Who is Natalie Morales?
Natalie is an American actress, known for her various TV series and film roles. She is perhaps most famous as Wendy Watson in the TV series “The Middleman” (2008), and as Lucy in the TV series “Parks and Recreation” (2010-2015), in addition to many other roles that she’s secured so far in her career.
Natalie Morales Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education
Natalie Morales was born on 15 February 1985, in Miami, Florida, USA. She’s of Cuban descent, but there’s no public information about her parents.
She attended St. Agatha Catholic School and Southwest Miami Senior High School for her education. She also participated in the Dow Jones Minority High School Journalism Workshop at the University of Miami, but there are no further details about her education.
Career Beginnings and Early Success
Natalie Morales began her career with a guest appearance in the eponymous TV crime-drama series “CSI: Miami” in 2006. Although only appearing in one episode, she received high praise on which she was able to build, and secure a prominent role two years later.
She was chosen for the part of Wendy Watson in the TV action-drama series “The Middleman”; based on the comic book series of the same name, it followed the adventures of a young artist-turned-crime-fighter and his assistant Wendy, played by Morales. Her performance was widely praised, which attracted a devoted fanbase and helped to establish her as a rising star in the industry.
Continued Success
Morales continued to make strides in her acting career in the years following “The Middleman”. In 2009, she landed a role in the television series “White Collar” for the first season. The show follows the partnership of a con artist and an FBI agent as they solve white-collar crimes.
After “White Collar”, Morales landed a recurring role in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, playing Lucy, the girlfriend of Tom Haverford (played by Aziz Ansari). Her performance was again praised, leading to other opportunities in film and television.
She also appeared in Oliver Stone’s 2010 film, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”, a sequel to the iconic 1987 movie “Wall Street”, with Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas and Carey Mulligan in the lead roles.
In 2013, Morales joined the cast of the sitcom “Trophy Wife” as Meg, a sarcastic and witty character who was the younger sister of the lead character Kate. Although the show was canceled after just one season, Natalie’s performance was well-received and helped to further solidify her status as a talented comedic actress.
In 2015, Morales had a prominent role in the comedy series “The Grinder”, starring alongside Rob Lowe and Fred Savage, playing Claire, the love interest of Fred Savage’s character. The show ran for one season, ending in 2016.
The following year she was Emily Locke, the lead character in the TV series “Powerless”, co-starring Vanessa Hudgens, Danny Pudi, and Alan Tudyk.
From 2017 to 2019, Morales played the role of Anne Garcia in the Netflix horror-comedy series “Santa Clarita Diet”. The show revolves around the life of a married couple, played by Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant, who become entangled in a series of murders after the wife turns into a zombie. Morales’ character, Anne, is the couple’s real estate agent and friend, who becomes involved in their supernatural predicament.
Later in 2017, Natalie played tennis player Rosie Casals in the biographical sports film “Battle of the Sexes”, based on the true story of the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which became a cultural phenomenon and a milestone in the fight for gender equality. The film starred Emma Stone as Billie Jean King and Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs, and was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.
Then in 2019, Natalie starred as the titular character in the NBC sitcom “Abby’s” – the show was set in a neighborhood bar in San Diego and was shot in front of a live audience outside on a set that was modeled to look like a real bar. Morales’ character was the ex-Marine owner of the bar who enforced her own set of rules. The show was canceled after just one season, but she attracted critical acclaim for her performance.
Natalie then had a recurring role in the animated TV series “Rugrats”, in which she provided the voice for the character Betty DeVille. The show is a revival of the classic Nickelodeon series, and Morales lent her voice talents to bring the character to life during its run from 2021 to 2022.
To speak further of her accomplishments, Morales worked on the TV series “Dead to Me” (2020-2022), while in 2023, she appeared in the two films – “If You Were the Last” and “Self Reliance”.
Natalie is currently working on several projects, including the comedy film “No Hard Feelings”, directed by Gene Stupnitsky, who also wrote the screenplay with the help of John Phillips, while the film will star Jennifer Lawrence and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The film is now in post-production, and scheduled for premiere in June 2023.
Net Worth
According to authoritative sources, Natalie’s net worth is estimated at close to $1 million, as of mid-2023.
Personal Life, Dating, Married, Sexuality
Natalie Morales has been open about her personal life and sexuality. As mentioned, in 2017, she publicly came out as queer on social media. In addition, Morales has been vocal about using both she/her and they/them pronouns. However, beyond this, Morales has generally kept her personal life private and hasn’t shared many details about her romantic relationships or dating history in the public eye.
Body Measurements
Natalie Morales has brown hair and brown eyes. She stands at a height of 5ft 4ins (1.63m), weighs approximately 130lbs (59kgs), with vital statistics of 36-25-31, and bra size 34B.