Monica Barbaro plays Assistant State's Attorney Anna Valdez on the NBC drama "Chicago Justice."

Barbaro was born in San Francisco and raised in Mill Valley, Calif. She is classically trained in ballet and has studied modern dance, salsa, flamenco and West African dance. She attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she took her first acting classes while getting her bachelor of fine arts degree in dance. After university, Barbaro studied at various acting schools in San Francisco and Los Angeles, including the Beverly Hills Playhouse.

Barbaro most recently starred in Lifetime's critically acclaimed drama series "UnREAL."

Barbaro currently resides in Chicago and Los Angeles.