Lauren Vélez
Encyclopedia
Lauren Vélez is an American actress of Puerto Rican descent and the twin sister of actress Loraine Vélez
. Her most notable roles are as María LaGuerta
on Dexter
, Detective Nina Moreno on Fox
's New York Undercover
, and Dr. Gloria Nathan
on HBO's prison drama, Oz
.
section of New York City where she and her twin sister were born. Their father was a New York City police officer
who eventually bought a house in the middle class neighborhood of Rockaway, Queens, and moved there with his wife and eight children. The sisters enjoyed setting up improvised plays and acting for the family since childhood. Vélez once played the part of a groundhog
in a second grade school play, after which she decided to be an actor.
After graduating from high school
, the twins both received scholarship
s to attend the Alvin Ailey
Dancing School. They also studied acting at The Acting Studio with James Price, and Lauren studied Shakespeare with Michael Howard.
. Vélez also played understudy for actress Phylicia Rashad
in Stephen Sondheim
's Into the Woods
. She also performed Off-Broadway
in the productions of Much Ado About Nothing and Fasade
In 1995, Vélez landed her first major television role. She was cast as Nina Moreno, a policewoman in the TV series New York Undercover
. That same year, she also made her film debut as Lisette Linares in the movie I Like It Like That alongside Rita Moreno
and Jon Seda
. She was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award and The Desi Award for Best Lead Actress. The movie was nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards and won an NYFCCA award. Another TV series in which she performed was HBO's jail
drama, Oz
. She also acted in the feature film City Hall
, with Al Pacino
. In 1997, Vélez starred in Buscando un Sueño (In Search of a Dream), the first Spanish language
film sanctioned by SAG
. Vélez plays a supporting role on Showtime's series Dexter
, again playing a police lieutenant.
On June 24, 2006, she won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2006 Long Island International Film Expo for her performance as Roseanne Crystal in the independent feature film, Serial.
In 2010, she received the Rita Moreno
HOLA Award for Excellence from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors
(HOLA).
Loraine Vélez
Loraine Vélez is an American actress of Puerto Rican descent. She is the twin sister of actress Lauren Vélez.-Early years:...
. Her most notable roles are as María LaGuerta
Maria LaGuerta
Captain María Esperanza del Alma LaGuerta , known in the books as Migdia LaGuerta, is a fictional character in the Showtime television series Dexter and the novels by Jeff Lindsay upon which it is based. She is portrayed by Lauren Vélez in the television series...
on Dexter
Dexter (TV series)
Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
, Detective Nina Moreno on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's New York Undercover
New York Undercover
New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to...
, and Dr. Gloria Nathan
Gloria Nathan
Dr. Gloria Nathan is a fictional character played by Lauren Vélez, on the HBO drama Oz.- Character overview :Dr. Gloria Nathan is the Chief Attending Physician of Oz. A good person, she deals with conflict all the time, whether it is from the inmates such as Ryan O'Reily, or state medical boards....
on HBO's prison drama, Oz
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
.
Early years
Vélez's parents moved from Puerto Rico in the early 1950s and lived in the BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
section of New York City where she and her twin sister were born. Their father was a New York City police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
who eventually bought a house in the middle class neighborhood of Rockaway, Queens, and moved there with his wife and eight children. The sisters enjoyed setting up improvised plays and acting for the family since childhood. Vélez once played the part of a groundhog
Groundhog
The groundhog , also known as a woodchuck, whistle-pig, or in some areas as a land-beaver, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but...
in a second grade school play, after which she decided to be an actor.
After graduating from high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, the twins both received scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s to attend the Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
Dancing School. They also studied acting at The Acting Studio with James Price, and Lauren studied Shakespeare with Michael Howard.
Career
Vélez landed her first job performing in the national touring company of the musical DreamgirlsDreamgirls
Dreamgirls is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio...
. Vélez also played understudy for actress Phylicia Rashad
Phylicia Rashad
Phylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
in Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's Into the Woods
Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
. She also performed Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in the productions of Much Ado About Nothing and Fasade
In 1995, Vélez landed her first major television role. She was cast as Nina Moreno, a policewoman in the TV series New York Undercover
New York Undercover
New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to...
. That same year, she also made her film debut as Lisette Linares in the movie I Like It Like That alongside Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
and Jon Seda
Jon Seda
Jonathan Seda is an American actor, possibly best known for his role as Detective Paul Falsone on NBC's: Homicide: Life on the Street....
. She was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award and The Desi Award for Best Lead Actress. The movie was nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards and won an NYFCCA award. Another TV series in which she performed was HBO's jail
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
drama, Oz
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
. She also acted in the feature film City Hall
City Hall (film)
City Hall is a 1996 film directed by Harold Becker. Al Pacino and John Cusack star as the Mayor of New York and his idealistic deputy mayor....
