Coral Peña (born ) is a Dominican actor. She is known for playing the role of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

flight director Aleida Rosales on the

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

series '' For All Mankind''.

Early life and education

Peña was born in

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

, and raised by a single mother in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. She graduated from St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's School in 2007. Peña took acting classes while attending the

Peddie School The Peddie School is a non-denominational, coeducational college preparatory school located on a campus in Hightstown, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA that serves boarding and day students in the ninth through twelfth grades, as well as po ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and decided to pursue a career in that field. After graduating from Peddie in 2011, Peña studied drama at

New York University Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

and

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

Career

Peña's first television role was a guest appearance on ''

Blue Bloods ''Blue Bloods'' is an American police procedural drama (film and television), drama television series that aired on CBS from September 24, 2010, to December 13, 2024, across 14 seasons and 293 episodes. Its main characters were members of the fi ...

''. Her later roles included a series regular part on '' 24: Legacy'', and a recurring role on '' The Enemy Within''. She has also narrated the American version of ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people ( ...

'' since 2020. Peña made her debut movie appearance in the 2017 film '' The Post'', directed by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

. She later appeared in the 2019 film '' Chemical Hearts'', and in the 2023 film ''Story Ave''. Peña joined the cast of ''For All Mankind'' in its second season, airing in 2021. She plays the character of Aleida Rosales, a Mexican immigrant, portrayed in season one as a child by Olivia Trujillo. Peña's stage performances include the role of Ry in a 2019

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 ...

production of ''BLKS'' at the MCC Theater, the role of Kit in a 2023 production of ''Our Dear Dead Drug Lord'' at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, and

Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama ''Hamlet'' (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultima ...

in Robert O’Hara’s production of

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

, starring Patrick Ball as Hamlet and

Gina Torres Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. Her starring roles include Zoe Washburne in the science fiction series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its feature film sequel '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jessica Pearson in the legal dr ...

as Gertrude, at the

Mark Taper Forum The Mark Taper Forum is a 739-seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center designed by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of downtown Los Angeles. Named for real estate developer Mark Taper, the Forum, the neighborin ...

. Writing for the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

, Charles McNulty praised Peña’s performance, noting her “formidable Ophelia might be the production’s saving grace. Fiercely independent, she answers to no one’s morality but her own.” In 2023, Peña was nominated for an

Imagen Award The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment industry." To be considered for an Imagen Award, a media piece or person ...

for Best Supporting Actress, for her work on ''For All Mankind''.

Personal life

Peña identifies as nonbinary. She has lived in

for nearly all of her life.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pena, Coral 1990s births Living people Actors from Manhattan Actors from Santo Domingo American non-binary actors American people of Dominican Republic descent Dominican Republic film actresses Dominican Republic television actresses Hispanic and Latino American actors LGBTQ Hispanic and Latino American people Peddie School alumni People from Harlem Tisch School of the Arts alumni 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American LGBTQ people