Jacqueline Fernandez (born 11 August 1985) is a Sri Lankan actress, former model, and the winner of the Miss Sri Lanka Universe pageant of 2006, Currently living in India and working in Bollywood Films. Born into a multiracial family of Canadian, Sri Lankan and Malaysian descent, Fernandez was raised in Bahrain. After graduating in mass communication from the University of Sydney and working as a television reporter in Sri Lanka, she joined the modeling industry. She was crowned the Miss Sri Lanka Universe 2006, and represented her country at Miss Universe 2006.
While on a modelling assignment in India in 2009, Fernandez successfully auditioned for Sujoy Ghosh's fantasy drama Aladin, which marked her acting debut. Fernandez had her breakthrough role with the psychological thriller Murder 2 (2011), her first commercial success. This was followed by glamorous roles in the commercially successful ensemble- comedy Housefull 2 ( 2012 ) and the action thriller Race 2 (2013), which garnered her an IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. Fernandez went on to star in the top-grossing action film Kick ( 2014 ) and the comedies Housefull 3 ( 2016 ) and Judwaa 2 ( 2017 ).
A popular actress in India, Fernandez is the recipient of several awards. Alongside her screen acting career, Fernandez has worked as a judge in the ninth season of the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa ( 2016 – 2017 ), is a popular celebrity endorser for various brands and products, has participated in stage shows, and is active in humanitarian work.
