Naya Rivera is an American actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress and model, appearing in national television commercials before landing the role of Hillary Winston on the short-lived CBS sitcom The Royal Family at the age of 4, for which she received a nomination for a Young Artist Award. She received her breakthrough role as an adult as Santana Lopez on the Fox television series Glee, for which she received nominations for numerous accolades. She was signed to Columbia Records as a solo artist in 2011 and released a single in 2013, Sorry, featuring rapper Big Sean. In 2016, Rivera published a memoir with TarcherPerigee, Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes and Growing Up.
Birth Name
Naya Marie Rivera
Nickname
The Veiled Fairy, N’Nay, Bee, Nay Nay, Nay Nay Rivers, Nougat, Snix, Ni Ni, Smoochy
Profession
Singer, Actress, Model
Genre
Pop, R&B
Instruments
Vocals
Labels
Columbia Records
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Naya Rivera was born on 12th of January 1987, in Valencia, California, United States.
Age
She’s currently 33 years old.
Disappeared
On July 8, 2020, Rivera was declared a missing person after her four year old son was found alone in Rivera’s rented boat at Lake Piru in California.
Sun Sign
Capricorn
Ethnicity
Multiracial
She is of Puerto Rican, African American and German descent.
Religion
Christianity
Education
Rivera attended Valencia High School, Santa Clarita, California.
Family Details
- Father – George Rivera
- Mother – Yolanda Rivera
- Siblings – Mychal Rivera (Younger Brother) (Footballer player), Nickayla Rivera (Sister) (Model)
Marital Status
Divorced
Boyfriend / Spouse
Naya Rivera has dated –
- Mark Salling (2007-2010) – In 2007, Rivera started dating Actor Mark Salling. However, this off-screen relationship was denied by Mark’s representative and they decided to call off their relationship in 2010.
- Matthew Hodgson (2011-2013) – Matthew Hodgson, the writer for the TV show Glee, dated Naya for 2 years from April 2011 until April 2013.
- Big Sean (2013-2014) – In February 2013, Naya started dating Rapper Big Sean after meeting via Twitter. The couple’s love song Is Hello by Lionel Richie. They engaged in October 2013. They called it quits in April 2014 after remaining together for a year.
- Ryan Dorsey (2014-2016) – The actors commenced dating each other in July 2014. Though, she met him long before, 4 years earlier. On July 19, 2014, the lovebirds married each other in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. In September 2015, the couple welcomed their child, son Josey. After 2 years of marriage together, Naya applied for divorce in November 2016. Later, in October 2017, the divorce was called off by her. In December 2017, she re-applied for divorce which was finalized in June 2018.
- David Spade (2017) – In 2017, for about three months until June 2017, Naya dated actor David Spade.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 5 inches
- In centimeters – 165 cm
- In meters – 1.65 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 53 kg
- In Pounds – 117 lbs
Body Measurements
- Measurements – 33-25-34
- Bust – 33 inches
- Waist – 25 inches
- Hip – 34 inches
- Bra Size – 32C
Body Build
Slim
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Hair Color
Black
Shoe Size
She wears a size 7.5 (US) shoe.
Dress Size
Her dress size is 5 (US).
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Playing the role as Santana Lopez, a high school cheerleader, on the Fox’s teen musical comedy drama television series, Glee since 2009.
Film Debut
In 2009, Rivera debuted with movie Frankenhood for her role as Hottie. By mistake, her role was credited as Naya Maria Rivera.
Singing Debut
In September 17, 2013, Naya released her debut single Sorry with Big Sean digitally.
Television Debut
In 1992, Rivera appeared in the American sitcom The Royal Family for her role as Hillary Winston. Naya was 4 years old at that time.
Brand Endorsements
As a child, she appeared in the Kmart commercials. She became the face of Proactive Solution in December 2011.
Naya Rivera Favorites
- Favorite Actor – George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio
- Favorite TV Show – Boy Meets World (1993-2000), Doug (1991-1994)
- Favorite Animal – Penguin
- Favorite Book – The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Favorite All-time Song – A Song For You by Donny Hathaway
- Favorite Accessory – Watch
- Favorite Color – Pink
- Favorite Band – Coldplay
Naya Rivera Net worth
Naya Rivera has a estimated net worth of $5 million dollars as of 2023.
Social Media Profiles
- Facebook – Naya Rivera
- Instagram – nayarivera
- Twitter – Naya Rivera
- YouTube Channel – Naya Rivera
Some Lesser Known Facts About Naya Rivera
- Rivera is connected to various organizations such as GLAAD, Stand Up to Cancer, The Elephant Project, The Trevor Project and The Sunshine Foundation.
- She had auditioned for American Idol in 2002, but didn’t make it through.
- In 2002, Naya appeared in the music video for B2K’s Why I Love You.
- In 2009, Rivera was cast as Santana Lopez, a high school cheerleader, on Fox’s musical comedy series Glee, about a high school glee club.
- In May 2011, she signed a deal with Columbia Records to produce a solo album.
- In 2012, she was placed at number 1 spot in the AfterEllen’s Hot 100 list.
- In April 2012, Rivera was featured on the cover of Latina magazine.
- In May 2012, Naya made FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women list, coming in at number 39.
- She made the Maxim Hot 100 list for the third year in a row, moving up sixteen spots to number 27.
- In October 2012, Rivera was featured in the third episode of MTV’s series This Is How I Made It.
- In December 2012, she attended the annual Trevor Live! event, where she performed a cover of the song Silent Night.
- In May 2013, Rivera posed nude in an issue of Allure magazine.
- Naya was ranked number 37 in the Men’s Health Hottest Women (2014).
- In 2014, she shared the favourite TV Gal Pals with Lea Michele at the People’s Choice Awards.
- In 2015, Rivera portrayed the recurring role of Blanca Alvarez in the third season of Lifetime’s drama series Devious Maids.
- In January 2015, during her appearance as a guest host on The View, Rivera alluded to her possible bisexuality.
- In 2018, it was announced that she would be taking the role of school administrator Collette Jones in the YouTube Red series Step Up: High Water.
