Caitlin Sanchez


Caitlin Ariana Sanchez is an American actress, best known for being the second voice of the title character Dora in the Nickelodeon animated children series Dora the Explorer.

Background

Sanchez was born in Englewood, New Jersey to a musical family of Cuban heritage. She began playing the piano at age four, and while at the Yamaha Music Center, won the Yamaha Corporation's Young Composer's Award in 2004 for an original jazz composition. She has performed several times at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Victoria Theatre, and has won the prestigious Tito Puente Musical Scholarship Award twice in 2005 and 2007. She has also been a multiple-winner and presenter at the Hispanic Youth Showcase competition held in New Jersey.
An avid jazz fan, Sanchez enjoys listening to the music of John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell and vocalists Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. When NPR's Robert Siegel indicated that it was unusual for someone her age to be a fan of Thelonious Monk, Sanchez responded that "He has this really unique style. He kind of hits the piano really hard. And I love his offbeats. Sometimes he goes on-beat; sometimes he goes off. He's full of surprises."

Career

In 2008, Sanchez took over the voice role of the seven-year-old lead character in Dora the Explorer, following the departure of the character's original voice actor Kathleen Herles that year when she went to college. She was selected from among 600 girls who auditioned for the part. She voiced the character until 2012, when Fátima Ptacek took over the role.
Besides appearing in several national commercials, Sanchez's other TV work includes as Lupe Rojas in an episode of , and appearing as Celia, the daughter of Carlos Ponce's character, on Lipstick Jungle. Her film work includes appearing in the film Phoebe in Wonderland.
Sanchez performed the National Anthem at an NBA game at the IZOD Center on November 21, 2009.

Filmography