Alexa Ellesse PenaVega[2] (née Vega; born August 27, 1988[3]) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Carmen Cortez in the first four Spy Kids films and Julie Corky in the 2004 film Sleepover. In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & the Rockits.
Alexa PenaVega | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Vega in 2013 | |
| Born | Alexa Ellesse Vega[1] August 27, 1988 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4[a] |
| Relatives | Makenzie Vega (sister) |
Early life
editVega's father, Baruch Vega, is a Colombian fashion photographer and former informer for the Central Intelligence Agency,[4] and her mother, Gina Rue, is a former model.[5][6][7]
Vega has six siblings, including actress Makenzie Vega. She moved with her family to California when she was four years old.[3] As a teenager, she was homeschooled.[8]
Career
editIn 1996, at the age of eight, Vega starred as young Jo Harding in Twister. She guest-starred in numerous television shows and films, including ER, Follow the Stars Home, Ghost Whisperer, and The Bernie Mac Show. She became known worldwide in 2001 for her role as "Carmen Cortez" in Spy Kids. The first Spy Kids film was a huge success, and two sequels, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, were filmed. During the shooting of the three films she performed most of her own stunts. In 2011, Vega appeared in the sequel, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, as a grown Carmen Cortez.
She was named one of the year's hottest teen celebrities in the July 2003 issue Vanity Fair. In 2004, Vega finished filming two films: Sleepover and State's Evidence. The following year, she starred in the Lifetime television film Odd Girl Out, as a victim of cyber-bullying. In 2006, she starred in another made-for-TV movie, Walkout; and finished filming Remember the Daze, which was released in limited theaters in April 2007. She completed filming Repo! The Genetic Opera, which was released in 2008.[9] Vega was confirmed as the lead role in Helix, written and directed by Aram Rappaport, which began filming in Chicago in March 2008. She was originally cast in the 2009 Robert Rodriguez film Shorts, however, due to her being in Australia for the filming of Broken Hill, she had to be recast. She was replaced by Kat Dennings. She appeared on Broadway in Hairspray, as Penny.[10] In 2009, she played Ruby Gallagher on the ABC Family television sitcom Ruby & the Rockits, which also starred Patrick and David Cassidy.
Vega played Wick in the 2012 film The Devil's Carnival, a film from director Darren Lynn Bousman and screenwriter Terrance Zdunich, who previously worked with Vega in Repo! The Genetic Opera.[11] Vega also sang two songs on the soundtrack for the film.[12] Throughout 2012, Vega starred in the independent thriller, 2br/1ba, directed by Rob Margolies and co-stars with Spencer Grammer and Kathryn Morris. Vega also starred in the Lifetime Channel movie The Pregnancy Project and her animated film The Clockwork Girl was completed. Vega's film, The Mine, which was filmed in 2010 got a limited release/screening. Vega also voiced Christina in the animated series Unsupervised and had a guest role on Royal Pains. Vega played the young heroine in Aerosmith's music video "Legendary Child".[13]
Throughout 2013 and 2014, Vega appeared in the films 23 Blast, Machete Kills, Bounty Killer, Wicked Blood, The Remaining, and The Hunters. She guest starred on the Big Time Rush series finale "Big Time Dreams", playing herself. In 2015, Vega appeared in Do You Believe? as Lacey.[14]
In the fall of 2015, Vega competed on the 21st season of Dancing with the Stars; Vega was paired with professional dancer Mark Ballas.[15] On November 9, Vega and Ballas were eliminated in Week 9 and finished the competition in 6th place. Her husband, Carlos PenaVega, also competed in that season; he and his partner were eliminated in Week 11.[16]
In 2016, she began starring in a series of Hallmark made for television films, such as Ms. Matched, Destination Wedding, and Christmas Made to Order.[17]
