Aris Mendoza

Originally from Chicago, Aris Mendoza fell in love with performing while studying dance and movement as a child. She trained in ballet, jazz, and hip-hop and soon ventured into the world of theater. She convinced her mother to move them to Los Angeles when she was sixteen. After playing the role of Adelaide in the Fairfax High School production of "Guys and Dolls," Aris knew that being an actress was her calling. She began her professional acting career in "Quinceanera", which won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival (it was later distributed by Sony Pictures Classics). In 2007, she returned to Sundance as a member of the ensemble cast of "Weapons." In the feature film "Cyrus," a psychological thriller/horror, she plays "the smart one" Tina. To date, Aris has been awarded four scholarships to study improvisational acting at the legendary Groundlings school in Los Angeles. Her television credits include the critically acclaimed CW series "Everybody Hates Chris" and NBC shows "Life" and "Crossing Jordan." Most recently, she has appeared in eight episodes of the CBS drama "Code Black" on which she plays a paramedic. Look out for Aris in the season one finale of HBO's upcoming series, "Barry."