Daphne Rubin-Vega ( Vega; born November 18, 1969) is a Panamanian-American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the roles of Mimi Marquez in the

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' and Lucy in the

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

play ''

Jack Goes Boating ''Jack Goes Boating'' is a 2010 American romantic drama film directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman (in his only career directorial effort) and stars Hoffman in the title role, as well as Amy Ryan, John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega. The film's scrip ...

''. Rubin-Vega also appeared as ''Bombshell'' publicist Agnes in the second season of the TV series '' Smash'' (2012) and as Luisa Lopez in the TV series ''

Katy Keene Katy Keene is a character created by Bill Woggon that has appeared in several comic book series published by Archie Comics since 1945. She is a model/actress/singer marketed by the publisher as "America's Queen of Pin-Ups and Fashions". In the bo ...

'' (2020). In 2021, Rubin-Vega starred as salon owner Daniela in the

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, playwright and filmmaker. He is known for creating the Broadway musicals ''Hamilton'' (2015) and ''In the Heights'' (2005), and the soundtracks for the Disney animate ...

's ''

In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical theatre, musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a Book (musical theatre), book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the larg ...

''.

Early life

Rubin-Vega was born in

Panama City, Panama Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

, the daughter of Daphine Corina, a nurse, and José Mercedes Vega, a carpenter.Daphne Rubin-Vega biography
filmreference.com. Accessed October 11, 2022. Her stepfather Leonard Rubin was a writer. Her mother's family came to Panama from

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

, as the canal created opportunities for West Indians of African descent throughout the Caribbean. Her mother moved from Panama to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

with her children when Daphne was only two years old, and passed away eight years later. Rubin-Vega studied theater at the New

LAByrinth Theater Company LAByrinth Theater Company is a non-profit, Off-Broadway theater company based in New York City. Led by Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz for many years, its artistic director is Ortiz. The New York Times described it in 2014 as "an ethnically ...

as well as with

William Esper Studio The William Esper Studio was founded in 1965 as a school for the performing arts in Manhattan, New York. The school is dedicated to the acting technique of Sanford Meisner. Its founder, William "Bill" Esper, is often referred to as the best-known o ...

. She also performed with the comedy group ''El Barrio USA''.

Career

''Rent'' and Broadway

While performing with ''El Barrio USA'', Rubin-Vega landed an audition for a new musical written and composed by

Jonathan Larson Jonathan David Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American composer, lyricist and playwright most famous for writing the musicals ''Rent'' and '' Tick, Tick... Boom!'', which explored the social issues of multiculturalism, ...

. The role was for Broadway musical ''

'', and the role was Mimi Marquez, a nineteen-year-old, HIV-positive heroin addict who works at the Cat Scratch Club as an

exotic dancer A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. M ...

. Before landing the role, Rubin-Vega claims that she was not a major fan of musical-theater. The struggling actress auditioned for musical director Tim Weil by singing " Roxanne" by

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...

. She was then handed an original number from the production and told to learn it. Rubin-Vega performed in the original workshop before the play went to Broadway. At the time, the script was vastly different from the current version. She developed the role all the way to its Broadway premiere on April 29, 1996. She left the cast on April 5, 1997, and was replaced by

Marcy Harriell Marcy Harriell is an American actress, singer and writer. She is best known for her appearances on Broadway, starring in the Tony Award winning musicals ''In the Heights'' and ''Rent'', and as the host of the fashion series '' Re:Fashion'' on TN ...

. Rubin-Vega did not participate in the film adaptation of ''Rent'', as she was pregnant at the time of the movie's casting and filming. The role subsequently went to

Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...

. One of her castmates was

Wilson Jermaine Heredia Wilson Jermaine Heredia (born December 2, 1971) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Angel Dumott Schunard in the Broadway musical ''Rent'', for which he won the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musica ...

