Julie Gonzalo

The path from model to actress can be humbling, but Julie Gonzalo was wise enough to start early. After moving with her family to Miami Beach at age 8, Gonzalo not only modeled but studied acting, dance, and movement. Acting had the greatest pull. She moved to Los Angeles, where she scored a role in her first-ever film audition (2002's "I'm with Lucy"). Gonzalo worked steadily from then on, scoring supporting roles in several popular, good-natured movies, such as the hit comedies "Freaky Friday" (2003) and "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" (2004). Gonzalo was also part of the high-profile cast of "Christmas with the Kranks," where she played the daughter of Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen.

Starting in the 2000s, she enjoyed a nearly ubiquitous presence on TV, including regular roles on two cult classics. She played college student Parker Lee on the final season of " Veronica Mars"; a year later, she portrayed young, initially skeptical lawyer Maggie Dekker on the spiritual dramedy "Eli Stone." The bilingual (Spanish and English) Gonzalo has also appeared on the police drama "Castle" and on "Nikita," the CW's retooling of the spy series "La Femme Nikita." In 2012, she became one of the new recruits on the revival of the classic soap opera "Dallas," appearing with veteran stars such as Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray.