Editing Christina Vidal

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{short description|American actress}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Christina Vidal
| image        =
| caption      = 
| birth_name   =
| birth_date   = <!-- Valid citation required for date of birth for BLP. (WP:BLPPRIVACY) --> 
| birth_place  = New York City, U.S.
| occupation   = {{hlist|Actress|singer}}
| other_names  = 
| years_active = 1993–present
| spouse             = 
| children           = 
| relatives    = [[Lisa Vidal]] (sister)
| website      = 
}}

'''Christina Vidal''' is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in films such as ''[[Life with Mikey]]'', ''[[Brink!]]'', ''[[Freaky Friday (2003 film)|Freaky Friday]]'', ''[[See No Evil (2006 film)|See No Evil]]'' & on ''[[Taina (TV series)|Taina]]'', Gina Perrello on ''[[Code Black (TV series)|Code Black]]'', & Detective Valeria Chavez on the series adaptation of ''[[Training Day (TV series)|Training Day]]''. She has also starred as Drea on ''[[Primo (TV series)|Primo]]''.

== Early life and education ==
Vidal was born and raised in [[Whitestone, Queens|Whitestone]], an area in [[Queens]], New York City, the daughter of Manny Vidal, a tax consultant and businessman, and his wife Josie, a secretary, both of Puerto Rican ancestry.<ref>[http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/wr/article/0,27972,101294,00.html]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724021440/http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/wr/article/0%2C27972%2C101294%2C00.html|date=July 24, 2011}}</ref> She attended the [[Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School]].{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} When she was 17 in 1998, she joined a [[girl group]] called Gemstone (along with [[Jade Villalon]] and [[Crystal Celeste Grant|Crystal Grant]]). Vidal later moved to [[Orlando, Florida]], to proceed with the filming of ''Taina''. Her sisters [[Lisa Vidal|Lisa]] and Tanya are also actresses and have appeared on TV and in theatre; she also has a brother, Christian.<ref>[https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800190778/bio] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604032158/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800190778/bio|date=June 4, 2011}}</ref>

== Career ==

=== Acting ===
Vidal's acting career began when one of her teachers told her there was an audition for the film ''[[Life with Mikey]]'' (1993), starring Canadian actor [[Michael J. Fox]]. She auditioned and got the part of "Angie Vega", becoming the first Puerto Rican child actress to play a lead in a US film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackfilm.com/20060512/features/cvidal.shtml |title=May 2006 &#124; An Interview with Christina Vidal |publisher=Blackfilm.com |access-date=June 4, 2014}}</ref> Since then, Vidal has appeared in feature films and television series. She portrayed Taina Maria Morales in the [[Nickelodeon]] sitcom ''[[Taina (TV series)|Taina]]'' in 2001 and 2002. The series ran for two seasons with speculation that it would be renewed for more; according to Vidal, the reason for the show being cancelled was likely due to her recording deal with MCA.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://shadowandact.com/taina-christina-vidal-reveals-likely-reasons-why-the-nickeloden-classic-was-canceled|last=Simon|first=Jordan|title=Christina Vidal Reveals Likely Reasons Why The Nickelodeon Classic Was Cancelled|work=Shadow And Act|access-date=August 2, 2023|date=June 28, 2021}}</ref> Scripts for a third season and a [[made-for-television movie]] of the series were already written before Nickelodeon canceled the show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-13/latino-gap-christina-vidal-recounts-taina-role-nickelodeon|last=Exposito|first=Suzy|title=Taina at 20: Christina Vidal on playing the pioneering Latina everygirl|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=August 2, 2023|date=June 13, 2021}}</ref>

The next year she played Maddie in the film ''[[Freaky Friday (2003 film)|Freaky Friday]]'' alongside [[Lindsay Lohan]] and starred in the short-lived [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] action TV series about police officers called ''[[10-8: Officers on Duty]]'' until she suddenly left after two months on the show. Also in 2003 she guest-starred in ''[[Sabrina, the Teenage Witch]]'' as Paris Fate. In 2006 she did an untitled sitcom pilot with her sisters for ABC (which was executively produced by [[George Lopez]]). The show was not picked up, but later that year she starred in the film ''[[See No Evil (2006 film)|See No Evil]]'' and also had a brief stint on the hit sitcom ''[[Girlfriends (U.S. TV series)|Girlfriends]]''. More recently she has made cameo appearances in the films ''[[I Think I Love My Wife]]'', ''Mask of the Ninja'', and the Internet comedy short "Love Automatically", written by Mylinda Royer and directed by Allison Haislip.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oQ41xlVLn0  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/0oQ41xlVLn0| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Love Automatically (remix) |publisher=YouTube |date=July 29, 2009 |access-date=June 4, 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Most recently, Vidal played a supporting character in the film ''[[Magic Man (film)|Magic Man]]'', which was released in 2009.

