Depending on the generation of television audiences, younger audiences may not know Kristin Herrera. The actress, whose career began as a child actor, has been away from the spotlight for years. Interestingly, Herrera spent the 2000s appearing in several TV shows.
Like many child actors from her generation, Kristin Herrera had an acting stint on Nickelodeon. Unarguably, Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101 was the actress’s most famed role. However, since her abrupt exit, she slowly disappeared from the spotlight. Here’s a look at Kristin Herrera’s career highlights and notable roles.
Kristin Herrera’s Career Began At Age 6
The actress was born Kristin Lisa Herrera in Los Angeles, California, on February 21, 1989. Growing up in Los Angeles exposed her to the entertainment world, but her parents had not naturally considered it a career path. However, all of that changed when a manager at a market suggested to her parents that she might have a future on television.
While most people knew Herrera with straight hair, she wore big, brown, curly hair when she was younger. After the manager’s comment, Herrera’s mother got the actress an agent. It paid off massively, as the young Kristin Herrera was what certain brands were looking for at the time. A 6-year-old Herrera launched her career in commercials. Her debut commercial was for a phone service brand.
Kristin Herrera’s Acting Debut Was In 2001
Kristin Herrera’s early career began with several guest-starring roles in television. The then-12-year-old actress made her debut on an episode (“Oh Golly Goth”) of ABC’s police procedural TV series NYPD Blue. The following year, Herrera starred as a guest in three TV shows, including 7th Heaven (as Katie), The Division (as Aimee Varga), and The Bernie Mac Show (as Sophia) in season 2, episode 6 (“Bernie Mac Dance Party”).
Kristin Herrera’s Joined General Hospital In 2004
2004 was Kristin Herrera’s breakout year. The actress first appeared in an episode (“The Student”) on NBC’s medical drama ER, which aired on April 1, 2004. She later joined the cast of the longest-running American soap opera in production, General Hospital, in 2004.
Herrera was cast in a recurring role as Lourdes Del Torro, appearing on the show in 15 episodes from 2004 to 2008. One of her notable appearances on the show was when Johnny Zacchara (Brandon Barash) and Lulu Spencer (Julie Marie Berman)were on the run. Kristin Herrera originated the role of Lourdes Del Torro and was the only actress to play the role until its exit.
Kristin Herrera Starred In A Season of Zoey 101
Most television audiences that know Kristin Herrera know her from playing Dana Cruz in Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101. As one of the main cast, Herrera debuted on Zoey 101 in its premiere episode (“Welcome to PCA”). Herrera’s Dana Cruz character was introduced as one of Zoey Brooks’ (Jamie Lynn Spears) roommates. Dana Cruz was tomboyish and athletic (especially in basketball and skateboarding), and she hated to have her sleep interrupted. Dana Cruz was a fan favorite because of her strong-willed personality. The Dana Cruz character exited Zoey 101 at the end of season 1, with a story arc that saw her move to Paris after being accepted into a European student exchange program.
However, behind the scenes, Kristin Herrera was reportedly fired from the show. For years, the real reason for her exit hasn’t been addressed by either Herrera or Nickelodeon. Initially, Herrera was believed to have been let go because of her age. Kristin Herrera was 16 at the end of season 1. Although several other cast members were younger (Jamie Lynn Spears was 14, Paul Butcher was 11, Christopher Massey was 15, and Erin Sanders was 14), Sean Lynn was the same age as Herrera but remained on the show until its final season. Herrera’s character was replaced with Nicole Bristow (Alexa Nikolas)
However, last year, on the H3 Podcast with Jonah Hill, Zoey 101 alum Alexa Nikolas (who played Nicole Bristow) gave another insight into why Kristin Herrera left the show. While speaking about her being a victim of bullying on the show, Nikolas stated, “I just wanted to be friends with everybody, and it was just this wall to the point where they ended up getting rid of one of the girls on the show in the first season because of the bullying experience… This girl was actually doing it with her [Spears] to me… They let her go because she was so mean. She pushed me into a rock at one point in one of the episodes… It was just really bad… It sucks; it was just not a good time, honestly, and so yeah, they ended up having to let her go, and that’s when they hired Victoria Justice for the second season.”
Kristin Herrera’s Career After Zoey 101
The following year, Kristin Herrera guest-starred in a 2006 episode (“White Balance”) of CBS’s police procedural drama series Without a Trace. Herrera also made her feature film debut in 2007, appearing as Gloria Munez in the Hilary Swank-led biographical drama Freedom Writers. The movie also starred Imelda Staunton, Scott Glenn, Patrick Dempsey, and Mario. She also played Karen in the horror romantic drama Resurrection Mary.
Kristin Herrera Took A 12-Year Hiatus From Acting
A good reason Kristin Herrera isn’t known to today’s television audiences is her 12-year acting break. After her 2008 appearance on General Hospital, Herrera returned to the screen, reuniting with her former Zoey 101 castmates. The Zoey 101 cast reunited in an episode of the final season of Nickelodeon‘s sketch-comedy series All That.
The next year, Herrera reprised her role as Karen in the 2021 The Legend of Resurrection Mary. Since then, the actress has not done any projects in film or television. Although she hasn’t officially retired from acting, it’s unknown when she’ll take up a new project. Besides Kristin Herrera, Days of Our Lives actress Nadia Bjorlin has also had an interesting career.
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