In addition to her musical and modeling endeavors, Rosie Vela has acted in a three major motion pictures. In 1980 she landed a role in "Heaven's Gate," a big-budget western set in late 19th century Wyoming.

Rosie is shown prominently at the very beginning of this film as a "beautiful girl" who catches the eye of Sheriff James Averill (Kris Kristofferson) during a college graduation ceremony. She also appears at the very end of this epic-length flick.

In the '90s, Rosie acted in two films: "The Two Jakes" and "Inside Edge." In the former - the sequel to "Chinatown" featuring Jack Nicholson - Rosie has two very brief scenes as the girlfriend of Jack's character. The latter film features Rosie in a starring role. She's the nightclub-singer girlfriend of a drug lord, and she becomes involved with a cop (played by Michael Madsen) who wants to put him out of business. Rosie also sings some bluesy torch songs in this film. Unfortunately, the producer saw fit to have all of Rosie's speaking parts overdubbed by an unknown actress.

In addition to appearing in films, Rosie has done some work for television. Her first TV appearance was in a mid-'80s Michelob advertisement. In 1994 Rosie could be seen in a popular TV ad for Maybelline Revitalizing Makeup. Throughout 1998, Rosie appeared in a TV commercial for the Cadillac Seville luxury sedan that featured her in several outdoor scenes.