=== Music ===
When Vidal was in the band Gemstone, she recorded songs with herself as well as bandmates [[Jade Villalon]] and [[Crystal Celeste Grant]] performing vocals. A few of these tracks would surface many years later on albums consisting of demos, rare tracks, and special songs of Villalon's music project, [[Sweetbox]]. In 2002, she was briefly signed to [[Music Corporation of America|MCA Records]] and in that time she was supposed to release her first single "Tropical" and her solo debut album ''White'' in the summer of 2002, but never did. She was also presented with the opportunity to be the lead singer for [[The Pussycat Dolls]], however she was uninterested with the groups image.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Brenda |date=2022-12-09 |title=‘Taina’ Star Declined Invitation to Lead The Pussycat Dolls |url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/taina-star-declined-invitation-to-lead-the-pussycat-dolls.html/ |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Showbiz Cheat Sheet |language=en-US}}</ref> That same year she provided guest vocals on the remix of [[Will Smith]]'s summer hit "[[Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)]]" from the ''[[Men in Black II]]'' soundtrack. She was a part of [[Lupe Fiasco]]'s [[1st & 15th Entertainment]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myspace.com/1stand15th |title=1st & 15th &#124; Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos |publisher=Myspace.com |access-date=June 4, 2014}}</ref> She also recorded a track for the work out cd called ''[[Byou]]'' from [[Sabrina Bryan]] of [[The Cheetah Girls (group)|The Cheetah Girls]]. The song she recorded was "Anything Is Possible". She also sang the song "[[Take Me Away (Lash song)|Take Me Away]]" in the film ''[[Freaky Friday (2003 film)|Freaky Friday]]''.

== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Film
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Life with Mikey]]''
| Angie Vega
|
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Welcome to the Dollhouse]]''
| Cynthia
|
|-
| 2000
| ''Details''
| Maggie
| Short film
|-
|rowspan=2| 2003
| ''[[Chasing Papi]]''
| Festival Singer
|
|-
| ''[[Freaky Friday (2003 film)|Freaky Friday]]''
| Maddie
|
|-
| 2005
| ''The Mosquito''
| Tia
|
|-
| 2006
| ''[[See No Evil (2006 film)|See No Evil]]''
| Christine
|
|-
| 2007
| ''[[I Think I Love My Wife]]''
| Candy
|
|-
| 2010
| ''[[Magic Man (film)|Magic Man]]''
| Elena
|
|-
| 2021
| ''[[The Guilty (2021 film)|The Guilty]]''
| Sergeant Denise Wade
|
|-
| 2025
| ''[[Freakier Friday]]''
| Maddie
| Post-production<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=June 24, 2024 |title=Sophia Hammons & Maitreyi Ramakrishnan Among Other New Additions To 'Freaky Friday 2' As Chad Michael Murray, Stephen Tobolowsky & More Are Set To Reprise; Theatrical Release Confirmed |url=https://deadline.com/2024/06/freaky-friday-2-adds-chad-michael-murray-stephen-tobolowsky-more-1235981629/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624162546/https://deadline.com/2024/06/freaky-friday-2-adds-chad-michael-murray-stephen-tobolowsky-more-1235981629/ |archive-date=June 24, 2024 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref>
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Television
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1994
| ''[[The Cosby Mysteries]]''
| Ramona Suarez
| Episode: "Camouflage"
|-
| 1995
| ''[[The Commish]]''
| Julianna Muldoon
| Episode: "Off Broadway: Parts 1 & 2"
|-
| 1997
| ''[[F/X: The Series]]''
| Theresa
| Episode: "Bad Influence"
|-
| 1997–98
| ''[[Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher]]''
| Sophia Del Bono
| Main Role (Season 2); 21 episodes
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Brink!]]''
| Gabriella
| TV movie
|-
|rowspan=2| 1999
| ''[[Providence (American TV series)|Providence]]''
| Street Girl
| Episode: "Saint Syd"
|-
| ''[[Touched by an Angel]]''
| Ilena
| Episode: "Hearts"
|-
| 2001–02
| ''[[Taina (TV series)|Taina]]''
| Taina Maria Morales
| Lead Role; 26 episodes
|-
|rowspan=2| 2003
| ''Hotel''
| Gisel
| TV movie
|-
| ''[[Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996 TV series)|Sabrina, the Teenage Witch]]''
| Fate Paris
| Episode: "Romance Looming"
|-
| 2003–04
| ''[[10-8: Officers on Duty]]''
| Deputy Gabriela Lopez
| Main Role; 14 episodes
|-
|rowspan=2| 2004
| ''Beck and Call''
|
| TV short
|-
| ''[[Second Time Around (TV series)|Second Time Around]]''
| Gabrielle Herrera
| Episode: "Secrets", "A Kiss Is Still a Kiss"
|-
| 2005
| ''[[Clubhouse (TV series)|Clubhouse]]''
| Carmen
| Episode: "Between First and Home"
|-
| 2006
| ''[[Girlfriends (U.S. TV series)|Girlfriends]]''
| Samantha Stephens
| Episode: "Bad Blood"<br />Episode: "Just Joan"
|-
| 2007
| ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]''
| Elena Vega
| Episode: "In a Different Light"
|-
|rowspan=2| 2008
| ''Play or Be Played''
|
| TV movie
|-
| ''Mask of the Ninja''
| Mercedes
| TV movie
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Monk (TV series)|Monk]]''
| Winona
| Episode: "Mr. Monk Goes Camping"
|-
| 2009–10
| ''[[House (TV series)|House]]''
| Sandy
| Episodes: "[[Wilson (House episode)|Wilson]]", "[[Private Lives (House)|Private Lives]]"
|-
|rowspan=3| 2010
| ''[[The Deep End (2010 TV series)|The Deep End]]''
| Rachel Esposito
| Episode: "Nothing Personal"
|-
| ''[[In Plain Sight]]''
| Amber Whitman
| Episode: "Son of Mann"
|-
| ''[[Castle (TV series)|Castle]]''
| Jamie Ruiz
| Episode: "Almost Famous"
|-
|rowspan=2| 2011
| ''Things We Do for Love''
|
| Episode: "Best Friend"
|-
| ''[[Fairly Legal]]''
| Sofia Peña
| Episode: "Coming Home"
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Stalker (TV series)|Stalker]] ''
| Christina Richards
| Episode: "Skin"
|-
|rowspan=3| 2015
| ''[[Being Mary Jane]]''
| Lilly
| Episode: "Reading the Signs"
|-
| ''[[The Player (2015 TV series)|The Player]]''
| Mrs. Cruz
| Episode: "A House Is Not a Home"
|-
| ''[[Major Crimes (TV series)|Major Crimes]]''
| Carmen Tamayo
| Episode: "Thick as Thieves"
|-
| 2015–16
| ''[[Code Black (TV series)|Code Black]]''
| Gina Perrello
| Recurring role; 7 episodes
|-
|rowspan=2| 2016
| ''[[Limitless (TV series)|Limitless]]''
| Lucy Church
| 2 episodes
|-
| ''[[Blue Bloods (TV series)|Blue Bloods]]''
| ADA Marta Avila
| Blowback
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Training Day (TV series)|Training Day]]''
| Det. Valeria Chavez
| Main role; 13 episodes
|-
| 2018
| ''[[Sneaky Pete (TV series)|Sneaky Pete]]''
| Valerie
| The Reluctant Taxidermist
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Grand Hotel (TV series)|Grand Hotel]]''
| Det. Ayala
| 4 episodes
|-
| 2020
| ''[[United We Fall (TV series)|United We Fall]]''
| Jo Ryan
| Main role
|-
| 2021
| ''[[The Shrink Next Door (TV series)|The Shrink Next Door]]''
| Hannah
| Recurring Role
|-
| 2022
| ''[[The Terminal List]]''
| Mac Wilson
| Main Role
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Primo (TV series)|Primo]]''
| Drea
| Main role
|}

== Discography ==

=== Soundtracks ===
*2002: [[Taina (TV series)#Soundtrack|''Taina'' soundtrack]]
*2003: ''[[Chasing Papi]]'' soundtrack
*2003: ''[[Freaky Friday (2003 film)|Freaky Friday]]'' [[Freaky Friday (soundtrack)|soundtrack]]
*2006: ''[[Byou]]'' soundtrack

== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Group !! Award !! Result !! Film/Show
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1994
| rowspan="2"| [[Young Artist Award]]
| Best Leading Role in a Motion Picture Comedy – Youth Actress
| {{won}}<ref name="yaa15">{{cite web|url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms15.htm |title=15th Annual Awards |publisher=Youngartistawards.org |access-date=June 4, 2014}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"| ''[[Life with Mikey]]''
|-
| Most Promising New Youth Actress (special award)
| {{won}}<ref name="yaa15" />
|-
| 2002
| [[ALMA Award]]
| Outstanding Actress in a Television Series
| {{nom}}
| ''[[Taina (TV series)|Taina]]''
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Biography|Puerto Rico}}
*[[List of Puerto Ricans]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|0896292}}
* {{Instagram|christinamvidal}}
* {{Twitter|cvdramatix}}

{{Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidal, Christina}}
[[Category:Actresses from Queens, New York]]
[[Category:American child actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American actors of Puerto Rican descent]]
[[Category:Hispanic and Latino American actresses]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Whitestone, Queens]]
[[Category:Singers from New York City]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century births]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]