An academy (Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. thumb|''The School of Athens'', fresco by Raphael (1509–1510), of an idealized Academy. In the western world ''academia'' is the commonly-used term for the collective institutions of higher learning.

The original Academy

Before ''Akademia'' was a school, and even before Cimon enclosed its precincts with a wall, it contained a sacred grove of olive trees dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom, outside the city walls of ancient Athens. The archaic name for the site was ''Hekademia'', which by classical times evolved into ''Akademia'' and was explained, at least as early as the beginning of the 6th century BC, by linking it to an Athenian hero, a legendary "Akademos". The site of ''Akademia'' was sacred to Athena and other immortals.

Plato's immediate successors as "scholarch" of ''Akademia'' were Speusippus (347–339 BC), Xenocrates (339–314 BC), Polemon (314–269 BC), Crates (ca. 269–266 BC), and Arcesilaus (ca. 266–240 BC). Later scholarchs include Lacydes of Cyrene, Carneades, Clitomachus, and Philo of Larissa ("the last undisputed head of the Academy"). Other notable members of ''Akademia'' include Aristotle, Heraclides Ponticus, Eudoxus of Cnidus, Philip of Opus, Crantor, and Antiochus of Ascalon.

The Neoplatonic Academy of Late Antiquity

After a lapse during the early Roman occupation, ''Akademia'' was refounded as a new institution of some outstanding Platonists of late antiquity who called themselves "successors" (''diadochoi'', but of Plato) and presented themselves as an uninterrupted tradition reaching back to Plato. However, there cannot have actually been any geographical, institutional, economic or personal continuity with the original Academy in the new organizational entity.

The last "Greek" philosophers of the revived ''Akademia'' in the 6th century were drawn from various parts of the Hellenistic cultural world and suggest the broad syncretism of the common culture (see ''koine''): Five of the seven ''Akademia'' philosophers mentioned by Agathias were Syriac in their cultural origin: Hermias and Diogenes (both from Phoenicia), Isidorus of Gaza, Damascius of Syria, Iamblichus of Coele-Syria and perhaps even Simplicius of Cilicia.

The emperor Justinian closed the school in AD 529, a date that is often cited as the end of Antiquity. According to the sole witness, the historian Agathias, its remaining members looked for protection under the rule of Sassanid king Khosrau I in his capital at Ctesiphon, carrying with them precious scrolls of literature and philosophy, and to a lesser degree of science. After a peace treaty between the Persian and the Byzantine empire in 532 guaranteed their personal security (an early document in the history of freedom of religion), some members found sanctuary in the pagan stronghold of Harran, near Edessa. One of the last leading figures of this group was Simplicius, a pupil of Damascius, the last head of the Athenian school.

It has been speculated that ''Akademia'' did not altogether disappear. After his exile, Simplicius (and perhaps some others), may have travelled to Harran, near Edessa. From there, the students of an Academy-in-exile could have survived into the 9th century, long enough to facilitate the Arabic revival of the Neoplatonist commentary tradition in Baghdad.

Renaissance academies

With the Neoplatonist revival that accompanied the revival of humanist studies, ''accademia'' took on newly vivid connotations.

During the Florentine Renaissance, Cosimo de' Medici took a personal interest in the new Platonic Academy that he determined to re-establish in 1439, centered on the marvellous promise shown by the young Marsilio Ficino. Cosimo had been inspired by the arrival at the otherwise ineffective Council of Florence of Gemistos Plethon, who seemed a dazzling figure to the Florentine intellectuals. In 1462 Cosimo gave Ficino a villa at Careggi for the Academy's use, situated where Cosimo could see it from his own villa, and drop by for visits. The academy remained a wholly informal group, but one which had a great influence on Renaissance Neo-Platonism.

In Rome, after unity was restored following the Western Schism, humanist circles, cultivating philosophy and searching out and sharing ancient texts tended to gather where there was access to a library. The Vatican Library was not coordinated until 1475 and was never catalogued or widely accessible: not all popes looked with satisfaction at gatherings of unsupervised intellectuals. At the head of this movement for renewal in Rome was Cardinal Bessarion, whose house from the mid-century was the centre of a flourishing academy of Neoplatonic philosophy and a varied intellectual culture. His valuable Greek as well as Latin library (eventually bequeathed to the city of Venice after he withdrew from Rome) was at the disposal of the academicians. Bessarion, in the latter years of his life, retired from Rome to Ravenna, but he left behind him ardent adherents of the classic philosophy.