, with whom she also starred in the 1999 film '' Flawless''. Rubin-Vega has two

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

nominations to her credit: one for her role in ''Rent'' as Best Actress in a Musical, and the other for her performance as Conchita in ''

Anna in the Tropics ''Anna in the Tropics'' is a play by Nilo Cruz. It won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Plot The play is set in Ybor City, a section of Tampa and the center of the cigar industry. When Cuban immigrants brought the cigar-making industry to Flori ...

'' (2003), as Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play. She won the

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway theatre, Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945� ...

in 1996 for ''Rent''. She was also awarded the Blockbuster Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Suspense Thriller for her role in the film '' Wild Things''. She later appeared in the 2000 Broadway production of ''

The Rocky Horror Show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple ...

'' in the role of Magenta. She continued the role through the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, and in 2005, Rubin-Vega later recounted in an interview with Fox News that the theater had gone from selling out to barely selling any tickets at all: "It went from full house to practically two people." She starred with

Phylicia Rashad Phylicia Rashad ( ) (née Ayers-Allen; born June 19, 1948) is an American actress, singer and director who is dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University. She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby S ...

in a musical version of

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...

's ''

The House of Bernarda Alba ''The House of Bernarda Alba'' ( es, La casa de Bernarda Alba) is a play by the Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. Commentators have often grouped it with ''Blood Wedding'' and ''Yerma'' as a "rural trilogy". Garcia Lorca did not include ...

'' at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

in March 2006. She played the role of

Fantine Fantine (French pronunciation: ) is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. She is a young '' grisette'' in Paris who becomes pregnant by a rich student. After he abandons her, she is forced to look after their chil ...

in the 2006 Broadway revival of the popular musical ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' beginning November 9. On March 2, 2007, she was replaced by

Lea Salonga Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplyin ...

Later career: ''Jack Goes Boating'' and further productions

In February 2007, Daphne Rubin-Vega performed alongside

Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—typically lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical produ ...

in the play ''

'' off-Broadway at

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...

and also appeared in the film version. Rubin-Vega appeared in a cameo role in ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City (newspaper column), newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the ...

'', which premiered in May 2008. In November 2010, she received the

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...

nomination for 2011, for her role in ''Jack Goes Boating''. The award ceremony was held in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

in February 2011. She starred Off-Broadway as Yvette in Tommy Nohilly's world premier of ''Blood From A Stone'' at The New Group's Acorn Theater until February 19, 2011. She appeared in the Off-Broadway cast of ''Love, Loss, and What I Wore'' from March 23 to April 24, 2011. Later that year, the feature film ''Union Square'', co-written and directed by the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

's Grand Jury Award Winner,

Nancy Savoca Nancy Laura Savoca (born July 23, 1959) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life and education Nancy Laura Savoca was born in 1959 in the Bronx, New York, to Argentine and Sicilian immigrants Maria Elvira and Carlos S ...

, premiered at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

. In spring 2012, Rubin-Vega returned to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in a new revival of

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

' ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of person ...

'', playing the role of

Stella Kowalski Stella Kowalski (née DuBois) is one of the main characters in Tennessee Williams' play ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. She is the younger sister of central character Blanche DuBois and wife of Stanley Kowalski. In the play The play begins when Bla ...

opposite

Blair Underwood Blair Erwin Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film ''Krush Groove'' and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series ''L.A. Law''. Underwood has a ...

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

. This revival was directed by Emily Mann and featured a mostly African-American cast. In October 2016, Rubin-Vega starred in the world premiere of '' Miss You Like Hell'', a new musical by

Quiara Alegría Hudes Quiara Alegría Hudes (born 1977) is an American playwright, producer, lyricist and essayist. She is best known for writing the libretto, book for the musical theatre, musical ''In the Heights,'' and screenplay for In the Heights (film), its film ...

and

Erin McKeown Erin McKeown (pronounced ) is an American multi-instrumentalist and folk-rock singer-songwriter. McKeown's music encompasses pop, swing, rock, folk, and electronic music, as well as several other genres. Music career They grew up in Freder ...

