Sanchez was born in Chicago. Her father, Oscar Sanchez, is a racetrack jockey agent.[2] She is one of four children, and is of Puerto Rican descent.[3] Sanchez began her acting career at Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream, Illinois, when she performed in a school production of The Grapes of Wrath. Her performance helped her overcome her stage fright, with which she struggled at the time.[3]
Career
In 2000, Sanchez auditioned for MTV's Wanna Be a VJ contest in New York. She was selected as one of the five finalists, but did not win the competition. However, an agent who had seen her on MTV expressed interest in representing her.[4]
After her agent recommended a move to Los Angeles, Sanchez auditioned and landed roles in the short-lived drama series That Was Then,[5] and the sitcom Married to the Kellys.[5] In 2003, Sanchez appeared in the film Stuck on You.[5] She joined the cast of the hit ABC show Lost,[5] for the series' third season, as Nikki Fernandez, but due to fan responses to her character, she was killed off six episodes after her first appearance. She had a recurring role on the ABC show Samantha Who?,[5] and played a leading role in the 2008 film Insanitarium,[5] alongside Jesse Metcalfe. She co-starred as Gina, Nick's (Timothy Olyphant) girlfriend, her character was famously seen nude swimming, near a waterfall in her first scene, in the 2009 thriller A Perfect Getaway.[5]
In November 2022, Sanchez joined her husband Zach Gilford in a recurring role as Sydney Voit, the wife of Gilford's character Elias Voit in Criminal Minds: Evolution.[7]
Personal life
She was married to screenwriter and director Zach Helm[8] from 2001 to 2008.[9]
In 2010, Sanchez began dating actor Zach Gilford, with whom she co-starred in the ABC television pilot The Matadors.[10] The couple became engaged in November 2011,[11] and married on December 29, 2012.[12] The couple also co-starred in The Purge: Anarchy. In August 2015, Sanchez announced that she and Gilford were expecting their first child, a son, that November.[13] In October 2015, the couple announced that Sanchez had suffered a stillbirth.[14] In November 2017, the couple had a daughter, born via surrogate.[15]
^"Today in History - Oct. 13". journalgazette.net. The Journal Gazette. The Associated Press. October 13, 2009. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
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