# Cierra Ramirez
**Cierra Ramirez** (full name Cierra Alexa Ramirez) is an American actress and singer, born in 1995 in Houston, Texas, best known for playing Mariana Adams Foster on the Freeform drama *The Fosters* and its spin-off *Good Trouble*, a role she carried across more than a decade of television.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028116/) She also executive produced *Good Trouble* from its 2019 launch and made her directorial debut in the series' fifth and final season.[2](https://www.thewrap.com/good-trouble-season-5-cierra-ramirez-freeform-interview/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995, Houston, Texas; parents of Colombian and Mexican descent[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028116/) • [3](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/cierra-ramirez/) |
| Signature role | Mariana Adams Foster on *The Fosters* (2013–2018, 104 episodes) and *Good Trouble* (2019–2024, 88 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028116/) |
| Behind the camera | Executive producer of *Good Trouble* from its 2019 launch; directorial debut in the show's final season (2024)[2](https://www.thewrap.com/good-trouble-season-5-cierra-ramirez-freeform-interview/) |
| Breakthrough film | Lead role as Ansiedad in *Girl in Progress* (2012), for which she won an ALMA Award[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028116/) |
| Voice work | America Chavez in *Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors* (2018) and related projects[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cierra_ramirez) |
| Music | EP *Discreet* (2016), which debuted at number 16 on the iTunes pop charts; album *Over Your Head* (2020)[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cierra-ramirez-mn0003530747) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028116/) |
## Early life and start in television
Ramirez was born in Houston, Texas to parents of Colombian and Mexican descent; her father is music producer Sonny Ramirez, and the family moved to Los Angeles when she was 13 so she could pursue acting and singing.[3](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/cierra-ramirez/) Her first television appearance came at age ten on *Showtime at the Apollo*, where she performed the song "I Am Changing"; shortly afterward she was signed to a record label and opened for groups including Earth, Wind and Fire and Chicago.[6](https://goodtrouble.fandom.com/wiki/Cierra_Ramirez) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cierra_ramirez)
**Child and teen roles.** Through the mid-2000s she took guest spots on *CSI: Miami*, *Zoey 101*, and *Desperate Housewives*, and in 2007 began the recurring role of Jasmine on the [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) series *The Suite Life of Zack & Cody*.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cierra_ramirez) In 2012 she played Ansiedad, a lead role opposite [Eva Mendes](https://www.edgepedia.org/eva-mendes), in the film *Girl in Progress*, and the same year began the recurring part of Kathy on ABC Family's *The Secret Life of the American Teenager*, appearing in 22 episodes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028116/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cierra_ramirez) The *Girl in Progress* role earned her an ALMA Award.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028116/)
## The Fosters and Good Trouble
In 2013 Ramirez joined the cast of *The Fosters* as Mariana Adams Foster, one of the adopted children of Stef Adams Foster ([Teri Polo](https://www.edgepedia.org/teri-polo)) and Lena Adams Foster ([Sherri Saum](https://www.edgepedia.org/sherri-saum)).[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cierra_ramirez) In the pilot, Mariana secretly reaches out to her birth mother Ana for answers, and the character later develops passions for dance and coding.[7](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/from-the-fosters-pilot-to-good-trouble-finale-see-cast-then-and-now/) Ramirez appeared in 104 episodes across the show's five seasons, which ended in 2018.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028116/)
When the spin-off *Good Trouble* premiered in January 2019, Ramirez reprised Mariana as an adult living in downtown Los Angeles with her sister Callie ([Maia Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/maia-mitchell)) and a group of loftmates in a communal space called The Coterie.[8](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/come-together) In the series, Mariana works as a software engineer at the tech company Speckulate and later becomes its co-CEO alongside Evan Speck.[7](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/from-the-fosters-pilot-to-good-trouble-finale-see-cast-then-and-now/)
**Executive producer and director.** Ramirez has served as an executive producer on *Good Trouble* since the show's 2019 launch.[2](https://www.thewrap.com/good-trouble-season-5-cierra-ramirez-freeform-interview/) In the fifth and final season she made her directorial debut, as did her onscreen mother Sherri Saum.[2](https://www.thewrap.com/good-trouble-season-5-cierra-ramirez-freeform-interview/) In interviews, Ramirez said she had shadowed directors over a couple of seasons before stepping behind the camera, and that she wanted to keep taking on roles that "get conversations started," continuing the socially engaged storytelling of both series.[2](https://www.thewrap.com/good-trouble-season-5-cierra-ramirez-freeform-interview/) • [9](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/good-trouble-series-finale-spoilers-cierra-ramirez-interview-1235137524/) *Good Trouble* wrapped its five-season run with a series finale in March 2024, ending twelve years of the Adams Foster franchise.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/good-trouble-cast-showrunner-legacy-freeform/)
## Music
Ramirez launched a recording career in 2016 with the six-track EP *Discreet*, released through Tribeca Music Group; the EP's pop and R&B-influenced tracks included "Faded" featuring [Casey Veggies](https://www.edgepedia.org/casey-veggies) and "Vanity" with Dylan Holland, and the EP debuted at number 16 on the iTunes pop charts.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cierra-ramirez-mn0003530747) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028116/) She released the single "Bad Boys" in 2018, and in 2019 collaborated with actor [Trevor Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/trevor-jackson-performer) on the song "Broke Us."[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cierra-ramirez-mn0003530747) Her album *Over Your Head* followed in 2020.[11](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/54661-cierra-ramirez/)
## Other work
Beyond live action, Ramirez voiced the Marvel superhero [America Chavez](https://www.edgepedia.org/america-chavez) in *[Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-rising-secret-warriors)* (2018) and its related projects, including *Marvel Rising: Chasing Ghosts* and *Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron* (2019).[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cierra_ramirez) Her film credits also include the 2017 television movie *Drink Slay Love* and the 2023 comedy *The Re-Education of Molly Singer*, in which she played Lindsay.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cierra_ramirez) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028116/) ABC's cast biography also credits her with an Imagen Foundation Award and a GLAAD Media Award nomination alongside her ALMA Award.[12](https://abc.com/cast/57f301f4-cbb0-45eb-bc06-b776fd6990a7)
## References
1. [Cierra Ramirez – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2028116/)
2. ['Good Trouble' Star Cierra Ramirez Talks Directorial Debut – TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/good-trouble-season-5-cierra-ramirez-freeform-interview/)
3. [Cierra Ramirez – FormulaTV](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/cierra-ramirez/)
4. [Cierra Ramirez – Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/cierra_ramirez)
5. [Cierra Ramirez – AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cierra-ramirez-mn0003530747)
6. [Cierra Ramirez – Good Trouble Wiki](https://goodtrouble.fandom.com/wiki/Cierra_Ramirez)
7. [From The Fosters Pilot to Good Trouble Finale – Us Weekly](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/from-the-fosters-pilot-to-good-trouble-finale-see-cast-then-and-now/)
8. [Come Together – Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/come-together)
9. [Good Trouble's Cierra Ramirez Talks Directorial Debut – TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/good-trouble-series-finale-spoilers-cierra-ramirez-interview-1235137524/)
10. [Good Trouble Cast and Boss Say Goodbye – TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/good-trouble-cast-showrunner-legacy-freeform/)
11. [Cierra Ramirez – Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/artist/54661-cierra-ramirez/)
12. [Cierra Ramirez as Mariana Adams Foster – ABC](https://abc.com/cast/57f301f4-cbb0-45eb-bc06-b776fd6990a7)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Actors and actresses by country or nationality › American actors and actresses › Surnames P to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license