Jaina Lee Ortiz

About

Jaina Lee Ortiz (born Jessica Ortiz; November 20, 1986) is an American actress and dancer. She is known for her starring role as Detective Annalise Villa on the Fox police drama Rosewood from 2015 to 2017. From 2018 to 2024, she starred as lead in the ABC drama series Station 19. Since 2026, she starred as Emi Ochoa in the ABC drama series R.J. Decker.

Ortiz was born November 20, 1986 in California and raised in The Bronx, New York. Ortiz’s father, Joe Ortiz, is Puerto Rican and a retired NYPD first grade detective. She began her dance training at the age of nine by taking salsa/mambo classes; and, at the age of 15, she began teaching. By the next year, Ortiz was traveling internationally as a professional instructor and performer.
Ortiz started acting by appearing in student films. She studied for two years at Maggie Flanigan Studios, where she learned the Meisner technique.

In 2009, Ortiz auditioned and was cast on the second season of VH1’s reality show Scream Queens, where she and nine other aspiring actresses competed in challenges based on acting for the opportunity to win the prize of a role in Saw 3D. The show premiered on August 2…