In 2019, Vega and her husband Carlos PenaVega starred in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries TV movie Picture Perfect Mysteries: Newlywed and Dead, and in 2020 the follow-up Picture Perfect Mysteries: Dead over Diamonds.[18] She also starred in The Power Couple, a Pure Flix original series.[19]
Personal life
editVega married American film producer Sean Covel on October 10, 2010 in a ceremony held in his hometown of Lead, South Dakota.[20] Robert Rodriguez walked her down the aisle.[21] In July 2012, Vega announced on Twitter that she had divorced Covel.[22][23]
In late 2012, Vega started dating American actor and singer Carlos Pena Jr., star of Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush and member of pop music boy band by the same name, after meeting him at a Bible study. She made a guest appearance on the final episode of Big Time Rush, aired in July 2013, playing the on-screen new girlfriend of Pena's character, Carlos Garcia. The couple got engaged in August 2013,[24][25] and were married on January 4, 2014 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, both taking PenaVega as their married name.[26] The couple shares a YouTube channel, La Vida PenaVega (formerly LexLovesLos).[27] The couple have had four children – two sons born in December 2016 and June 2019,[28][29][30] a daughter born in May 2021,[31][32] and another daughter who was stillborn in April 2024.[33] As of 2025, the family lives in Nashville, Tennessee. They previously lived in Maui.[34][35]
Vega was the maid of honor at Nikki Reed's wedding to Paul McDonald.[36]
Vega is a Christian and has said that her faith is the most important thing in her life.[37]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Little Giants | Priscilla O'Shea | |
| 1995 | Nine Months | Molly Dwyer | |
| 1996 | Twister | Young Jo Thornton | |
| The Glimmer Man | Cole's Daughter | ||
| Ghosts of Mississippi | Claire DeLaughter | ||
| 1998 | Dennis the Menace Strikes Again | Gina | Direct-to-video film |
| 1999 | The Deep End of the Ocean | Young Kerry Cappadora | |
| 2000 | Run the Wild Fields | Opal "Pug" Miller | |
| 2001 | Spy Kids | Carmen Cortez | |
| Follow The Stars Home | Amy Williams | ||
| 2002 | Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams | Carmen Cortez | |
| 2003 | Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over | ||
| 2004 | Sleepover | Julie Corky | |
| 2006 | State's Evidence | Sandy | Direct-to-video film |
| Marrying God | Ivy | Short film | |
| 2007 | Remember the Daze | Holly | |
| 2008 | Repo! The Genetic Opera | Shilo Wallace | |
| 2009 | The Blue Elephant 2 | Melody (voice) | |
| Broken Hill | Kat Rogers | ||
| Innocent | Ashley | ||
| 2010 | Mother's Day | Jenna Luther | |
| Café | Sally | ||
| 2011 | From Prada to Nada | Mary Dominguez | |
| Spy Kids: All the Time in the World | Carmen Cortez | ||
| Summer Song | Ellie | ||
| 2012 | The Devil's Carnival | Wick | |
| Abandoned Mine | Sharon | ||
| 2013 | Bounty Killer | Stewardess | |
| Machete Kills | KillJoy | ||
| 2014 | The Clockwork Girl | Tesla (voice) | |
| Wicked Blood | Amber Dawn Baker | ||
| Code Academy | Libby | Short film | |
| Sin City: A Dame to Kill For | Gilda | ||
| The Remaining | Skylar Chapman | ||
| 23 Blast | Ashley | ||
| 2015 | Spare Parts | Karla | |
| Do You Believe? | Lacey | ||
| Roommate Wanted | Janie | ||
| Pixies | Michelle Meyers (voice) | ||
| The Murder Pact | Camille | ||
| 2018 | Sleep Away | Isabella | |
| 2020 | Mighty Oak | Valerie Scoggins | |
| 2024 | Mr. Manhattan | Dani | |
| The Casagrandes Movie | Carlota Casagrande (voice) | [38] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1994 | Evening Shade | Emily Newton | Recurring role (season 4) |
| 1995 | ER | Bonnie Howe | Episode: "Sleepless in Chicago" |
| Chicago Hope | Sara Wilmette | Episode: "Every Day a Little Death" | |
| It Was Him or Us | Young Carrie Wilson | Television film | |
| 1996 | A Promise to Carolyn | Young Kay | |
