Dania Ramirez
Dania Ramirez (born November 8, 1979)[1] is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of Maya Herrera in the NBC series Heroes, Alex in the HBO series Entourage, and Blanca during the last season of the HBO crime drama The Sopranos on television. Her film roles include Alex Guerrero in She Hate Me and Callisto in the feature film X-Men: The Last Stand. She portrayed Rosie Falta on Lifetime's Devious Maids from June 2013, until its cancellation in 2016. In July 2017, Ramirez joined the hit ABC series Once Upon a Time for its softly-rebooted seventh season in a starring role as Cinderella.[2] In 2023, she began the starring role of Captain Nikki Batista in the Fox crime drama Alert: Missing Persons Unit.
Dania Ramirez
Early life[edit]
Ramirez was born in Santo Domingo.[3] At an early age, she decided to become an actress. As a young child, she would reenact telenovelas for her family. She was discovered by a modeling scout while working in a convenience store at the age of 15, and was offered a small part in a soda commercial. Later, she decided to pursue acting seriously and studied at the Actor's Workshop in New York City under Flo Greenberg.[4]
At 16 years old, Ramirez started at Montclair State University, where her volleyball talents led her to be placed among the top five in career digs, digs/game, solo blocks and total blocks.[5] She graduated in 2001. After graduation, Ramirez moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career.[4]
Career[edit]
Music videos[edit]
Ramirez has appeared in several music videos, including Jay-Z's Streets is Watching (1998), De La Soul's "All Good?" feat. Chaka Khan (2000), Enrique Iglesias’ Could I Have This Kiss Forever, feat. Whitney Houston, LL Cool J's "Hush" (2005; directed by her then fiancé Jessy Terrero),[6][7] Santana's "Into the Night" (2007), as well as "Cry Baby Cry" (a collaboration of Santana and Sean Paul). Ramirez appeared in Wisin & Yandel's music video "Dime Qué Te Pasó", in which she played the main character, the wife and mother of a military man in Iraq who finds out her husband died at war. She was also featured in hip-hop group Sporty Thievz's video "Cheapskate" in 1998.[8]
Films[edit]
Ramirez appeared as an extra in the HBO film Subway Stories (1997), where she met filmmaker Spike Lee who would later cast her in the film She Hate Me (2004).[9] She played older sister Lauri in the film Fat Albert (2004).[10] She was Callisto (one of The Omegas) in the comic book film X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). She went on to star in The 5th Commandment, a film written by and starring Rick Yune, in 2008. In 2012, Ramirez appeared in two films, playing Selena in American Reunion and a bicycle messenger in Premium Rush.[11][12]
Personal life[edit]
Dania dated Soul Plane director Jessy Terrero until 2008.[22] She became engaged in September 2011 to director John Beverly "Bev" Land.[23] The couple married on the beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on February 16, 2013.[24][25] Land has a son, Kai Miles, with former wife Sharon Leal.[26]
On July 15, 2013, Ramirez announced that she was pregnant with twins.[27] That December, she gave birth to fraternal boy-girl twins.[28][29]