Born on Governors Island, New York County, New York, actress Norma Maldonado has had a love for acting since childhood. She is of Puerto Rican and Spanish heritage. Norma`s father, Juan Arturo Maldonado, was in Air America for the US Air Force. Her family frequently relocated and required her to adapt to many new surroundings. Life would change dramatically when she was 12, her father was killed in action. Her mother, Olga Ventura Maldonado, a professional flamenco dancer of Andalusian decent, then moved the family to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she was exposed to being on a television sound stage with weekly visits to WAPA Studios, watching her mother`s friends tape weekly variety shows . Her acting career began at age 14 when she joined the union to perform in various stage performances throughout San Juan, Puerto. She has starred in dozens of film and television projects including Showtime`s Hombre, The Good Doctor,Recurring Guest Star on Jane The VIrgin and The Fosters. She had guest roles in The Librarians, Superior Donuts, Amazon`s Mad Dogs, Mad Men,Breaking Bad, The Closer among many others. She earned her Bachelor`s degree in Psychology at the University of Puerto Rico and completed one year of clinical Psychology at Albizu University. Later, she went on to earn a Masters in Communications from the University of Georgia. Over the years, she developed an ear for languages and accents. Her fluency in English, Spanish, and Serbian has helped open doors to many interesting roles, including that of a rape counselor in a short film for the United Nations. She helps St. Jude`s Children Hospital, Susan G. Komen Foundation, and groups working to stop the sex trafficking of children and young people
