Carmen Gloria Pérez was born in The Bronx, New York and moved to Puerto Rico as a young child. At the age of 17, she joined the U.S. Army active duty, was stationed overseas and then Washington, D.C. Early in her professional career, Pérez won the 2003 ADA Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama by the Valley Theatre League for the Layon Gray play "Soldiers Don't Cry."