Fátima Ptacek

Fátima Ptacek (; born August 20, 2000) is an American film and television actress and model. A human rights activist working with UN Women's #HeForShe campaign for gender equality, she is best known as the lead actor in the 2012 Academy Award-winning short film Curfew and its 2014 full-length feature film version Before I Disappear. She lent her voice as the lead role of Dora Márquez in the Nickelodeon animated television series Dora the Explorer from 2012 to 2019 and Dora and Friends: Into the City! from 2014 to 2017.

Personal life Ptacek was born and resides in New York City with her parents. Her mother is Ecuadorian. Her father has Colombian, Czech, Irish, and Norwegian roots.

She is a gymnast, and takes part in English equestrian riding; She has expressed interest in transitioning from acting to a career in law someday. Her childhood dream was to be elected President of the United States; and on the covers of numerous national magazines. She was also one of the few child models who has had the privilege of walking the runway at Bryant Park during the annual Fall Fashion Week in New York City. Discovered by Wilhelmina Models, the critical acclaim she received for her role in the Oscar-winning film Curfew led to efforts by the "Big Four" talent agencies - Creative Artist Agency (CAA), United Talent Agency (UTA), William Morris Endeavor (WME), and International Creative Management (ICM) - to recruit her, and ultimately, she chose to work with ICM. Ptacek was one of the highest-paid child models in the world, earning approximately $250,000 annually as of 2010, when she had appeared as the "face of" Ralph Lauren, and worked in major campaigns for high end designers like Bonnie Young, Miss Sixty, Monna Lisa, and Siviglia, and fashion houses like Guess, The Gap, H&M, and Benetton. One of her most notable campaigns was for Macy's in 2009, when she revived Natalie Wood's childhood role of "Virginia" in Macy's Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus -themed campaign for the holiday season, which saw Ptacek's appearance in a series of full page advertisements in each of New York's major newspapers, TV commercials with celebrities, such as Donald Trump, Queen Latifah, Martha Stewart, and Carlos Ponce, and public appearances on behalf of Macy's that sought to raise support for the literacy organization, Reading is Fundamental (RIF). She also appeared on the cover of Newsweek. and A Miracle in Spanish Harlem. Ptacek has appeared in television shows including Saturday Night Live, A Gifted Man, Royal Pains, The Beautiful Life, Body of Proof, and appeared with First Lady Michelle Obama on Sesame Street.

fontsize = 85% title_bg = title_fnt = title = "In addition to being a terrific actress, Fatima captures the confidence and warmth that we always look for to play Dora. She sounds like a true leader, but at the same time you know she is a true friend, who will always stop and help." salign = right — Teri Weiss, senior vice president of Nickelodeon Preschool, 2012 as Dora in Dora the Explorer, in November 2010, with the first new TV episodes with her voice in January 2012. amongst 200 girls auditioning. The role earned her a "Best Young Actress - Television" at the 2012 Imagen Awards, which she attended. She is nominated in the 2014 awards for "Outstanding Performance in a Children's TV Series". Specials voiced by Ptacek include Dora Rocks!, Dora's Rescue in Mermaid Kingdom, Dora's Butterfly Ball, Dora's Royal Rescue, Dora's Easter Adventure, and Dora's Fantastic Gymnastics Adventure (2012). Christensen had auditioned a handful of actresses for the role, but saw Ptacek on a morning show appearance. He admits that he hoped she would nail the audition, and describes her as "phenomenal". Receiving extensive critical acclaim, Ptacek's performance was deemed "a breakthrough", "memorable", "charming", an "eerie, mature confidence for someone so young", and "delightfully annoying". The film was nominated for "Best Live Action Short Film" at the 85th Academy Awards, She attended the Vanity Fair Oscar party with Christensen. Ptacek has personally won Best Young Actress at the 2012 Sapporo Short Fest (the film screening there the year after with an appearance by Ptacek), A feature film of the story has been announced, with Ptacek announced to return. Best Actress at the 2013 Rincon International Film Festival, and Best Actress at the 2013 Vaughan Film Festival. Ptacek was nominated for a "Best Actress/Supporting Actress - Feature Film" Imagen Award, alongside nominees including Elizabeth Rodriguez from the same film; Míriam Colón (Bless Me, Ultima) won the category.

Dora and Friends: Into the City (2014–2017), also has Ptacek as the voice of Dora. While Ptacek speaks in a higher pitch for Dora the Explorer, the new series allows her a more natural voice, as the character is 10 to Ptacek's real life age at the start of production, 12. Production continues on the original series. Producers have allowed Ptacek to modify lines, when she feels she can provide a more accurate version of how youth speak. Ptacek won "Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children’s TV Series" at the 2015 NAACP Image Awards.

Charity work Fátima volunteers as a "Celebrity Ambassador" for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and has done work for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in conjunction with the Macy's Believe Campaign, and the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. Given her joy of reading, and Reading Is Fundamental. The Latino Commission on AIDS named Ptacek their 2013 youth ambassador at its Cielo Latino benefit gala.

Selected filmography Year Film Role 2008 One Last Beat Little Girl 2009 Speed Grieving Lucy Sweet Flame Amber's friend 2010 The Rebound Mozambique Girl 2011 Body of Proof "Buried Secrets" - Becky Salern Anything is Possible: The Movie Jessee 2012–2019 Dora the Explorer Dora Marquez 2012 Curfew Sophia2013 Tio Papi Angela Anything is Possible Jessee 2014 Before I Disappear Sophia A Little Game Isabella 2014–2017 Dora and Friends: Into the City! Dora 2021 Coast Abby Evans

Accolades YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.2014Young Artist AwardBest Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young ActressTio Papi

Footnotes