The next generation of humanists were bolder admirers of pagan culture, especially in the highly personal academy of Pomponius Leto, the natural son of a nobleman of the Sanseverino family, born in Calabria but known by his academic name, who devoted his energies to the enthusiastic study of classical antiquity, and attracted a great number of disciples and admirers. He was a worshipper not merely of the literary and artistic form, but also of the ideas and spirit of classic paganism, which made him appear a condemner of Christianity and an enemy of the Church. In his academy every member assumed a classical name. Its principal members were humanists, like Bessartion's protégé Giovanni Antonio Campani (Campanus), Bartolomeo Platina, the papal librarian, and Filippo Buonaccorsi, and young visitors who received polish in the academic circle, like Publio Fausto Andrelini of Bologna who took the New Learning to the University of Paris, to the discomfiture of his friend Erasmus. In their self-confidence, these first intellectual neopagans compromised themselves politically, at a time when Rome was full of conspiracies fomented by the Roman barons and the neighbouring princes: Paul II (1464–71) caused Pomponio and the leaders of the academy to be arrested on charges of irreligion, immorality, and conspiracy against the Pope. The prisoners begged so earnestly for mercy, and with such protestations of repentance, that they were pardoned. The Letonian academy, however, collapsed.

In Naples, the ''Quattrocento'' academy founded by Alfonso of Aragon and guided by Antonio Beccadelli was the ''Porticus Antoniana'', later known as the ''Pontaniana'', after Giovanni Pontano.

Sixteenth-century ''accademie'' in Italy

The sixteenth century saw at Rome a great increase of literary and aesthetic academies, more or less inspired by the Renaissance, all of which assumed, as was the fashion, odd and fantastic names. We learn from various sources the names of many such institutes; as a rule, they soon perished and left no trace. In the 1520s came the ''Accademia degl' Intronati'', for the encouragement of theatrical representations. There were also the Academy of the "Vignaiuoli", or "Vinegrowers" (1530), and the ''Accademia della Virtù'' (1538), founded by Claudio Tolomei under the patronage of Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici. These were followed by a new academy in the "Orti" or Farnese gardens. There were also the academies of the "Intrepidi" (1560), the "Animosi" (1576), and the "Illuminati" (1598); this last, founded by the Marchesa Isabella Aldobrandini Pallavicino. Towards the middle of the sixteenth century there were also the Academy of the "Notti Vaticane", or "Vatican Nights", founded by St. Charles Borromeo; an "Accademia di Diritto civile e canonico", and another of the university scholars and students of philosophy (Accademia Eustachiana). In the seventeenth century we meet with similar academies; the "Umoristi" (1611), the "Fantastici (1625), and the "Ordinati", founded by Cardinal Dati and Giulio Strozzi. About 1700 were founded the academies of the "Infecondi", the "Occulti", the "Deboli", the "Aborigini", the "Immobili", the "Accademia Esquilina", and others. As a rule these academies, all very much alike, were merely circles of friends or clients gathered around a learned man or wealthy patron, and were dedicated to literary pastimes rather than methodical study. They fitted in, nevertheless, with the general situation and were in their own way one element of the historical development. Despite their empirical and fugitive character, they helped to keep up the general esteem for literary and other studies. Cardinals, prelates, and the clergy in general were most favourable to this movement, and assisted it by patronage and collaboration.

During the course of the following century and a half many Italian cities established a philosophical and scientific academy, some of which became the national academies of pre-unitarian states: the Academy of Accesi became the Panomitan Academy of Buon Gusto; the Academy of Timidi became the Royal Academy of Mantua; the Accademia dei Ricovrati became the Galileiana Academy of Arts and Science; the Academy of Dissonanti became the Royal Academy of Modena and the Academy of Oscuri became the Royal Academy of Lucca.

Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-century academies in Europe

Gradually academies began to specialize on particular topics (arts, language, sciences) and began to be founded and funded by the kings and other sovereigns (few republics had an academy). And, mainly, since XVIIth century academies spread throughout Europe.

Academies of the arts

In Florence, the Medici again took the lead in establishing the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze in 1563, the first of the more formally organised art academies that gradually displaced the medieval artists' guilds, usually known as the Guild of Saint Luke, as the bodies responsible for training and often regulating artists, a change with great implications for the development of art, leading to the styles known as Academic art. The private Accademia degli Incamminati set up later in the century in Bologna by the Carracci brothers was also extremely influential, and with the Accademia di San Luca of Rome (founded 1593) helped to confirm the use of the term for these institutions.

The Académie de peinture et de sculpture in Paris, established by the monarchy in 1648 (later renamed) was the most significant of the artistic academies, running the famous Salon exhibitions from 1725. Artistic academies were established all over Europe by the end of the 18th century, and many, like the Akademie der Künste in Berlin (founded 1696), the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid (founded 1744), the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg (1757), the Royal Academy in London (1768) and the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan (1776) still run art schools and hold large exhibitions, although their influence on taste greatly declined from the late 19th century.

