Joanna García

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Joanna Garcia
at the Susan G. Komen Fundraiser at Mulberry, Melrose Place, Los Angeles, October 21, 2008
Born	Joanna Leanna García August 10, 1979 (1979-08-10) (age 32) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Other names	JoAnna Garcia Joanna García-Swisher
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1992—
Spouse	Nick Swisher (m. 2010–present)

Joanna Leanna García (known professionally as Joanna Garcia, JoAnna Garcia or Joanna Garcia Swisher), born August 10, 1979, is an American television and film actress. She is known for her portrayal of Cheyenne Hart Montgomery on The CW sitcom Reba. She later starred in the ABC sitcom Better with You before it was cancelled after a single season due to low ratings in 2011.

Early life

García was born in Tampa, Florida, where she was raised by her father, Cuban-born Jay García, a gynecologist, and her mother Lorraine, a Spanish-American homemaker and former elementary schoolteacher.^[1][2][3][4] She has one brother, Michael García. She first started performing at age 10 when she auditioned for a local theater production and landed the lead. She was discovered by the Disney Channel, but her parents put school first and she continued to feed her passion by acting in local plays. She was the homecoming queen^[4] at Florida's Tampa Catholic High School.^[3]

While attending Tampa Catholic High School, she was discovered by Nickelodeon and starred for two seasons as Samantha on Are You Afraid of the Dark?. She commuted from Florida to Montreal, Canada, where the show was filmed.

Career

While in Florida, García guest starred in seaQuest DSV, Second Noah, and Superboy and several movies of the week. After briefly attending college at the Florida State University, she quit school to pursue acting full-time and moved to Los Angeles, California. She was cast on the television drama Party of Five, playing the recurring character Hallie. She had a recurring role on Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000) portraying the character of Vicki Appleby the popular freshman cheerleader who spent seven minutes in heaven with the ultimate geek, Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr).^[3]

García went on to portray the character of Cheyenne Hart Montgomery, Reba's (Reba McEntire) oldest daughter on The CW sitcom Reba (2001–2007). She was featured on the short-lived CBS comedy Welcome to the Captain. Beginning in the fall of 2008, she starred as Megan Smith in the CW series Privileged (originally known as How to Survive the Filthy Rich). On the big screen, García was seen in the comedy spoof Not Another Teen Movie.^[3] She has also appeared in the original television movies From the Earth to the Moon (1998) and Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder (1997). She also appeared in the ABC Family original movie The Initiation of Sarah, which premiered in October 2006. In 2008, she had a role in A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride, playing Roxanne. She had a leading role in the ABC Family TV movie Revenge of the Bridesmaids.

It was announced on June 25, 2009 that she will have a recurring role on The CW drama Gossip Girl playing the role of Bree Buckley who is described as a fun, sexy brunette, an irreverent evil Miss America type who is politically progressive but hails from a conservative Southern family. She will appear in the first four episodes of the show's third season, and will be involved with the character of Nate Archibald.^[5] In December 2009, García guest-starred as Maggie, Ted Mosby's college buddy on How I Met Your Mother.

García starred in the ABC sitcom Better with You. The show centers on two sisters who were at different points in their romantic relationships: one was unmarried and in a long-term relationship and the other (García) got married after getting pregnant from a one-night stand.^[6]

García at the Entertainment Weekly/Revlon party, Beverly Hills post office, September 20, 2008

Better With You was cancelled on May 13, 2011.^[7] She made a guest voiceover on The Penguins of Madagascar in the episode "The Officer X Factor/Love Hurts" episode, which aired on February 12, 2011. On September 7, 2011, it was announced that Garcia would be appearing in multiple episodes of the USA Network dramedy Royal Pains as a nephrologist treating Jack O'Malley (Tom Cavanaugh).^[8]

Personal life

In 2008, García became engaged to Trace Ayala, co-founder of clothing company William Rast with his childhood friend Justin Timberlake. (Ayala was Timberlake's former personal assistant.)^[9] The couple dated for nearly two years, before calling off their engagement.

In August 2009, People magazine reported that García was dating New York Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher.^[10] They became engaged in May 2010,^[11] and married on December 11, 2010 at the Breakers Hotel & Resort in Palm Beach, Florida.^[12] Bridesmaids for García included friends and fellow actresses Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Reba McEntire.^[13] After her marriage she was credited as Joanna Garcia Swisher on Better With You but in other work she continues to be credited as either Joanna Garcia or JoAnna Garcia.^[8] It was reported that Garcia is pregnant in 2012 to people magazine.

Causes and interests

García volunteers as a teacher for children who are learning English as a second language. She is involved with the organization Make the Commitment, whose purpose is to raise awareness about cervical cancer.^[14][15][16] She has an organization called We Reach,^[4] a charity which has assembled an advisory board in the entertainment industry to help young girls around the country organize charity events in their hometowns. The charity also has the goal of empowering young women.

Filmography

References

External links

• Joanna García at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview With García About Being Cuban
• Interview With García @ Seat42f