, at the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

."Know Before You Go: Miss You Like Hell"
lajollaplayhouse.org, 2016 The show opened off-Broadway at The Public Theater in New York on April 10, 2018, with Rubin-Vega reprising the role of Beatriz. Rubin-Vega performed the lead role in the scripted fiction podcast, ''The Horror of Dolores Roach'', which was released by

Gimlet Media Gimlet Media LLC is a digital media company and podcast network, focused on producing narrative podcasts and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. The company was founded in 2014 by Alex Blumberg and Matthew Lieber, who serve as the company's CEO ...

in October 2018. The story, co-starring

Bobby Cannavale Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in ''Third Watch'', ''Vinyl'', and ''Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in ''Will & Grace'', which wo ...

as Louis, is a contemporary reimagining of ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial ''The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London urban legend, legend. A barber fr ...

'', using

cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...

as a metaphor for

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...

. ''Dolores Roach'' is an adaptation of Rubin-Vega's stage performance in the one-woman play ''Empanada Loca''. Both ''Empanada Loca'' and ''Dolores Roach'' were written by playwright Aaron Mark especially for Rubin-Vega, who said in a ''Vulture'' interview that he "wanted to do a deep dive into a character we haven't seen depicted much in the horror cannon." Since 2020, she has played the role of Luisa Lopez, a recurring character, in the television series ''

'' on

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. In 2021, she played the role of Daniela in ''

'', earning praise for her performance from critics. Her involvement with the original musical dates back to its Off-Broadway and Broadway productions, where she provided the voice of the DJ who opens the show.

Music career

She began her musical career as the lead singer for the

Latin freestyle Freestyle music, also called Latin freestyle or Latin hip-hop ''(sic)'' is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the New York metropolitan area and Philadelphia, primarily among Hispanic Americans and Italian Americans in the 1980s. I ...

group Pajama Party, placing three songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1989 and 1990. As a solo artist her biggest success is on the

Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart, where in 1996 she hit No. 1 with the song "I Found It." She returned to the top of the dance/club play charts in 2003 with a dance version of

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

's "Rocketman". In 2001, she recorded her debut full-length rock album of original songs, ''Souvenirs''. The album was never officially released after

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

was purchased by Seagram. After being dropped from her label, Rubin-Vega began gifting copies out to fans, encouraging them to leak it online. The record later saw limited release for the charity Broadway Cares. Rubin-Vega also released her second full-length album of original songs titled ''Redemption Songs'' released in October 2006 on Sh-K Boom Records.Gans, Andre
"Diva Talk: Chatting with Les Miz's Daphne Rubin-Vega PLUS News of LuPone, D'Abruzzo and Murphy"
playbill.com, October 13, 2006 Her rock band DRV regularly performs live shows in New York City.

Personal life

Rubin-Vega has been married to businessman Thomas Costanzo since 2002. They have a son.

Discography

With Pajama Party: * 1989 – '' Up All Night'' * 1991 – ''Can't Live Without It'' Solo-work: * 1994 – When You Love Someone (Single) * 1995 – Change (Single) * 1995 – I Found It (Single) Produced and co-written by David Anthony * 2001 – Souvenirs * 2003 – Rocket Man (EP) * 2006 – Redemption Songs Rubin-Vega also appears on the original cast recording of ''

'' and the revival recording of ''

''. Rubin-Vega also appears on ''A Very Marti Holiday'', a Christmas album heavily featured on Shade: Queens of NYC in which Rubin-Vega also had a guest appearance, and on the ''

'' soundtrack.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official site
* * *
Broadway.com Q&A: Daphne Rubin-Vega

Time Out New York Interview: Daphne Rubin-Vega

Luna Art the Magazine: Daphne Rubin-Vega Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubin-Vega, Daphne 1969 births Panamanian emigrants to the United States American dance musicians Living people Hispanic and Latino American actresses People from Panama City Theatre World Award winners Hispanic and Latino American women singers 21st-century American women