Dania Ramirez
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Dania Ramirez (born November 8, 1979) is a Dominican actress. Her credits include the roles of Maya Herrera in ''
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'', Alex in '' Entourage'', and Blanca during the last season of ''
The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...
'' on television. Her film roles include Alex Guerrero in ''
She Hate Me ''She Hate Me'' is a 2004 American independent comedy drama film directed by Spike Lee and starring Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Ellen Barkin, Monica Bellucci, Brian Dennehy, Woody Harrelson, Bai Ling, John Turturro, and Ossie Davis in his ...
'' and
Callisto Callisto most commonly refers to: *Callisto (mythology), a nymph *Callisto (moon), a moon of Jupiter Callisto may also refer to: Art and entertainment *''Callisto series'', a sequence of novels by Lin Carter *''Callisto'', a novel by Torsten Kro ...
in the feature film '' X-Men: The Last Stand''. She portrayed Rosie Falta on
Lifetime Lifetime may refer to: * Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey * ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band * ...
's '' Devious Maids'' from June 2013 until its cancellation in 2016. In July 2017, Ramirez joined the hit
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series ''
Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...
'' for its softly-rebooted seventh season in a starring role as Cinderella.


Early life

Ramirez was born in
Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...
. At an early age, she decided to become an actress. As a young child, she would reenact telenovelas for her family. She was discovered by a modeling scout while working in a convenience store at the age of 15, and was offered a small part in a soda commercial. Later, she decided to pursue acting seriously and studied at the Actor's Workshop in New York City under Flo Greenberg. At 16 years old, Ramirez started at Montclair State University, where her volleyball talents led her to be placed among the top five in career digs, digs/game, solo blocks and total blocks. She graduated in 2001. After graduation, Ramirez moved to
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to pursue her acting career.


Career


Music videos

Ramirez has appeared in several music videos, including
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
's '' Streets is Watching'' (1998),
De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...
's " All Good?" feat.
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...
(2000),
LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...
's " Hush" (2005; directed by her then fiancé Jessy Terrero),
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's " Into the Night" (2007), as well as " Cry Baby Cry" (a collaboration of Santana and Sean Paul). Ramirez appeared in Wisin & Yandel's music video "
Dime Qué Te Pasó ''Wisin vs. Yandel: Los Extraterrestres'' ( en, The Extraterrestrials/Aliens) is the fifth studio album by Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel, released on November 6, 2007, by Machete Music. On November 13, 2008, the album received the Latin ...
", in which she played the main character, the wife and mother of a military man in Iraq who finds out her husband died at war. She was also featured in hip-hop group Sporty Thievz's video "Cheapskate" in 1998.


Films

Ramirez appeared as an extra in the
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film ''Subway Stories'' (1997), where she met filmmaker
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
who would later cast her in the film ''
She Hate Me ''She Hate Me'' is a 2004 American independent comedy drama film directed by Spike Lee and starring Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Ellen Barkin, Monica Bellucci, Brian Dennehy, Woody Harrelson, Bai Ling, John Turturro, and Ossie Davis in his ...
'' (2004). She played older sister "Laurie" in the movie '' Fat Albert'' (2004). She was
Callisto Callisto most commonly refers to: *Callisto (mythology), a nymph *Callisto (moon), a moon of Jupiter Callisto may also refer to: Art and entertainment *''Callisto series'', a sequence of novels by Lin Carter *''Callisto'', a novel by Torsten Kro ...
(one of The Omegas) in the
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
film '' X-Men: The Last Stand'' (2006). She went on to star in ''The 5th Commandment'', a film written by and starring
Rick Yune Rick Yune (born August 22, 1971) is an American actor, screenwriter, producer and martial artist of Korean descent. His most notable roles have been in the movies ''Snow Falling on Cedars'', the first ''Fast and Furious'' film ''The Fast and ...
, in 2008. In 2012, Ramirez appeared in two films, playing Selena in '' American Reunion'' and a
bicycle messenger Bicycle messengers (also known as bike or cycle couriers) are people who work for courier companies (also known as messenger companies) carrying and delivering items by bicycle. Bicycle messengers are most often found in the central business di ...
in ''
Premium Rush ''Premium Rush'' is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by David Koepp and written by Koepp and John Kamps. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez, and Jamie Chung. It follows a bicycle messenger chased around ...
''.


Television

Ramirez appeared as the minor character
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in the final episodes of the
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
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'', and as Blanca Selgado, a recurring role during
season six A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pola ...
of ''
The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...
''. Ramirez portrayed the character of Maya Herrera on the TV series ''
Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
''. Ramirez was a guest judge on episode five of Cycle 14 of America's Next Top Model. Ramirez guest starred as Alex, an employee of Turtle's, who begins a relationship with Turtle in season seven on the TV series '' Entourage''. From 2013 to 2016, Ramirez had been part of the main cast of '' Devious Maids'', which aired on the
Lifetime Lifetime may refer to: * Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey * ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band * ...
network for four seasons. She portrayed
Rosie Falta ''Devious Maids'' is an American comedy-drama series that aired on Lifetime. Character Chart Main characters Marisol Suarez Marisol Suarez ( Ana Ortiz) originally goes undercover as a Beverly Hills maid in order to personally investigat ...
, one of the main characters and titular protagonists of the series. In July 2017, Ramirez was cast as a series regular in the softly-rebooted final season of ''
Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...
''. She portrayed Jacinda Vidrio, the real-world counterpart of the series' second iteration of Cinderella. In 2018, Ramirez was cast in another fairytale-themed drama, '' Tell Me a Story'' for CBS All Access. Ramirez played Hannah Perez, loosely based on Gretel from '' Hansel and Gretel''. As of 2023, she stars in '' Alert: Missing Persons Unit'', which premieres on Fox on January 8. Her casting was announced in August 2022.


Other media

Ramirez has appeared in several magazine spreads. She has also been listed in several of the world's top publications' "Sexiest Ladies of the Year" lists. In 2009, she was added to the roster of models for CoverGirl Cosmetics. In January 2010, Ramirez and
Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...
launched the company's "Clean Makeup for Clean Water Campaign".


Personal life

Dania dated ''
Soul Plane ''Soul Plane'' is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Jessy Terrero (in his feature film directorial debut). The film stars Tom Arnold, Kevin Hart, Method Man and Snoop Dogg. Supporting actors include Mo'Nique, Loni Love, K.D. Aubert, D.L. ...
'' director Jessy Terrero until 2008. She became engaged in September 2011 to director John Beverly "Bev" Land. The couple married on the beach in
Punta Cana Punta Cana is a resort town in the easternmost region of the Dominican Republic. It is part of the Veron–Punta Cana Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipal district, in the Salvaleón de Higüey, Higüey municipality of La Altagraci ...
, Dominican Republic on February 16, 2013. Land has a son, Kai Miles, with former wife
Sharon Leal Sharon Ann Leal is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles in movies such as ''Dreamgirls'', '' This Christmas'', ''Why Did I Get Married?'', ''Why Did I Get Married Too?'' and her roles on the television shows ''Legacy'', ''Gu ...
. On July 15, 2013, Ramirez announced that she was pregnant with twins. That December, she gave birth to fraternal boy-girl twins.


Filmography


Film


Television


Accolades


See also

* List of people from the Dominican Republic


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramirez, Dania 1979 births Living people American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses American people of Dominican Republic descent Dominican Republic emigrants to the United States Hispanic and Latino American actresses Mixed-race Dominicans Montclair State University alumni People from Santo Domingo 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses