Natalie Morales (actress)


Natalie Morales is an American actress. She starred in the ABC Family series The Middleman and had a main role on the first season of the USA Network series White Collar. In 2010, she appeared in the feature films and Going the Distance. Morales also had a starring role in the Fox comedy series The Grinder, the NBC sitcom Abby's, and a recurring role on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. Morales currently has a recurring role in the Netflix series Dead to Me.

Early life

A native of Kendall, Florida, Morales is of Cuban descent. She attended St. Agatha Catholic School and Southwest Miami Senior High School. She participated in the University of Miami's Dow Jones Minority High School Journalism Workshop.

Career

Morales had a guest appearance on in 2006, and played a character in Pimp My Ride that year, a video game version of the MTV television series. Her first major role was in The Middleman, a sci-fi dramedy which aired on the ABC Family network for one season. She starred as Wendy Watson; the series was adapted from the comic book, The Middleman. Morales also starred in and executive produced a Web series, titled Quitters. The series was an official selection of the 3rd annual ITVFest in Los Angeles in August 2008.
In 2009, Morales joined the cast of the USA Network television series White Collar for the first season. She portrayed Lauren Cruz, a junior FBI agent. In May 2010, after her dismissal from the White Collar cast, Morales began appearing in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, appearing as Lucy, girlfriend of Aziz Ansari's character Tom Haverford and bartender at The Snakehole Lounge.
Morales appeared in Oliver Stone's 2010 film, , a sequel to his 1987 film Wall Street. She was cast as Chelsea Handler's best friend in Are You There, Chelsea? She left the series when the cast was replaced for creative reasons. Morales also appeared on Aaron Sorkin's HBO drama, The Newsroom, guest-starring as Kaylee, the girlfriend of Dev Patel’s character, Neal. In 2013, Morales joined the cast of Trophy Wife as Meg, Kate's best friend. In 2015, she joined the cast of the Fox series The Grinder. In 2017, she appeared in some episodes of the NBC series Powerless. Morales appeared as Detective Anne Garcia in the Netflix horror comedy series Santa Clarita Diet.
Morales's most recent television series is the NBC multi-camera sitcom Abby's, created by Josh Malmuth and executive produced by Parks and Recreation creator Michael Schur. Her third series for the network, it premiered on March 28, 2019.
In October 2019, Morales was cast as Michelle in the second season of the Netflix black comedy series Dead to Me.

Personal life

On June 30, 2017, Morales revealed on social media that she identifies as queer.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2006Anya Boa VistaEpisode: ""
2008QuittersNatalieWeb series
2008The MiddlemanWendy WatsonMain role, 12 episodes
2009Boldly Going NowhereRubyTV movie
2009Rockville CAIsabelWeb series, episode: "Shoegazed"
2009–2010White CollarLauren CruzMain role, 9 episodes
2010The SubpranosBeatrice RamirezWeb series, episode: "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves"
2010–2015Parks and RecreationLucyRecurring role, 12 episodes
2011The CapeKiaEpisode: "The Lich "
2012The NewsroomKaylee2 episodes
2012–201390210Ashley Howard5 episodes
2013–2014Trophy WifeMeg GomezMain role, 14 episodes
2014–2015GirlsClementine3 episodes
2015–2016The GrinderClaire LacosteMain role, 21 episodes
2017Grace and FrankieMelissaEpisode: "The Musical"
2017PowerlessGreen Fury2 episodes
2017CrashingStephanieEpisode: "The Baptism"
2017Imaginary MaryRebeccaEpisode: "In a World Where Worlds Collide"
2017Making HistoryMonaEpisode: "The Duel"
2017–2019Santa Clarita DietAnne Garcia11 episodes
2017–2018BoJack HorsemanYolanda Buenaventura
Mindy Buenaventura 		4 episodes
1 episode
2018Alex, Inc.Serena BansEpisode: "The Rube Goldberg Contraption"
2018Room 104JessEpisode: "A Nightmare"
2018Dream Corp, LLCPatient 6Episode: "Woomba"
2019Abby'sAbbyMain role, 10 episodes
2019SunnysideCelesteEpisode: "Pants Full of Sandwiches"
2019Harley QuinnLois Lane Episode: "Finding Mr. Right"
2020Dead to MeMichelle GutierrezRecurring role
2020Solar OppositesMrs. Perez Episode: "The P.A.T.R.I.C.I.A. Device"

YearTitleRoleNotes
2006Pimp My RideAiyanVideo game