Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as

Zoe Washburne This page lists characters from the television program, television series ''Firefly (TV series), Firefly''. Major characters Malcolm Reynolds Malcolm Reynolds ("Mal"), played by Nathan Fillion, is owner and captain of the Firefly-class spacesh ...

in the science fiction series ''

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

'' (2002–2003) and its feature film sequel '' Serenity'' (2005), and as

Jessica Pearson '' Suits'' is an American legal drama, created by Aaron Korsh. It premiered on USA Network in June 2011. The series revolves around Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), a senior partner at a top law firm in Manhattan, and his recently hired associa ...

in the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madi ...

legal drama series '' Suits'' (2011–2018) and its spin-off series '' Pearson'' (2019). Torres appeared in the science fiction films ''

The Matrix Reloaded ''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science-fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is a sequel to '' The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Lau ...

'' and ''

The Matrix Revolutions ''The Matrix Revolutions'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the third installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, released six months following ''The Matrix Reloaded''. The film stars ...

'' (both 2003), the drama film '' Jam'' (2006), the romantic comedy film '' I Think I Love My Wife'' (2007), the independent drama film '' South of Pico'' (2007), and the drama film ''

Selah and the Spades ''Selah and the Spades'' is a 2019 American drama film written and directed by Tayarisha Poe, in her feature directorial debut. It stars Lovie Simone, Celeste O'Connor, Jharrel Jerome, Gina Torres, and Jesse Williams. It had its world premiere ...

'' (2019). Throughout her acting career, Torres has appeared in supporting roles in numerous television series, including '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', ''

Cleopatra 2525 ''Cleopatra 2525'' is an American science fiction television series that aired in syndication for two seasons, from January 2000 to March 2001. Produced by Renaissance Pictures and distributed by Studios USA, many stations aired it as part of th ...

'', ''

Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the J ...

'', ''

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles ...

'', '' 24'', ''

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series starring Michael Chiklis that premiered on March 12, 2002, on FX in the United States, and concluded on November 25, 2008, after seven seasons. Known for its portrayal of corrupt pol ...

'', '' Gossip Girl'', ''

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith. The series premiered on The CW on September 10, ...

'', ''

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Pu ...

'', '' 9-1-1: Lone Star'', ''

Revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." P ...

'', and ''

Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...

''.

Early life

Torres was born at the Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, the youngest of three children. Her family lived briefly in Washington Heights before moving to

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

. Her parents were natives of Cuba, and her father worked as a

typesetter Typesetting is the composition of text by means of arranging physical ''type'' (or ''sort'') in mechanical systems or '' glyphs'' in digital systems representing '' characters'' (letters and other symbols).Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random ...

for '' La Prensa'' and the New York ''Daily News''. Torres speaks fluent Spanish. Torres, a

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middl ...

, began singing at an early age and attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City. She also trained in opera and jazz and performed in a gospel choir. Torres applied and was accepted to several colleges but could not afford to attend. She chose instead to pursue her dream of being a performer.

Career

In 2001, Torres won the

ALMA Award 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 ...

for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Syndicated Drama Series for her role in ''

''. In 2004, Torres was nominated for the

International Press Academy The International Press Academy (IPA) is an American association of professional entertainment journalists, representing both domestic and foreign markets in print, television, radio, cable and new media New media describes communication tech ...

Golden Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Drama, for her role as Jasmine in ''

''. Her film appearances have included ''

'' (2003) and ''

'' (2003). In 2004, Torres appeared in seven episodes of the third season on ''24'' as Julia Milliken, a woman who has an affair with the White House Chief of Staff and becomes involved in a presidential scandal. In 2005, she was tapped for the

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in television in the United States, United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a te ...

of ''Soccer Moms''. Also in 2005, she voiced the character of

Vixen Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

in numerous episodes of the animated series ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics univers ...

'' and replaced the voice-over of

Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (; née Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show '' Red Table Talk'', for which she has received a Daytime Emmy Award. ''Time'' name ...

