Naya Rivera

Naya Marie Rivera (January 12, 1987 – July 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and model. Recognized for her work on the popular musical comedy-drama series Glee which she starred from 2009 to 2015. She received various awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and nominations for two Grammy Awards. She began her career as a child actress and model, first appearing in national television commercials. At the age of four, she landed the role of Hillary Winston on the short-lived CBS sitcom The Royal Family (1991–1992), earning a nomination for a Young Artist Award at age five. After a series of recurring television roles and then guest spots as a teenager, she got her breakthrough role in 2009 as Santana Lopez on the Fox television series Glee. For the role, she received critical acclaim and various awards, including a SAG Award and ALMA Award, as well as earning nominations with the rest of the cast for two Grammy Awards and one Brit Award. She was signed to Columbia Records as a solo musical artist in 2011 and – despite never releasing a studi... ()