Wanda De Jesus is a Puerto Rican-American actress. She is most notably recognized for her role as the fourth actress to portray Santana Andrade

Santana Andrade

Santana Andrade was a fictional character on the American soap opera Santa Barbara. She was first portrayed by actress Ava Lazar from July 30 to December 5, 1984. Margaret Michaels portrayed the role from April 26 to October 2, 1985 and was soon replaced by actress Gina Gallego, who portrayed the...

 in NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

's soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara (TV series)

Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on July 30, 1984, and last aired on January 15, 1993. The show revolved around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California...

. Aside from her work on soap operas, Wanda appeared in several TV shows in a guest starring role, and she had a recurring role on CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

' crime

Crime

Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...

 series CSI: Miami

CSI: Miami

CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....

as MDPD Detective Adelle Sevilla. On the week of June 14, 2010, she made her debut on All My Children

All My Children

All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...

as Iris Blanco, the mayor of Pine Valley.

On September 10, it was announced that she was leaving Law & Order: Los Angeles

Law & Order: Los Angeles

Law & Order: LA, originally titled Law & Order: Los Angeles, is an American police procedural and legal drama television series set in Los Angeles, where it was produced...

after two episodes.

Personal life

Since 1986, De Jesus has been in a relationship with actor Jimmy Smits

Jimmy Smits

Jimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...

. They live in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, where Smits is a fixture in his local Jai alai

Jai alai

Jai alai is a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space. It is a variety of Basque Pelota. The term, coined by Serafin Baroja in 1875, is also often loosely applied to the fronton where the sport is played...

