Lorraine Vélez

Lorraine Vélez (born November 2, 1964) is an American singer and actress, who has specialized in musical theatre. Her name has sometimes appeared as Loraine Velez. She is the identical twin sister of actress Lauren Vélez.

Early life

Lauren and Lorraine's parents moved from Puerto Rico in the early 1950s and lived in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City. The twins were born in Brooklyn, New York. They have five other sisters and one brother. Their father, a New York City Police Department officer, eventually bought a house in Far Rockaway, Queens, and moved there with his wife and eight children. The twins enjoyed setting up improvised plays and acting for the family, and they participated in nearly all their high school productions, such as ''Fiddler on the Roof''. After graduating from high school, they each received scholarships to attend the Alvin Ailey Dance School. They both went on to study acting at the Acting Studio with its founding artistic director James Price, the protégé and personal friend of Sanford Meisner.

Career

Early career

Lorraine's first professional job was singing and acting for the Theater for the New City (TNC) in the East Village. She went on to play in ''Dreamgirls'' at the Ambassador Theater on Broadway, and she performed in the off-Broadway production of '' Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?'' She played Leah and Sister Hilton in the original '' Black Nativity'' at the Master Theater, Young Maria in '' Maria de Buenos Aires'' at Houston Grand Opera, and Anita in ''West Side Story'' at the Lakeview Theater, Virginia. In the independent film ''A Day Out of Days'', she took the role of Roxanne. With a production of ''Blues in the Night'', she toured throughout Central and South America, and she sang in Japan and France.

West End and Broadway career

In 1993, Vélez moved to London, where she worked regularly for a number of years on the West End stage. She played Carmen in the original cast of the musical '' Fame'', which opened to standing ovations at the Prince of Wales and Cambridge Theatres. Vélez recorded the title track of the ''Fame'' CD, which was released by Polydor Records. ''Fame'' also played at The Theatre Royal, Plymouth.

In addition, Lorraine played Hannah in '' Out of the Blue'' at the Shaftesbury Theatre, Lena Horne in '' Mama, I Want to Sing!'' at the Prince of Wales Theatre, and Gigi in ''Miss Saigon'' at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. In 1997, she featured as Heidi in the TV programme ''Frightmares''. She then took part in the production of '' Rent'' at the Shaftesbury Theatre from 1998-2000, cast in the role of Mimi Marquez.

Vélez returned to the United States in 2000, performing the role of Mimi on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre for almost two years. That same year, Vélez was cast as Tutu in the film '' Piñero'', directed by Leon Ichaso, and starring Benjamin Bratt and Talisa Soto. She was a guest artist on ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show'' and ''HBO Latino'' in 2001, and in the following year she played Abby Bishop in the episode "Hitman" of the TV series ''Law & Order''.

In 2004, Vélez moved back to London. She played Valentina Minola in the ''Casualty'' episode "Worse Things I Could Do", and the Spanish maid in the episode "Turn Left" of the cult British TV series ''Doctor Who'' (series 4, episode 11). At the Savoy Theatre in 2006-07, she played Clara and Bess, in Sir Trevor Nunn's new production of the musical ''Porgy and Bess''. She also took part in his workshop for ''Gone with the Wind''. The years 2008 and 2009 she spent on a Buddhist retreat in southern France. In August 2008, she sang for the Dalai Lama.

Vélez moved back to the United States, and in New York in 2011-2, she starred in Luis Caballero's Off-Broadway musical ''DC7, The Life of Roberto Clemente'', in the role of Clemente's wife, Vera Zabala. She took the show to Puerto Rico in 2012, and in the same year was awarded the New York Latin ACE Award for best actress in a musical production. In 2014, she again starred as Vera in ''Clemente: The Legend of 21'', in Chicago and Pittsburgh.''Voices: Sun Times'' blog, August 24, 2014; ''Chicago Reader'' August 25; ''Chicago Stage Standard'', August 25. She continues to make TV and stage appearances, and she played Claudia in an episode of ''Elementary'' in 2015.

Personal life

Vélez is divorced and has one son, Joaquin, born in 1998.

Filmography and stage roles

Television

Film

Broadway

West End

Off-Broadway & international

See also

* List of Puerto Ricans-Actors, actresses, comedians and directors

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Velez, Loraine
1964 births
Actresses from Brooklyn
Actresses from Queens, New York
American film actresses
American actresses of Puerto Rican descent
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Identical twin actresses
Living people
American twins
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
People from Far Rockaway, Queens