Tia Texada

The American actress and model Tia Texada has worked in television, film, voice performance and music. Born in Lake Charles, she became widely known as Sgt. Maritza Cruz during the final three seasons of NBC's Third Watch. She went on to a recurring part as the undercover agent Ribera on CBS's The Unit. Her guest roles have included appearances on In Plain Sight and Chuck. On film, she had roles in Paulie (1998) and Nurse Betty (2000). Glitter (2001) was another film credit, and she acted in Phone Booth (2003). In voice work, she played Isabel Vasquez in the television film Firebreather (2010). She lent her voice to The Wild Thornberrys and Static Shock. Her voice was used for Elena Valadis in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien. Texada has recorded songs, some of which were used on Dawson's Creek, and she performed at Lilith Fair in 1998. She served as an announcer at the ESPY Awards and promoted products including Maybelline.