Valerie Cruz (born July 18, 1976) is an American actress. Cruz was born in
of
Cuban ancestry. She attended
Florida State University
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the s ...
and received a BFA theatre degree.
Career
She has appeared in films such as ''
Cellular'' and played
Grace Santiago, a main character in ''
Nip/Tuck
''Nip/Tuck'' is an American medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States from July 22, 2003, to March 3, 2010. The series, which also incorporates elements of crime drama, black comedy, family dra ...
'', but she left the show just after the first season.
TV.com
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She has made guest appearances in series such as ''Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into ...
'' and ''Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...
''. In 2007, she appeared as Connie Murphy, a tough Chicago police
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the municipal law enforcement agency of the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the City Council. It is the second-largest municipal police department in the United States, behind th ...
detective
A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...
, in SciFi Channel's adaptation of ''The Dresden Files
''The Dresden Files'' is a series of contemporary fantasy/ mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, '' Storm Front''—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was published in 2000 by Roc Books.
The books are wr ...
''. The show lasted for one season.
Cruz played Maria Nolan on the CW's '' Hidden Palms''. In 2008, she appeared in the third season of ''Dexter
Dexter may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Dexter, the main character of the American animated series '' Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003
* Dexter, a fictional character in the British web series ''Diary of a Bad Man''
* Dext ...
'', playing Syl Prado, the wife of Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits
Jimmy L. Smits (born July 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s-1990s legal drama '' L.A. Law'', NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s-2000s police drama ''NYPD Blue'', Matt Santos ...
).
In 2009, she appeared in the horror film '' The Devil's Tomb'' and the HBO series ''True Blood
''True Blood'' is an American fantasy horror drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels by Charlaine Harris. A reboot is currently in development.
The seri ...
'', in which she played the part of Isabel. That same year, Cruz played Olivia in the film '' La Linea''. In 2010 she became part of the cast of the ABC drama '' Off the Map'', which was canceled by ABC On May 13, 2011. In 2011 she had a recurring role as a Homeland Security agent in the Syfy
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
series ''Alphas
''Alphas'' is an American superhero drama television series created by Zak Penn and Michael Karnow. It follows a group of people with superhuman abilities, known as "Alphas", as they work to prevent crimes committed by other Alphas.
The seri ...
''. In 2012, she played an evil doctor in the "Organ Grinder
A street organ (french: orgue de rue or ''orgue de barbarie''; german: Straßenorgel) played by an organ grinder is a French- German automatic mechanical pneumatic organ designed to be mobile enough to play its music in the street. The two most c ...
" episode of ''Grimm
Grimm may refer to:
People
* Grimm (surname)
* Brothers Grimm, German linguists
** Jacob Grimm (1785–1863), German philologist, jurist and mythologist
** Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), German author, the younger of the Brothers Grimm
* Christi ...
''; the wife of a dictator in the "Enemy of the State
An enemy of the state is a person accused of certain crimes against the state such as treason, among other things. Describing individuals in this way is sometimes a manifestation of political repression. For example, a government may purport to ...
" episode of ''Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
''; and an investigator for the football league in the episode " Spell It Out" of '' Necessary Roughness''. She also starred on ''The Following
''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
The first season follows former FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) ...
'' as Agent Gina Mendez.
Awards
* 2008 ALMA Awards
The American Latino Media Arts Award or ALMA Award, formerly known as Latin Oscars Award, is an award highlighting the best American Latino contributions to music, television, and film. The awards promote fair and accurate portrayals of Latino ...
Nomination; Best lead actress in a drama series for ''The Dresden Files'' on SciFi Channel
* 2009 Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
Nomination; Best ensemble cast in a drama series for ''Dexter'' on Showtime Networks
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
1976 births
Living people
Actors from Elizabeth, New Jersey
American people of Cuban descent
American film actresses
American television actresses
Hispanic and Latino American actresses
Florida State University alumni
Actresses from New Jersey
21st-century American actresses
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