A fundamental feature of academic discipline in the artistic academies was regular practice in making accurate drawings from antiquities, or from casts of antiquities, on the one hand, and on the other, in deriving inspiration from the other fount, the human form. Students assembled in sessions drawing the draped and undraped human form, and such drawings, which survive in the tens of thousands from the 17th through the 19th century, are termed ''académies'' in French.

Similar institutions were often established for other arts: Rome had the Accademia di Santa Cecilia for music from 1585; Paris had the Académie Royale de Musique from 1669 and the Académie d'architecture from 1671.

Linguistic academies

In 1582 five florentine literati gathered and founded the Accademia della Crusca to demonstrate and to conserve the beauty of the Florentine vulgar tongue, modelled upon the authors of the Trecento. The main istrument to do that was the ''Vocabolario degli accademici della Crusca''. The Crusca remained for long a private institution, criticizing and opposing the official ''Accademia Fiorentina''.

The first institution inspired by the Crusca was the Fruitbearing Society for German language, which existed from 1617 to 1680.

The Crusca inspired Richelieu to found in 1634 the analogous Académie française with the task of acting as an official authority on the French language, charged with publishing the official dictionary of that language. The following year the Académie received letters patent from the king Louis XIII as the only recognized academy for French language.

In its turn the state established Académie was the model for the Real Academia Española (founded in 1713) and the Swedish Academy (1786), which are the ruling bodies of their respective languages and editors of major dictionaries. It also was the model for the Russian Academy,founded in 1783, which afterwards merged into the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Academies of sciences

After the short-lived Academia Secretorum Naturae of Naples, the first academy exclusively devoted to sciences was the Accademia dei Lincei founded in 1603 in Rome, particuralily focused on natural sciences. In 1657 some students of Galileo founded the Accademia del Cimento (Academy of Experiment) in Florence, focused on physics and astronomy. The foundation of Academy was funded by Prince Leopoldo and Grand Duke Ferdinando II de' Medici. This academy lasted after few decades.

In 1652 was founded the Academia Naturae Curiosorum by four physicians. In 1677, Leopold I, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, recognised the society and in 1687 he gave it the epithet ''Leopoldina'', with which is internationally famous.^{, p. 7–8;} So, it became the academy of sciences for the whole Holy Roman Empire.

On 28 November 1660, a group of scientists from and influenced by the Invisible College (gathering approximately since 1645) met at Gresham College and announced the formation of a "College for the Promoting of Physico-Mathematical Experimental Learning", which would meet weekly to discuss science and run experiments. In 1662 Charles II of England signed a Royal Charter which created the "Royal Society of London", then "Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge".

In 1666 Colbert gathered a small group of scholars to found a scientific society in Paris. The first 30 years of the Academy's existence were relatively informal, since no statutes had as yet been laid down for the institution. In contrast to Royal Society, the Academy was founded as an organ of government. In 1699, Louis XIV gave the Academy its first rules and named it Académie royale des sciences.

Although Prussia was a member of Holy Roman Empire, in 1700 Prince-elector Frederick III of Brandenburg founded its own Prussian Academy of Sciences upon the advice of Gottfried Leibniz, who was appointed president.

During XVIIIth century many European kings followed and founded their own academy of sciences: in 1714 in Bologna, in 1724 the Russian Academy of Sciences, in 1731 the Royal Dublin Society, in 1735 in Tuscany, in 1739 the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, in 1742 the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, in 1751 the Gottingen Academy of Sciences, in 1754 in Erfurt, in 1759 the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, in 1763 the Academia Theodoro-Palatina in Heidelberg, in 1779 the Sciences Academy of Lisbon, in 1783 the Royal Society of Edinburgh, in 1782 the Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze, in 1784 in Turin.

This kind of academy lost importance after the university reform begun with the foundation of the University of Berlin, when universities were provided with laboratories and clinics, and were charged with doing experimental research.

Military academies

Obviously, Military Academies were established by the kings since their origin. The first of such institutions only trained the Artillery and Military Engineering officiers, like the ''Aula da Artilharia'' (founded in 1641) and the ''Aula de Fortificação'' (1647) in Lisbon, the Real Accademia di Savoia in Turin (opened in 1678), the Imperial Artillery Military Academy of Saint Petersburg (1698), the Royal Military Academy Woolwich (1741), the ''Real Colegio de Artilleria'' in Segovia (1764).