| Life's Work | Tess Hunter | Episode: Pilot | |
| 1998 | The Magnificent Seven | Olivia Greer | Episode: "Safecracker" |
| To Have & to Hold | Kelly McGrail | Recurring role | |
| 1999 | NetForce | Susie Michaels | Television film |
| Ladies Man | Wendy Stiles | Main role | |
| 2002 | Total Access 24/7 | Herself | Episode: "Spy Kids 2" |
| All That | Episode: "Knubby McFarlin" | ||
| Wild & Crazy Kids | Celebrity guest[39] | ||
| 2003 | The Bernie Mac Show | Jill | Episode: "Magic Jordan" |
| Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls | Herself | Episode: Siblings "Eli vs. Kali" | |
| 2005 | Odd Girl Out | Vanessa Snyder | Television film |
| 2006 | Walkout | Paula Crisostomo | |
| 2009 | Ghost Whisperer | Serena | 2 episodes |
| Ruby & the Rockits | Ruby Gallagher | Main role | |
| 2010 | The Middle | Morgan Edwards | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Royal Pains | Hollister | Episode: "Imperfect Storm" |
| The Pregnancy Project | Gaby Rodriguez | Television film | |
| Unsupervised | Christina Rivera (voice) | Recurring role | |
| 2013 | Big Time Rush | Herself | Episode: "Big Time Dreams" |
| 2014 | The Tomorrow People | Hillary Cole | Recurring role |
| The Hunters | Dylan Savini | Television film | |
| Courtside | Herself | Episode: "Alexa Vega" | |
| Muertoons | Rosita (voice) | 2 episodes | |
| 2014–2015 | Nashville | Kiley Brenner | Recurring role |
| 2015 | The Mentalist | Lily Stoppard | Episode: "The Whites of His Eyes" |
| Dancing with the Stars | Herself | Contestant (season 21) | |
| 2016 | Ms Matched | Libby Boland | Television film |
| 2017–2023 | The Loud House | Carlota Casagrande (voice) | Recurring role (season 2–4, 6–7) |
| 2017 | Destination Wedding | Ellie Hamilton | Television film |
| Enchanted Christmas | Laura Trudeau | ||
| 2018 | Love at Sea | Olivia Graham | |
| Christmas Made to Order | Gretchen | ||
| 2019 | Picture Perfect Mysteries: Newlywed and Dead | Allie Adams | |
| 2019–2022 | The Casagrandes | Carlota Casagrande (voice) | Main role |
| 2020 | Blue's Clues & You! | Herself | Episode: "Happy Birthday Blue!" |
| Picture Perfect Mysteries: Dead Over Diamonds | Allie Adams | Television film | |
| Picture Perfect Mysteries: Exit Stage, Death | |||
| 2021 | Taking A Shot At Love | Jenna | |
| 2022 | Love in the Limelight | Summer Rivera | |
| 2023 | A Paris Proposal | Anna Bowman | |
| Never Too Late to Celebrate | Camila | ||
| 2025 | A Week Away: The Series | Nurse | Episode: "It Is Well" |
References
edit- ↑ "5 Things You Don't Know About Alexa Vega". Entertainment Tonight. October 3, 2013. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
- ↑ "Alexa Vega Weds Big Time Rush's Carlos Pena Jr". The Hollywood Reporter. January 5, 2014. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- 1 2 "Alexa Vega Biography". BuddyTV. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ↑ De Cordoba, Jose, "Fashion Photographer Scored Millions As an Informant, but Was Justice Served?" Archived November 5, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, The Wall Street Journal, December 7, 2000
- ↑ Tracy, Liz (September 15, 2015). "Latina Takeover: Actresses From Miami Are Playing Big Roles for Disney, Broadway, and Hollywood". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- ↑ "Alexa Forever". RE: Questions for Miss Alexa Vega. Archived from the original on June 27, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2006.
My father's side is Colombian (Bogota)... and I don't know why they said my mom was Italian. lol... She's not. My family and I were trying to figure out what my mom was, but we can only go back to 5 generations and they were all from Florida. haha. so .. Floridian? ahhah... my moms last name is French though.
- ↑ "Ex-spy has price on head, ache in heart". Miami Herald. September 7, 2009. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
Alexa Vega 21 is his oldest daughter with former Miami model Gina Rue With about 40 films in her career Alexa is mostly known for her role in the Spy Kids ...