, with Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
. In 1997, Vélez starred in Buscando un Sueño (In Search of a Dream), the first Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
film sanctioned by SAG
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
. Vélez plays a supporting role on Showtime's series Dexter
Dexter (TV series)
Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
, again playing a police lieutenant.
On June 24, 2006, she won the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2006 Long Island International Film Expo for her performance as Roseanne Crystal in the independent feature film, Serial.
In 2010, she received the Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
HOLA Award for Excellence from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors
Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors
The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors is an active arts service and advocacy organization. It is in the United States and dedicated to Hispanic artists and actors....
(HOLA).
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | I Like It Like That | Lisette Linares | Independent Spirit Awards Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit... for Best Female Lead |
| 1995 | The Cosby Mysteries The Cosby Mysteries The Cosby Mysteries is a American television mystery series that starred Bill Cosby. It was the first television series to star Cosby since The Cosby Show and lasted only one season... |
Claudine Palmeri | TV series |
| 1995–1998 | New York Undercover New York Undercover New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to... |
Det. Nina Moreno | TV series NCLR Bravo Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Nominated — ALMA Award Alma Award The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field... for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (1998) Nominated — Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (1997, 1998) |
| 1996 | City Hall City Hall (film) City Hall is a 1996 film directed by Harold Becker. Al Pacino and John Cusack star as the Mayor of New York and his idealistic deputy mayor.... |
Elaine Santos | Nominated — NCLR Bravo Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series |
| 1997 | Buscando un Sueño ("In Search of a Dream") | ||
| 1997–2003 | Oz Oz (TV series) Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons... |
Dr. Gloria Nathan Gloria Nathan Dr. Gloria Nathan is a fictional character played by Lauren Vélez, on the HBO drama Oz.- Character overview :Dr. Gloria Nathan is the Chief Attending Physician of Oz. A good person, she deals with conflict all the time, whether it is from the inmates such as Ryan O'Reily, or state medical boards.... |
ALMA Award Alma Award The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field... for Outstanding Actress in a Television Series (2001) Nominated — ALMA Award Alma Award The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field... for Outstanding Actress in a Television Series (1999, 2000, 2002) |
| 1997 | I Think I Do I Think I Do I Think I Do is a 1997 American gay-themed romantic comedy film written and directed by Brian Sloan and starring Alexis Arquette.-Plot:The film follows the relationship between Bob and Brendan , roommates at George Washington University in Washington, DC, five years after Bob made his romantic... |
Carol | Nominated — ALMA Award Alma Award The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field... for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film |
| 1998 | Thicker Than Blood | Camilla López | Nominated — ALMA Award Alma Award The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field... for Outstanding Actress in Made-for Television Movie or Mini-Series |
| 1998 | The LaMastas | ||
| 1999 | St. Michael's Crossing | Vicki Solera | |
| 1999 | Taino | Laura | |
| 2000 | Prince of Central Park | Rosa Sánchez | |
| 2001 | Prison Song Prison Song Prison Song is a 2001 United States prison film about a boy brought up in group homes with a gift and passion for art.- Overview :The film centers around a character named Elijah , who is an adolescent at the story’s outset. His mother Prison Song is a 2001 United States prison film about a boy... |
Prison Counselor | |
| 2001 | Love and Treason | Agent Susan Mestre | |
| 2005 | Strong Medicine Strong Medicine Strong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and... |
Dr. Vanessa Burke | |
| 2005 | Barely Buzzed | María Vásquez | |
| 2006 | Medium Medium (TV series) Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office... |
Elena Cabrera | |
| 2006 | Numb3rs NUMB3RS Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes... |
Claudia Gomez | |
| 2006–present | Dexter Dexter (TV series) Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer... |
Lt. María LaGuerta Maria LaGuerta Captain María Esperanza del Alma LaGuerta , known in the books as Migdia LaGuerta, is a fictional character in the Showtime television series Dexter and the novels by Jeff Lindsay upon which it is based. She is portrayed by Lauren Vélez in the television series... |
NAMIC Vision Award for Best Actress - Drama Nominated — ALMA Award Alma Award The American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field... for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Television Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie (2007, 2008) Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2009, 2010) |
| 2007 | Serial | Roseanne Crystal | Long Island International Film Expo for Best Supporting Actress |
| 2008–2009 | Ugly Betty Ugly Betty Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea... |
Elena, R.N. | |
| 2011 | Breakout Kings Breakout Kings Breakout Kings is an American drama television series created by Nick Santora and Matt Olmstead, which airs on the A&E network. The series premiered on March 6, 2011. The series was picked up for a second season on July 6, 2011, which is expected to begin in 2012.-Premise:In order to catch escaped... |
Carmen Vega | |