One of the most respected Latino actors in Hollywood, April Lee Hernandez-Castillo's personal life-story is one of victory. Her feature film debut as Eva Benitez in the 2007 Image Award nominated MTV film, Freedom Writers, alongside Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank, put her in the ranks of some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
An actress with a blend of unlimited expression and humor, the Bronx, New York native made her stage debut at the famous New York Comedy Club in New York City as a standup comedienne. As an actress, April expanded her stage experience to television. She got her first acting break as the Yo/Yoa Girl alongside NBA All-Star Houston Rockets center, Yao Ming in the 2004 Super Bowl Visa Check Card national commercial. Next came major television roles that would include NBC's Emmy-award winning series ER, Law & Order and 30 Rock. Keeping an eye on the big picture, in 2007 April tried out for the role of a lifetime and got it. She would co-star alongside one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Hilary Swank. It was this role that April would catch the attention of The View producers who invited her to co-host the show.
Reaching critical heights, her portrayal of Eva Benitez earned her recognition and critical acclaim confirming her status as one of the more talented up and coming actresses. Now displaying the talent and drive to parlay success into a career as a respected actress, April garnered roles both onstage and off in the FOX pilot Blue Blood and Showtime's Nurse Jackie and received a SAG Award nomination for her role as Officer Cira Manson in Showtime's award winning drama Dexter. She recently wrapped J Anderson Mitchell's sci-fi comedy Future Folk, a new webseries East WillyB and is in production on the Brian A. Miller film, Officer Down alongside James Wood and David Boreanaz. Onstage, April would get a chance of a lifetime to work with award winning director Frank Perez in Nancy Genova's off Broadway play, Death of a Dream.