Monique Kathleen Candelaria was born on February 11th, 1987, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Carla Bernadette Castillo and David Robert Candelaria. Following her birth, her father joined the army, and the family relocated to Bremerhaven, Germany, where her brother, David A. Candelaria, was born. Monique also has two half-brothers, Ivan and Nathan Del Curto, who are a year younger than her.
After her father suffered a brain aneurysm, rendering him a 100% disabled veteran, the family returned to New Mexico. During this time, Monique's love for the arts began to flourish. As a child, around the age of seven, she started singing in weddings and funerals, realizing that singing was her security blanket. Although she never pursued music as a career, she continued to keep it as a passionate hobby.
At the age of 15, Monique became a dancer for a local television show in Albuquerque called "Dance, Dance, Dance it's a Teen Thing." In 2009, she graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre, emphasizing Acting.
Monique's first film role was in the 1940s New Mexican period piece "Bless me, Ultima" (2013),directed by Carl Franklin in 2010. Her most recognizable role was Lucy, the Denny's waitress, from "Breaking Bad" (Live Free or Die #501) (2012-2013) (TV). However, her first lead role was in the feature film "The Control Group" (2014),starring Brad Dourif. A couple of years later, she was cast in her second lead role in the film "Cents" (2016) as the character Angela Baca, who struggles with being a single mother raising a mathematical genius.
