Sultry singer Tia Texada began to build a parallel career as an actress in the 1990s, moving to increasingly prominent roles in independent and Hollywood studio productions.

Born in New Orleans, Texada earned a major break as a singer on the 1995 Lilith Fair tour. While her songs could be heard on the soundtrack for TV teen drama Dawson's Creek, Texada herself moved into acting with guest appearances on such shows as ER and NYPD Blue, and a bit part in Robert Rodriguez's vampire gore fest From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Texada, or at least her voice, subsequently garnered a larger role in the talking parrot film Paulie (1998). Texada finally became more than a voice with supporting turns in the Jamie Foxx crime comedy Bait (2000) and Neil LaBute's critically acclaimed Nurse Betty (2000). As amnesiac Betty's Hispanic roommate Rosa, Texada became a down to earth foil for Betty's soap opera star dreams, and her unwitting ally when assailants Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock come calling. Texada used both her music and acting talents as one of Mariah Carey's friends and bandmates in Glitter (2001), but the ill-starred vanity project flopped at the box office. Still, Texada offset Glitter's failure by notching a film festival success with Jill Sprecher's ensemble film 13 Conversations About One Thing (2001). ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

• Born:
  on 12/14/1972