Zulay Henao (born March 22, 1979) is a Colombian-American film and television actress. She has co-starred in a number of films such as '' Illegal Tender'' (2007), ''

Fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

'' (2009), ''

Takers ''Takers'' (formerly known as ''Bone Deep'') is a 2010 American heist action thriller film directed by John Luessenhop from a story and screenplay written by Luessenhop, Gabriel Casseus, Peter Allen, and Avery Duff. It features Matt Dillon, P ...

'' (2010), '' Boy Wonder'' (2011), '' Hostel: Part III'', ''

The Single Moms Club ''The Single Moms Club'' is a 2014 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. The film stars Nia Long, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Zulay Henao, Cocoa Brown, Amy Smart, Terry Crews, and Perry. The film was released on Marc ...

'' (2014), ''

True Memoirs of an International Assassin ''True Memoirs of an International Assassin'' is a 2016 American action comedy film directed by Jeff Wadlow from a screenplay co-written with Jeff Morris. The film stars Kevin James, Zulay Henao, Andy García, Maurice Compte, Kelen Coleman, And ...

'' (2016). In 2014 she began starring as one of the lead characters in the

Oprah Winfrey Network Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is an American multinational basic cable channel jointly owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Harpo Studios that launched on January 1, 2011, replacing the Discovery Health Channel. The network is led by talk show h ...

series, ''

If Loving You Is Wrong ''If Loving You Is Wrong'' is an American prime time television soap opera created, executive produced, written, and directed by Tyler Perry. The series premiered on September 9, 2014 and ended on June 16, 2020. It focuses on the lives and relati ...

''.

Early life

Henao was born in Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia. She and her family emigrated to

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. After high school she served three years with the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

. Henao enrolled at the

New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (NYCDA) is a private acting college in New York City. Originally conceived for the purpose of training actors for film and television acting, in 2009 the conservatory gained accreditation to offer Assoc ...

to study acting.

Career

Henao appeared in two small films, and in 2007 made her television debut in an episode of Lifetime drama series, ''

Army Wives ''Army Wives'' is an American drama television series that followed the lives of four army wives, one army husband, and their families. The series premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007, and ran for seven seasons, ending on June 9, 2013. The sh ...

''. In the same year she also guest-starred on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. Also in 2007, Henao had supporting roles in films '' Illegal Tender'' and ''

Feel the Noise ''Feel the Noise'' is a 2007 American drama film written by Albert Leon, directed by Alejandro Chomski Alejandro Chomski (27 November 1968 – 5 November 2022) was an Argentine film director and screenwriter. As of early 2020, he has directed ...

''. In 2008 she starred in the horror film '' Grizzly Park'' where she met her best friend and co star Julie Skon, who was pregnant with her first child Layla White during the filming, and appeared opposite

Charles S. Dutton Charles Stanley Dutton (born January 30, 1951) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''Roc (TV series), Roc'' (1991–1994) and the television film ''The Piano Lesson (film), The Piano Lesson'' ...

in a Lifetime Original Movie ''

Racing for Time ''Racing for Time'' is a 2008 Lifetime television film starring Charles S. Dutton, and Elizabeth Peña. The movie is based on the accomplishment of real life coach and prison guard Sergeant Noel Chestnut (later promoted to lieutenant) and the Ve ...

''. In 2009, Henao had the female lead role in the sports film ''

'' alongside

Channing Tatum Channing Matthew Tatum (born April 26, 1980) is an American actor. Tatum made his film debut in the drama ''Coach Carter'' (2005), and had his breakthrough role in the 2006 dance film ''Step Up (film), Step Up''. He gained wider attention for ...

, and also appeared in the science fiction film ''

S. Darko ''S. Darko'', pronounced "S Dot Darko", is a 2009 American science fiction thriller film directed by Chris Fisher and starring Daveigh Chase, Briana Evigan, and Ed Westwick. It is the sequel to the 2001 cult film ''Donnie Darko''. In ''Donnie Da ...

''. In 2011 she starred in the independent psychological-thriller film, '' Boy Wonder''. Henao also has appeared in ''

'' (2010) and '' Hostel: Part III'' (2011). In 2013, Henao began starring as regular on the

sitcom, '' Love Thy Neighbor''. She left the show after a single season. Henao starred opposite

Nia Long Nia Talita Long (born October 30, 1970) is an American actress. Best known for her work in Black cinema, Long rose to prominence after starring in the film ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), and for her portrayal of Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes on the NBC sit ...

Wendi McLendon-Covey Wendi McLendon-Covey (née McLendon; born October 10, 1969) is an American actress and comedian. She is known primarily for her work in comedic and improvisational roles. Since 2013, McLendon-Covey has played the role of Beverly Goldberg, a fam ...

, and

Amy Smart Amy Lysle Smart (born March 26, 1976) is an American actress. A native of Los Angeles, Smart began her career modelling in Italy and subsequently enrolled in acting school. Her first role in film was in director Martin Kunert's anthology horror ...

in the 2014 film ''

'', directed by

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmmak ...

. She later was cast in same role of television adaptation of film, called ''

''. Also in 2014, Henao was cast as adult film legend Vanessa del Rio, in an untitled biopic directed by

Thomas Mignone Thomas Mignone is an American feature film, streaming media, commercial, and music video director, and screenwriter. He is best known for directing and writing the dark drama ''On the Doll'' and ''The Latin From Manhattan'' and for directing co ...

. She later left the project and was replaced by Vivian Lamolli. In 2019, she had a recurring roles in ''

The Oath The Oath may refer to: Books * ''The Oath'' (Wiesel novel), a 1973 novel by Elie Wiesel * ''The Oath'' (Peretti novel), a 1995 novel by Frank E. Peretti * '' The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court'', a 2012 book by Jeffrey Toobin ...

'' and '' Stumptown''.

Personal life

Henao is in a relationship with Kevin Connolly. Together they had a baby girl, Kennedy Cruz, in early June 2021.

Filmography

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Henao, Zulay 1979 births 21st-century American actresses 21st-century Colombian actresses American film actresses American television actresses Colombian emigrants to the United States Colombian film actresses Colombian television actresses Hispanic and Latino American actresses Living people People from Medellín United States Army soldiers Women in the United States Army