- ↑ Gilchrist, Todd (July 9, 2004). "Sleeping Over with Alexa Vega". IGN. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- ↑ Paris Hilton gets movie musical role. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
- ↑ ""Spy Kids" Star Vega to Join Broadway's Hairspray - Playbill.com". Archived from the original on July 15, 2014.
- ↑ "Two Tickets To 'The Devil's Carnival' Please". FEARnet. March 6, 2012. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ↑ "The Devil's Carnival OST Out Today". Bloody Disgusting. April 3, 2012. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ↑ "Aerosmith Rocks a Warehouse in 'Legendary Child' Video". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ↑ Foundas, Scott (March 20, 2015). "Film Review: 'Do You Believe?'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- ↑ "Dancing with the Stars Season 21 Cast Announcement". ABC. September 2, 2015. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- ↑ Aguilera, Leanne (August 27, 2015). "EXCLUSIVE! 'Dancing With the Stars': Married Couple Alexa and Carlos PenaVega to Compete on Season 21". ET Online. Archived from the original on August 27, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2015.|
- ↑ "Why Alexa PenaVega Loves Starring in Hallmark Christmas Movies". December 23, 2018. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ↑ "Picture Perfect Mysteries - About". Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- ↑ "The Power Couple". PureFlix. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ↑ Rosario, Mariela. "Alexa Vega's Wedding Album". Latina.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ↑ Scmitt, Gavin. "ALEXA VEGA Interview Discussing Spy Kids 4, Repo! and more". GavinSchmitt.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
- ↑ "'Spy Kids' Star Alexa Vega – I'm a 23-year-old Divorcee Now!". TMZ.com. July 15, 2012. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ↑ Shira, Dahvi (July 16, 2012). "Spy Kids Star Alexa Vega Files for Divorce". People. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ↑ Eggenberger, Nicole (June 19, 2013). "Alexa Vega Engaged to Carlos Pena, Jr., Congratulated by Ex-Husband Sean Covel". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ↑ Spero, Jesse. "Alexa Vega Dishes Engagement Details: How Did Carlos Pena Pop The Question?". Access Hollywood. Los Angeles, California: NBC Universal. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
- ↑ "Alexa Vega Weds Big Time Rush's Carlos Pena Jr". The Hollywood Reporter. January 5, 2014. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ↑ "La Vida Penavega". YouTube. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ↑ Juneau, Jen (December 9, 2016). "Carlos and Alexa PenaVega Welcome Son Ocean King — See His First Photo!". People. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- ↑ Cardoza, Riley (July 2, 2019). "Alexa PenaVega Gives Birth to Baby Boy, Her Second Child With Husband Carlos PenaVega". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ↑ PenaVega, Alexa [@vegaalexa]; (July 2, 2019). "❤️✝️🌊🌴🌸🤙🏽". Retrieved July 2, 2019 – via Instagram.
- ↑ Mauch, Ally (December 26, 2020). "Alexa and Carlos PenaVega Expecting Their Third Child: 'Can't Wait to Meet Baby This Summer'". People. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ↑ Ushe, Naledi (May 10, 2021). "Alexa and Carlos PenaVega Welcome Baby Daughter More Than a Month Early". People. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
- ↑ "Alexa and Carlos PenaVega Announce Stillbirth of Baby No. 4, Daughter Indy". People. April 15, 2024. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ↑ "Why Hallmark's Alexa and Carlos PenaVega Made the Abrupt Move to Tennessee". April 13, 2024.
- ↑ "Alexa PenaVega Shares 'Incredible Blessing' After Returning to Maui Home". August 24, 2023.
- ↑ Malkin, Marc; Malec, Brett (October 5, 2011). "Nikki Reed Wedding Scoop: The Dress, the Matron of Honor and More!". E! Online. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ↑ "'Sin City' Actress Talks Directors in Hollywood 'Blasting Her' for Her Faith and New Revelation-Based Film". Christian Post. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ↑ "Watch the Casagrandes Movie | Netflix Official Site". Netflix. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ↑ "[archives] WILD AND CRAZY KIDS 2002 REVIVAL (spy kids)". April 8, 2011. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
Notes
edit- ↑ Including 1 stillborn.
External links
edit
- Alexa PenaVega at IMDb
- Alexa PenaVega on X