Starting at the end of sixteenth century in the Holy Roman Empire, France, Poland and Denmark, many Knight academies were established to prepare the aristocratic youth for state and military service. Many of them lately turned into gymnasiums, but some of them were transformed into true military academies. The Royal Danish Army Officers Academy began to educate all officers for the Royal Danish Army by request of King Frederick IV in 1713. The École Militaire was founded by Louis XV of France in 1750 with the aim of creating an academic college for cadet officers from poor families. The construction began in 1752, but the school did not open until 1760. The Theresian Military Academy was founded on 14 December 1751 by Maria Theresa of Austria. Per year the Academy accepted 100 noblemen and 100 commoners to start their education there. These were the model for the subsequent military academies throughout Europe, like the ''Reale Accademia Militare'' of Naples in 1787 and the Military Academy Karlberg in 1792.

Modern use of the term ''academy''

National academies are bodies for scientists, artists or writers that are usually state-funded and often are given the role of controlling much of the state funding for research into their areas, or other forms of funding. Some use different terms in their name - the British Royal Society for example. The membership typically comprises distinguished individuals in the relevant field, who may be elected by the other members, or appointed by the government. They are essentially not schools or colleges, though some may operate teaching arms. The Académie Française was the most influential pattern for these.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the annual Academy Awards, is an example of a purely industry body using the name. College-type specialized academies include the Royal Academy of Music of the United Kingdom; the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York; the United States Naval Academy; United States Air Force Academy; and the Australian Defence Force Academy. In emulation of the military academies, police in the United States are trained in police academies.

Because of the tradition of intellectual brilliance associated with this institution, many groups have chosen to use the word "academy" in their name, especially specialized tertiary educational institutions. In the early 19th century "academy" took the connotations that "gymnasium" was acquiring in German-speaking lands, of school that was less advanced than a college (for which it might prepare students) but considerably more than elementary. Early American examples are the prestigious preparatory schools of Phillips Andover Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy and Deerfield Academy. In England, "academy" had a specialized meaning for schools, but the Edinburgh Academy was more like the American examples. Academy was also used very loosely for various commercial training schools for dancing and the like.

Mozart organized public subscription performances of his music in Vienna in the 1780s and 1790s, he called the concerts "academies." This usage in musical terms survives in the concert orchestra Academy of St Martin in the Fields and in the Brixton Academy, a concert hall in Brixton, South London.

Academies proliferated in the 20th century until even a three-week series of lectures and discussions would be termed an "academy." In addition, the generic term "the academy" is sometimes used to refer to all of academia, which is sometimes considered a global successor to the Academy of Athens.

French regional academies overseeing education

In France, regional academic councils called academies are responsible for supervising all aspects of education in their region. The academy regions are similar to, but not identical to, the standard French administrative regions. the rector of each academy is a revocable nominee of the Ministry of Education. These academies' main responsibility is overseeing primary and secondary education, but public universities are in some respects also answerable to the academy for their region. However, French private universities are independent of the state and therefore independent of the regional academies.

Russian research academies

In Imperial Russia and Soviet Union the term "academy", or Academy of Sciences was reserved to denote a state research establishment, see Russian Academy of Sciences. The latter one still exists in Russia, although other types of academies (study and honorary) appeared as well.

English school types

From the mid-seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, educational institutions in England run by nonconformist groups that did not agree with the Church of England teachings were collectively known as "the dissenting academies". As a place at an English public school or university generally required conformity to the Church of England, these institutions provided an alternative for those with different religious views and formed a significant part of England’s educational system.

University College London (UCL) was founded in 1826 as the first publicly funded English university to admit anyone regardless of religious adherence; and the Test and Corporation Acts, which had imposed a wide range of restrictions on citizens who were not in conformity to the Church of England, were abolished shortly afterwards, by the Catholic Relief Act of 1829.

In 2000, a form of "independent state schools", called "academies", were introduced in England. They have been compared to US charter schools. They are directly funded from central government rather than through local councils, and are partly privately sponsored. Often the sponsors are from business, but some are sponsored by universities and charities. These schools have greater autonomy than schools run by the local councils. They are usually a type of secondary school, but some are "all through" schools with an integral primary school. Some of the early ones were briefly known as "city academies"—the first such school opening on 10 September 2002 at the Business Academy Bexley.

The Queen's Speech, which followed the 2010 UK General Election, included proposals for a bill to allow the Secretary of State for Education to approve schools, both Primary and Secondary, that have been graded "outstanding" by Ofsted, to become academies. This will be through a simplified streamlined process which will not require the sponsors to provide capital funding.

In 2012, the English government began forcing some schools which had been graded satisfactory or lower into becoming academies, unilaterally removing existing governing bodies and head teachers in some cases. An example was Downhills Primary School in Haringey, where the head teacher refused to turn the school into an academy. OFSTED were called in to assess the school, failed it, and both the head and the governing body were removed and replaced with a Government-appointed board despite opposition from the school and parents.

