to come to Los Angeles. Once she arrived in LA she was soon snatched up by Columbia Tri-Star to play the beautiful and funny Virginia Bustos in the Alma nominated sitcom "Viva Vegas." Since then, Jossara has fought for and been very fortunate to play strong, positive and non-traditional roles for Latinas like Judging Amy: Cheech Marin's smart and driven activist daughter, ER: Latina nurse in Iraq, Strong Medicine: a young woman who survived her baby being ripped out of her, Without a Trace: Young single Mom. The storyline of her role on "Passions," as Rae, the strong and sexy club owner, was nominated for the 2006 GLAAD award. Any of you who watched the movie Collateral Damage in 2000 might have not forgotten that Latina who played Rosetta. Imagine making your film debut with Arnold Schwarzenegger! For the next six years you may have seen her in the following films "Devil's Rejects," a Rob Zombie Film, "Havoc," with Anne Hathaway, "TenTricks," with Leah Thompson, "Fly Boys," with Stephen Baldwin. She most recently filmed Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center," opposite Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena. Jossara still loves to do live theatre in between movies to keep up her chops. Right now you can see her as the female lead in "the Tenth Man" by Paddy Chayefsky, at the Skylight Theatre under the direction or Golden Globe and multi-Emmy winner Gene Reynolds.

A member of the Screen Actor's Guild, she served on the EEOC and Latino subcommittee, she also chaired the committee responsible for the first SAG study "Missing in Action, Latinos in and out of Hollywood" in conjunction with the Thomas Rivera InstituteAlthough a performer, her talents are not limited to show business. She was also an executive director for Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) and has worked with other non-profits such as the Children's Institute, Upward Bound and SSG (Special Service for Groups).She co-produced and co-starred in the pilot 'What About Us' and is currently producing a feature that was accepted into Panavision's new filmmaker's program.Interview with Colombia's #1 network CARACOL for their special on "Colombians making their crossover come true," and she was the keynote speaker alongside senator Hilda Solis at the 19th annual conference of "Al Otro Lado del Rio, Latinas Making Waves" [2006]She has won several salsa competitions.Took part in 5 marathons.She reads music and plays the guitar and clarinet. She worked with LAUSD as a 6th grade math and science teacher. UpdateYou may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.Add resumeWith our Resume service you can add photos and build a complete resume to help you achieve the best possible presentation on the IMDb.Click here to add your resume and/or your photos to IMDb. Browse biographies section by nameA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z