Fátima Ptacek

Fátima Ptacek (born August 20, 2000) is an American film and television actress and model. A human rights activist working with UN Women's #HeForShe campaign for gender equality, she is best known as the lead actor in the 2012 Academy Award-winning short film Curfew and its 2014 full-length feature film version Before I Disappear. She lent her voice as the lead role of Dora Márquez in the Nickelodeon animated television series Dora the Explorer from 2012 to 2019 and Dora and Friends: Into the City! from 2014 to 2017. Ptacek was born and resides in New York City with her parents. Her mother is Ecuadorian. Her father has Colombian, Czech, Irish, and Norwegian roots. She is a gymnast, competing at United States of America Gymnastics Level 7, and takes part in English equestrian riding; as of 2010, she noted that she was hoping to qualify for the Olympic Games. In 2010, she noted that she was aiming for a scholarship to Harvard or Yale, and was enrolled in an academy for intellectually gifted children. In 2013, she was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. She has expressed interest in transitioning from acting to a career in law someday. Her childhood dream was to be elected President of the United States; and her remarks led to her being invited to view the New York State Assembly and New York State Senate debate in person. She was acknowledged by Assemblyman Francisco Moya on the floor of the Assembly and recognized for her contributions to the arts. In addition to being fluent in English and Spanish, Ptacek has been studying Mandarin Chinese since childhood. In 2018 she started attending Stanford University. Ptacek was given a three-year contract as Dora in Dora the Explorer, in November 2010, with the first new TV episodes with her voice in January 2012. She replaces previous voices Kathleen Herles and Caitlin Sanchez. Dora and Friends: Into the City (2014–2017), also has Ptacek as the voice of Dora.