In Scotland, where there is not a set name for secondary schools, a quarter of the secondary schools have the word "academy" in their name.

See also

Academician

Academy (English school)

Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences

List of honorary societies

Military academy

National academy

References

Further reading

Alan Cameron, "The last days of the Academy at Athens," in ''Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society'' vol 195 (n.s. 15), 1969, pp 7–29.

Gerald Bechtle, Bryn Mawr Classical Review of Rainer Thiel, ''Simplikios und das Ende der neuplatonischen Schule in Athen''. Stuttgart, 1999 (in English).

John Glucker, ''Antiochus and the Late Academy'', Göttingen 1978.

Francis Haskell and Nicholas Penny, 1981. ''Taste and the Antique: The Lure of Classical Sculpture, 1500–1900'' (New Haven: Yale University Press)

External links

Plato's Academy

Academy of Plato – MacTutor

Atlas of Ancient and Classical Geography (Project Gutenberg) see Athens & Syracuse map – by Samuel Butler

Christopher Planeaux' history of the site of the Academy

Plato's Academy, from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture

Map of ancient Athens with location of the Academy

Site of the Academy rediscovered (needs better site linked)

The Academy, from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Modern institutions

The Academy, a summer school run by the Institute of Ideas, "aiming to remind us just what universities should be like and to demonstrate the importance of scholarship through an examination of subjects in depth"

Slavic Greek Latin Academy

Academy Burg Fürsteneck German academy for vocational and cultural education in the castel Burg Fürsteneck

The Academy Buckley Dance School

Academy Drama School website

Academy of Athens, official website of the modern institution

Ardennes Outdoor Academy of the Thierry Graduate School of Leadership

Department for Education – Academies webpages

Digital Media Academy

Film Academy

Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

Royal Academy of Music, London

The Academy at Charlemont

iD Programming Academy

The Jewish Academy

The United States Air Force Academy

Worcester Academy, Wikipedia page: Worcester Academy

Deerfield Academy

Database of the Italian Academies at the British Library

Academy for Self-improvement

Website of the Italian Academies 1525-1700 Project

The Northumberland Church of England Academy

Category:Academia Category:Greek loanwords Category:History of ideas Category:Plato Category:School types

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name	Naya Rivera
birth name	Naya Marie Rivera
birth date	January 12, 1987
birth place	Valencia, California, U.S.
occupation	Actress, singer, model
yearsactive	1991–present
website	}}

Naya Marie Rivera (born January 12, 1987) is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series ''Glee'', as cheerleader Santana Lopez.

Early life

Rivera was raised in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California and has lived in or around Los Angeles for most of her life. Rivera is of half Puerto Rican, quarter African, and quarter German descent. At eight or nine months old, she began to be represented by the same talent agent as her mother, who had moved to Los Angeles to pursue modeling.

Career

As a baby, Rivera appeared in commercials for Kmart, but her first significant acting job was at the age of four when she starred as Hillary Winston in the Eddie Murphy produced sitcom ''The Royal Family'' in 1991. The show received positive reviews and high ratings initially, but when star Redd Foxx suffered a sudden heart attack on set the show never recovered and was soon canceled. Nonetheless, Rivera received a Young Artist Award nomination for her performance.

Between 1992 and 2002, she had small roles in ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', ''Family Matters'', ''Live Shot'', ''Baywatch'', ''Smart Guy'', ''The Jersey'', ''House Blend'', ''Even Stevens'' and ''The Master of Disguise''. In 2002 she also appeared in the music video for B2K's "Why I Love You". She was hired for a single-episode guest appearance on ''The Bernie Mac Show'' in 2002, but was brought back to work on a further five episodes. She was later featured in single episodes of ''8 Simple Rules'' and ''CSI: Miami''. In between auditions and roles, Rivera worked odd jobs as a telemarketer, a nanny, and a greeter at an Abercrombie & Fitch store.

In 2006 and 2007, Rivera took part in a production of Mark E. Swinton's award-winning play "U Don't Know Me: The Musical", both in Los Angeles and when the production was taken on national tour.

In 2010, Rivera made the Maxim Hot 100 list, coming in at number 61. The following year, she was ranked number 43. On the 2011 AfterEllen Hot 100 list she was ranked #1.

In May 2011, it was announced that Rivera had signed a deal with Columbia Records to produce a solo album. Also in May, Rivera hosted the San Francisco GLAAD Media Awards.

In November 2011, Rivera and Amber Riley performed at the 10th Annual Celebration of Dreams Event for the Dream Foundation. In December 2011 Rivera was revealed as the newest celebrity spokesperson for ProActiv.

