Maria Canals-Barrera

I rate Maria Canals-Barrera as one of those character actors whose value far outstrips her fame. Most people remember the Disney teen stars of Wizards of Waverly Place, but the warmth of that show rests on her Theresa Russo. A Miami-born Cuban-American who trained at home in Florida and quietly built a long career across TV, film and voice work, she never chased tabloid attention. That steadiness is exactly what makes family entertainment feel real. I find her the kind of dependable, grounded performer the industry undervalues, and I have a soft spot for actors who anchor a cast without demanding the spotlight.

Name (English)

Maria Canals-Barrera

Name (Japanese)

マリア・キャナル＝バレーラ

Reading

まりあ・きゃなる＝ばれーら

Born

September 28, 1966 (age 59)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Libra / Horse

Origin

Miami, Florida, United States

Occupation

actor / television actor / film actor / voice actor

High school

Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School

University

University of Miami

Motto

Private

• Xhttps://x.com/Maria_CB
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%83%8A%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%83%90%E3%83%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A9

Tags

• Florida
• actor
• television actor
• film actor

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.