's character Niobe in ''

The Matrix Online ''The Matrix Online'' (abbreviated as ''MxO'') was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) initially developed by Monolith Productions and later, a few months after launch, by Sony Online Entertainment. It was advertised as ...

''.

She is also known for her role in Fox's short-lived ''

'' series, which lasted only one season. She reprised her ''Firefly'' role as Zoe in the film '' Serenity'' (2005). In 2006, Torres began her role as Cheryl Carrera in the short-lived drama series '' Standoff'' on the Fox network. Torres appeared in the film '' I Think I Love My Wife'', playing the wife of

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

's character. She was cast in ''Washington Field'', a 2009 CBS

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other dis ...

from executive Producer Edward Allen Bernero, about the National Capital Response Squad, a unit of the FBI made up of elite experts in different areas who travel around the world, responding to events that affect American interests. She was the voice of

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as bein ...

in ''

DC Universe Online ''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play action combat massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game ...

massively multiplayer online role-playing game A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

until mid 2013 when the part was recast, as well as Airachnid in the ''

Transformers Prime ''Transformers: Prime'' (known as ''Transformers: Prime - Beast Hunters'' during its third and final season) is an American computer-animated television series based on the '' Transformers'' toy franchise by Hasbro that aired on the Hub Network ...

'' cartoon. In 2013, Torres was reunited with fellow ''Firefly'' costar,

Nathan Fillion Nathan Fillion (; born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian-American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on ''Firefly (TV series), Firefly'' and its film continuation ''Serenity (2005 film), Serenity'', ...

, in an episode of Fillion's television show, ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

''. In 2011, Torres was cast as main character

on the

legal drama '' Suits''. In 2016, it was announced that Torres would be leaving the cast of ''Suits'' following the summer segment of season six. In addition to her contract being up, Torres stated she had grown tired of traveling between

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, where ''Suits'' is filmed, and her home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. She joined the season two cast of ABC's '' The Catch'', which was filmed in L.A. Torres returned to ''Suits'' for the season six finale, which aired on March 1, 2017. Following ABC's cancellation of ''The Catch'' in May 2017, Torres has returned to ''Suits'' as a recurring cast member in season seven. Torres plays the role of CAPCOM in the updated version of

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

's Mission: Space. In March 2018, it was announced Torres would executive produce and star in '' Pearson'', a ''Suits'' spin-off centered on her character, Jessica Pearson. It was announced on March 2, 2020, that Torres has been cast to portray Cleo Phillips in the drama pilot ''The Brides'', which is written by

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (born 1973) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics and for the television series '' Glee'', '' Big Love'', '' Riverdale'', '' Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' ...

, but the series was not picked up by ABC. On September 3, 2020, she was cast as Tommy Vega in the Fox drama series '' 9-1-1: Lone Star''.

Personal life

Torres and

Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. He is a three time Emmy Award and Tony Award winning actor known for his roles on stage and screen. He has been hailed for his forceful, militant, and authoritative charact ...

were engaged in February 2001, and married on September 22, 2002, at

The Cloisters The Cloisters, also known as the Met Cloisters, is a museum in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City. The museum, situated in Fort Tryon Park, specializes in European medieval art and architecture, with a fo ...

museum in New York City. They have a daughter together. Torres was also the stepmother to Fishburne's two children, from his previous marriage to actress Hajna O. Moss. Torres and Fishburne played a married couple on the show ''

''. In September 2017, Torres announced her separation from Fishburne. Fishburne filed for divorce on November 2, 2017, and the divorce was finalized effective May 11, 2018, after Torres and Fishburne reached a final settlement on April 16, 2018. On January 1, 2020, Torres was a Grand Marshal of the 2020 Rose Parade.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
Gina Torres
at the Internet Theatre Database * {{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Gina 1969 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New Rochelle, New York Actresses from New York City American film actresses American mezzo-sopranos American people of Cuban descent American stage actresses American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni African-American actresses Hispanic and Latino American actresses People from the Bronx People from Washington Heights, Manhattan 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people