In February 2012, Rivera was nominated for a NewNowNext Award. On March 24, 2012, she co-hosted the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York with co-star Cory Monteith. The two stars, along with John Stamos, continuing a tradition begun by Rivera when she hosted the 22nd Annual Media Awards in San Francisco, auctioned off kisses to the crowd, raising $15,000.

''Glee''

In 2009, Rivera was cast as Cheerios cheerleading squad member Santana Lopez on Fox's musical comedy series ''Glee'', about a high school glee club. Rivera's character comes off as a cold-hearted and vicious cheerleader, who often shows her softer side to fellow cheerleader Brittany (played by Heather Morris). Rivera auditioned for the opportunity "to sing, dance and act all in the same show," and because she was a fan of co-creator Ryan Murphy's previous work on ''Nip/Tuck''.

Rivera drew on her own high school experience of unpopularity to prepare for the role, as well as watching films such as ''Mean Girls'' to "really get in the zone and feel like a bitchy Sophomore". She has described Santana as "your typical high school cheerleader, for the most part," explaining: "She's really mean and loves boys. She's really witty so I love playing her." She has characterized Santana as "a bit of a bad girl" who is "really snarky and always has these really witty one-liners she throws out there." Rivera enjoys the fact Santana is competitive and headstrong as she herself shares those traits, but dislikes Santana's mean streak. She finds the show's pacing challenging, especially the dancing, and commented in June 2009 that her most memorable moment on ''Glee'' was performing the Cheerios' glee club audition piece, "I Say a Little Prayer". Santana played a more prominent part in the last nine episodes of ''Glee'' first season. Rivera commented: "Santana's been wreaking havoc with people's boyfriends and people's babies and teachers—she's the high school terror, and she's going to continue to be the villain."

After having her screen time and musical involvement increased in the second half of the first season, Rivera was promoted to official series regular status as of the beginning of the second season. She was given her first solo in the fifth episode of season two, "The Rocky Horror Glee Show", and performed several others as the season progressed. During the second season, Rivera's role in the show was radically changed when it was revealed that her character was a lesbian. Rivera portrayed Santana struggling to come to terms with her sexuality, with her love for her best friend, and with her inability to come out of the closet. She received favorable reviews for her performance.

In January 2011 Rivera appeared in a parody of "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang", called "Nuthin' But a Glee Thang", co-written by her friend Heather Morris.

During the 2011 Glee Tour, Rivera teamed up with Amber Riley for the duet "River Deep, Mountain High" and performed solo on "Valerie" as well as lending back-up vocals to several other songs.

In July 2011, Rivera was nominated for two ALMA awards, in the categories of "Favorite Female Music Artist" and "Favorite TV Actress—Leading Role in a Comedy". BuddyTV ranked her #3 on its "TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2011" list. Rivera received a great amount of critical praise for both her acting and her singing performances in the latter part of Season Two and the beginning of Season Three. As 2011 ended, she or her character was on many "Best Of" lists, including HitFix.com's 25 Breakout Stars of 2011, TV Guide's Best Performances of 2011, MTV's Best TV Characters of 2011, as well as others.

Personal life

Rivera is an avid reader and dedicates her time to various charitable organizations. She took up songwriting at the age of 15. According to Rivera, "My passion for music is one of my greatest loves." Rivera has stated that if she could not act or sing she would work as a writer. She has completed several screenplays and television scripts. As on ''Glee'', Rivera is best friends in real life with co-star Heather Morris.

Filmography

''Frankenhood'' ''Glee: The 3D Concert Movie''

+ Film	Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2002	''The Master of Disguise''	Captain America Kid
2009	|	Hottie	Credited as Naya Maria Rivera (Maria was a typo)
2011	|	Santana Lopez	3D Concert Film

''Family Matters'' ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' ''The Sinbad Show'' ''Live Shot'' ''Baywatch'' ''Smart Guy'' ''The Jersey'' ''House Blend'' ''Even Stevens'' ''Pajama Rama'' ''The Bernie Mac Show'' ''Soul Food'' ''8 Simple Rules'' ''Girlfriends'' ''CSI: Miami'' ''Glee (TV series)

+ Television	Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1991–1992	The Royal Family (TV series)>The Royal Family''	Hillary Winston
1992–1993	|	Gwendolyn	Episodes: "Just One Date", "Heart Strings", "Mama's Wedding"
1993	|	Cindy	Episode: "Bundle of Joy"
1993	|	Party Guest	Episode: "It's My Party, I'll Cry If I Want To"
1995	|	Ann	Episode: "Another Day, Another Story"
1996	|	Willa	Episode: "Scorcher"
1997–1999	|	KellyTanya	Episodes: "Baby, It's You and You and You", "Never Too Young"
1999	|	Girl #2	Episode: "Be True to You"
2002	|	Chloe	Television pilot
2002	|	Charlene	Episode: "Short Story"
2002–2004	|	Herself	Host
2002–2006	|	Donna	Recurring role
2003	|	Lauryn	Episodes: "Truth's Consequences", "Nobody's Child"
2004	|	Nice Girl	Episode: "Halloween"
2008	|	"Young Lady"	Episode: "Stand and Deliver"
2008	|	Rachel Calvado	Episode: "Power Trip"
2009–present	Glee'' ||	Santana Lopez	Season 1: recurring cast memberSeasons 2 and 3: regular cast member

