Heroes

Background:

Dominican model and actress Dania Ramirez is popular to television viewers for playing the recurring role of Blanca Selgado on the HBO mob drama “The Sopranos” (2006-2007) and as Maya Herrera on the NBC hit sci-fi series “Heroes” (2007-2008), from which she received an ALMA nomination. On playing Maya, she stated, “I'm originally from the Dominican Republic and to have the opportunity to play a Dominican character and speak my native language, it's an exhilarating experience.”

On the big screen, Ramirez, who began her career as a model and in TV commercials, is probably best known as Callisto on the successful comic book film “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006). Additionally, she can be seen in Spike Lee's “5th Hour” (2002) and “She Hate Me” (2004), “Fat Albert” (2004), “Quarantine” (2008), “The Fifth Commandment” (2008) and “Brooklyn to Manhattan” (2008).

“I don't want to know who he's been with or how many (women). I do want to know that my man is not a virgin because I want to know that he knows what he's doing. But I don't need to know how he's learned it.” Dania Ramirez

Ramirez has been married to director and actor Jessy Terrero since 2007.

Volleyball

Childhood and Family:

“I'm the middle. There are all girls in my family. I was like the boy, with sports.” Dania Ramirez

Dania Ramirez was born on November 30, 1980, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Her family relocated to New York City when she was 10 years old. Dania began taking modeling jobs five years later after a talent scout discovered the attractive teen while working in a local convenience store. She later became interested in acting and studied under Flo Greeberg at the Actor's Workshop in New York City.

In 1999, Dania graduated from Montclair State University in New Jersey with a degree in communications. While at Montclair, she made a name for herself as one of the school's top five volleyball players.

Dania later moved to Los Angeles to become a professional actress.

The Last Stand

Career:

Spotted by a modeling scout while at work, 15-year-old Dania Ramirez appeared in print and television commercials before deciding to seriously pursue acting. In 1998, she appeared as Jay-Z's girl in the Brooklyn-born rapper's music video of the song “Streets is Watching.” However, it was not until 2002 that the former athlete got her first real acting job when she was cast in the small role of Daphne in Spike Lee's adaptation of “5th Hour,” which starred Edward Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Ramirez and Lee first met in 1997 when she was an extra in the HBO film “Subway Stories.”

The next year, Ramirez made her TV series debut with a three episode appearance on the Fox popular “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The same year, on September 25, she made a guest appearance as Lucy on the WB short lived sitcom “Run of the House.” She went on to have a guest spot in the soon cancelled crime series “10-8: Officers on Duty” (2004), which starred Scott William Winters and Michael Dotson.

Back to movies, the Santo Domingo native took on the starring role of beautiful prom queen Laurie on the homosexual themed short “Little Black Boot” (2004), for director Colette Burson. She then appeared in a leading role, opposite Pharrell Williams, on the Brin Hill directed 18-minute short “The Ecology of Love” (2004). She also appeared as Mia in Larry Golin's “Cross Bronx,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 29, 2004, and won Tribeca's Best High Definition Technology Award. Released theatrically in December 2007, the film also picked up a Best Dramatic Film - Feature Length award at the 2005 Ashland Independent Film festival.

Ramirez was reunited with filmmaker Spike Lee for the 2004 dramatic comedy “She Hate Me,” which starred Anthony Mackie as a Harvard educated biotech executive named John Henry “Jack” Armstrong. In the movie, she played the small role of Alex Guerrero. She was also cast as the love interest, Lauri, on the live action version of “Fat Albert” (2004), starring Kenan Thompson, and supported Katherine Heigl and Alexandra Breckenridge in the made-for-TV film “Romy and Michele: In the Beginning” (2005).

Ramirez's big breakthrough arrived two years later when director Brett Ratner hired her to portray Callisto in the movie “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006), in which she acted opposite Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen and Anna Paquin. She then received a recurring role on the David Chase critically acclaimed drama series “The Sopranos,” where she portrayed Blanca Selgado, the love interest of AJ Soprano, in five episodes during the sixth and seventh season.

After “The Sopranos,” Ramirez portrayed Angela Hardwick on the TV series pilot “Fort Pit” (2007), but it was her regular role on the NBC science fiction series “Heroes” that put her back in the spotlight. As the deadly character Maya Herrera, she joined the hit show in the fall of 2007 and was nominated for an ALMA in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Television Series in 2008.

“Honestly, it's the most amazing feeling in the world to be able to work on something that you're really proud of. I'm working with amazing writers and they've created a character for me who's so complex and the evolution of my character and the arc of where I'm going is interesting.” Dania Ramirez (on working on “Heroes”)

Ramirez resumed her film career by appearing in the Franc. Reyes drama “Illegal Tender” (2007) and supporting Jennifer Carpenter and Jay Hernandez in the horror flick “Quarantine” (2008). She could also be seen in Brin Hill's “Ball Don't Lie” (2008), the action flick “The Fifth Commandment” (2008), opposite Rick Yune, Keith David and Bokeem Woodbine, and the thriller “Brooklyn to Manhattan” (2008), which was directed by her husband Jessy Terrero.

Awards:
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