Music videos

! Year	! Artist	! Song Title
2002	B2K	Why I Loved You

Stage work

! Year	! Title	! Role
2006–2007	U Don't Know Me	Keila

Awards and nominations

! Year	! Award	! Category	! Result
1992	Young Artist Awards	Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress Under Ten
2010		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
2010		Best Supporting Actress—Television
2010	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Music: Group
2011		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
2011	53rd Annual Grammy Awards
2011	ALMA Awards	Favorite TV Actress—Leading Role in a Comedy
2011	ALMA Awards	Favorite Female Music Artist
2012		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
2012	My TV Awards	Ridiculously Good-Looking Female
2012	My TV Awards	Supporting Actress in a Comedy
2012	NewNowNext Awards	Cause You're Hot

See also

List of notable Puerto Ricans

References

External links

Category:1987 births Category:Actors from California Category:African-American actors Category:American child actors Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Los Angeles, California

cs:Naya Rivera da:Naya Rivera de:Naya Rivera es:Naya Rivera fa:نایا ریورا fr:Naya Rivera ko:나야 리베라 hi:नया रिवेरा hr:Naya Rivera id:Naya Rivera it:Naya Rivera he:נאייה ריברה ka:ნაია რივერა lv:Naja Rivera lt:Naya Rivera nl:Naya Rivera ja:ナヤ・リヴェラ pl:Naya Rivera pt:Naya Rivera ru:Ривера, Ная fi:Naya Rivera sv:Naya Rivera

name	Heather Morris
birth name	Heather Elizabeth Morris
birth date
birth place	Thousand Oaks, California, U.S.
occupation	Dancer, actress, singer
years active	2006–present
height	}}

Heather Elizabeth Morris (born February 1, 1987) is an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for her role as the cheerleader Brittany S. Pierce in the musical comedy series ''Glee''.

Early life

Morris was born in Thousand Oaks, California, and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. She began dancing when she was one. Morris competed at a young age in a variety of styles including jazz, tap, and contemporary. Morris's father passed away of cancer when she was 14 years old. "It's something that is hard for me, because I'm sad about it, but I don't dwell on it," she said during an interview workshop with students in December 2009. "I know he's in a better place, instead of suffering." After graduating from Desert Mountain High School, Morris decided to enroll in a local university but realized she was in the wrong place so she moved to L.A. instead at age 19.

Career

Morris' first significant appearance was in 2006 on ''So You Think You Can Dance'' Season 2 where she made the "green mile" or "Vegas Week" but failed to make the final 20 by a vote of 3-2.

Not discouraged, Morris moved to Los Angeles and actively pursued a career in dancing and was trained in jazz dance. Her big break came in 2007 via Beyoncé. Morris was one of Beyoncé's backup dancers on ''The Beyoncé Experience'' world tour and, following that, worked again with Beyoncé on a mini "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" promotional tour that included 2008 performances on the ''American Music Awards'', ''Saturday Night Live'', ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', ''Today'', and MTV's ''Total Request Live'' Finale. She also danced backup for Beyoncé and Tina Turner at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008. She later appeared in a small role in the movie ''Fired Up'', where she met choreographer Zach Woodlee. Following that film, Woodlee brought Morris in to dance on other shows he was choreographing, including episodes of ''Eli Stone'' and ''Swingtown'', the movie ''Bedtime Stories'', and eventually ''Glee''.

In December 2010 Morris was named the Celebrity Style Ambassador for FLIRT! Cosmetics, an Estee Lauder cosmetics line.

In 2010 Morris made the Maxim Hot 100 list, coming in at number 85. On the AfterEllen hot 100 list she was ranked #2 behind Naya Rivera.

In 2011 Morris starred in a back-to-school commercial for Staples Canada that featured her dancing.

In the October 2011 issue of Fitness magazine, Heather Morris stated that she has had her breast implants removed. She was quoted saying "Implants were something I thought I wanted when I was younger, and now I don't, It was hard being active with them, because my chest was always sore. It hurt a lot, and I didn't like always being in pain, so they had to go!" Her breast implant surgery was done sometime between her time on So You Think You Can Dance at age 18 and age 21 when she was a backup dancer for Beyoncé.

''Glee''

Morris was taking acting classes and actively pursuing an acting career when she was asked by Woodlee to teach the choreography for Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" dance to the ''Glee'' actors. At the same time, the show was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris ended up landing the role of Brittany. Initially a background character who hardly ever spoke, the role grew as writers discovered Morris had a gift for delivering one-liners. Jarrett Wieselman of the ''New York Post'' opined that Morris has "emerged as one of the funniest second bananas on TV right now" and the LA Times wrote of having a "...comedy crush on Morris, who plays the galactically dim Glee Club cheerleader Brittany".

When a promotional clip for the episode "Sectionals" indicated that Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez had slept together, Dorothy Snarker, writing for lesbian entertainment website After Ellen, praised the pairing, referring to them by the portmanteau "Brittana". Snarker called the two her "new favorite ''Glee'' pairing", commenting that: "While Heather Morris (Brittany) and Naya Rivera (Santana) have had minimal screen time, they've made it count. Heather in particular has brought the laughs as the Cheerio least likely to get a Mensa invitation. Never mind Finn and Rachel — I'm on Team Brittana now."

Morris' role became more prominent during the final nine episodes of season one, and due to the overwhelmingly positive response to her character, was promoted to official series regular status during season two. She was at the center of the second episode, "Britney/Brittany", (a tribute to Britney Spears) where she made her singing debut covering Spears' "I'm a Slave 4 U" solo and dueting with Naya Rivera on "Me Against the Music". The second half of season two saw Morris' character engage in a lesbian storyline with Rivera's character. Both the arc along with Rivera's and Morris' performances were met with critical acclaim. As on Glee, Morris is best friends in real life with co-star Rivera.

During the 2011 Glee Tour Heather performed Britney Spears' song "I'm a Slave 4 U". She also had a dance spotlight with castmate Harry Shum Jr. during Naya Rivera's performance of "Valerie," and was one of the dancers in the Single Ladies and Safety Dance numbers.

Morris co-wrote and appeared in a January 2011 video for Funny or Die, "Nuthin' But A Glee Thang," a take-off of the Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg collaboration "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang". Co-written with actresses Ashley Lendzion and Riki Lindhome, the video features appearances from ''Modern Family'''s Sofia Vergara and Morris's Glee castmates Matthew Morrison, Cory Monteith, Harry Shum, Jr., and Naya Rivera.

Filmography

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Music Video appearances
Year	Artist	Song Title	Notes
2008	''An-Ya''	''Nightlife''	Dancer
2008	''The White Tie Affair''	''Allow Me To Introduce Myself...Mr. Right/Candle_(Sick_and_Tired)''
2008	''Hit the Lights''	''Drop the Girl''
2011	Leo Moctezuma	2 Da Left

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Film appearances
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008		Cat Girl	Uncredited
2009		Fiona	Minor role.
2011	''Glee: The 3D Concert Movie		Also Self
2012	''Ice Age: Continental Drift''	Katie, The Gossip Girl	Voice
2013	''Spring Breakers''		Pre-Production

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Television appearances
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	''''	Dancer	DVD: ''''
2008	''Swingtown''	Red Dress Disco Girl	Uncredited, Episode: "Get Down Tonight"
2008	''Eli Stone''	Street Dancer/Back-Up Dancer	Uncredited, Episodes: "The Path" and "The Humanitarian"
2009-present			Season 1 - Series Recurring.Season 2,3 – Series Regular	Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy SeriesNominated – 2010 Teen Choice Awards>Teen Choice Award for Choice Music: Group (shared with Glee Cast)
2010	''How I Met Your Mother''	Dancer in Pink Shirt	Uncredited, Episode: "Girls Versus Suits"
2011	Staples Commercial	Herself/Dancer	Back-to-school commercial for ''Staples (Canada)''
2012	Punk'd	Herself

Awards and nominations

Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Award	Year	Category	Result	Role
Playhouse West Film Foundation 2011 PWFF Grand Jury Awards	2011	|		Lily in a Short Film called POST by Jim Parrack

Discography

References

External links

Category:1987 births Category:Actors from Arizona Category:Actors from California Category:American dancers Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:California dance occupations Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Arizona Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:Singers from California Category:So You Think You Can Dance contestants Category:People from Thousand Oaks, California Category:People from Scottsdale, Arizona

cs:Heather Morris de:Heather Morris es:Heather Morris fr:Heather Morris ko:헤더 모리스 hr:Heather Morris id:Heather Morris it:Heather Morris ka:ჰეიზერ მორისი lt:Heather Morris nl:Heather Morris ja:ヘザー・モリス pl:Heather Morris pt:Heather Morris fi:Heather Morris sv:Heather Morris tl:Heather Morris vi:Heather Morris