 league.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1989	Prime Target	Unknown role	TV Movie
1990	Downtown Downtown (film) Downtown is a 1990 American police action comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin. This would be the second pairing of Anthony Edwards and Forest Whitaker both of whom played roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. -Plot:...	Luisa Diaz
	RoboCop 2 RoboCop 2 RoboCop 2 is a 1990 science fiction action film directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Belinda Bayer, Tom Noonan and Gabriel Damon. Set in the near future in a dystopian metropolitan Detroit, Michigan...	Estevez
1991	Fatal Friendship	Darlene	TV Movie
1994	The Glass Shield The Glass Shield The Glass Shield is a 1995 crime drama film starring Ice Cube, Michael Boatman and Lori Petty, directed by Charles Burnett.-Plot:Deputy John Johnson is a rookie in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the first black deputy at the station to which he is assigned...	Carmen Munoz
1995	Captain Nuke and the Bomber Boys	Leslie Moore
1997	Executive Power Executive Power Executive Power is Vince Flynn's fifth novel, and the fourth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American agent that works for the CIA as an operative for a covert counter terrorism unit called the "Orion Team."-Plot summary:...	Debra Shelly	Direct-to-video Direct-to-video Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
	Gold Coast	Vivian Onzola	TV Movie
1999	Time to Pay	Magdalena Scanlon	Direct-to-video
	The Insider The Insider (film) The Insider is a 1999 film based on the true story of a 60 Minutes television series segment, as seen through the eyes of a real tobacco executive, Jeffrey Wigand. The 60 Minutes story originally aired in November 1995 in an altered form because of objections by CBS’ then-owner, Laurence Tisch, who...	Geologist/FBI Woman
	Flawless	Karen
2000	Once in the Life Once in the Life Once in the Life is a 2000 movie written by, directed by, and starring Laurence Fishburne. Fishburne adapted the script from his own play, Riff-Raff.-Plot synopsis:...	Jackie
2001	Almost a Woman Almost a Woman Almost a Woman is a 2001 made-for-television film, directed by Betty Kaplan and based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Puerto Rican writer Esmeralda Santiago. This captivating movie is about a young woman named Esmeralda and her family move to New York from a rural area of Puerto...	Mami	TV Movie
	Ghost of Mars	Akooshay
2002	Blood Work	Graciella Rivers
2005	Detective Detective A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...	Sanchez	TV Movie
2007	Illegal Tender Illegal Tender (film) Illegal Tender is a movie written and directed by Franc. Reyes and produced by Academy Award nominee John Singleton. It stars Rick Gonzalez, Wanda De Jesus and Dania Ramirez, the movie also marks the film debut of Reggaeton music star Tego Calderón....	Millie
2009	The Ministers The Ministers (film) The Ministers is a 2009 film starring John Leguizamo and Harvey Keitel. It premiered in the US in theaters on October 16, 2009.-Plot:Thirteen years after her father was slain and the only evidence left at the crime scene was a pamphlet for a secret shrouded religious order known as “The Ministers”,...	Captain Diaz
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986	Another World Another World (TV series) Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...	Gomez
1987	Mariah	Lucy	Recurring Role
	L.A. Law L.A. Law L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...	Ms. Santiago	1 episode
1988	Pursuit of Happiness Pursuit of Happiness Pursuit of Happiness is the thirteenth album from Arthur Loves Plastic and was released in 2006.- Awards :Pursuit of Happiness won the 2006 Wammie for Best Recording in the Electronica Category.- Release notes :...	Mrs. Lopez
	Tales from the Darkside Tales from the Darkside Tales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series produced by George A. Romero; it originally aired from 1983 to 1988. Similar to Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, The Outer Limits, and Tales From The Crypt, each episode was an individual short story that ended with a plot...	Voice on Phone
1990	Singer & Sons	Mary Garza
	Lifestories Lifestories Lifestories is an American medical drama television series that premiered August 20, 1990, on NBC. Done in a documentary style with off-screen narration by Robert Prosky, Lifestories was an attempt to make an extremely realistic medical drama answering questions like, "Exactly what goes on during...	Dr. Duran
	Lucky Chances	Suzita
	Matlock Matlock (TV series) Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...	Alana Leon	1 episode
1991	Equal Justice	Suzanne Gardner
1991–1992	Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (TV series) Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on July 30, 1984, and last aired on January 15, 1993. The show revolved around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California...	Santana Andrade #4 Santana Andrade Santana Andrade was a fictional character on the American soap opera Santa Barbara. She was first portrayed by actress Ava Lazar from July 30 to December 5, 1984. Margaret Michaels portrayed the role from April 26 to October 2, 1985 and was soon replaced by actress Gina Gallego, who portrayed the...
1992	Civil Wars	Unknown Role	1 episode
1995	Babylon 5 Babylon 5 Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...	Sarah
	Live Shot	Liz Vega
	SeaQuest DSV SeaQuest DSV seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032. Set in "the near future", seaQuest mixes high drama with realistic scientific fiction...	Commander Pamela Lopez	1 episode
1996	Touched by an Angel Touched by an Angel Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...	Sue Cheney
	NYPD Blue NYPD Blue NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...	Det. Martina Escobar
	Spider-Man Spider-Man (1994 TV series) Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...	Dr. Sylvia Lopez (voice)
	Diagnosis Murder Diagnosis Murder Diagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son, a homicide detective played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman...	Detective Emma Lopez
	Profiler Profiler (TV series) Profiler was an American crime drama that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series follows the exploits of a criminal profiler working with the fictional FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force based in Atlanta, Georgia....	Catherine Evers
1997	Brooklyn South Brooklyn South Brooklyn South is an American ensemble police drama series that aired on CBS for only one season during the 1997-98 television season. The series was co-created by Steven Bochco, Bill Clark, David Milch and William M. Finkelstein. Bochco is the creator of many well-known police dramas such as Hill...	Detective Marina McConnell
	Nash Bridges Nash Bridges Nash Bridges is an American television police drama created by Carlton Cuse. The show starred Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit. The show ran for six seasons on CBS from March 29, 1996 to May 4, 2001 with a total of...	Agent Janet Reynolds
1998	Vengeance Unlimited Vengeance Unlimited Vengeance Unlimited was a TV series broadcasted during 1998-1999 on ABC which lasted for just one season of sixteen episodes. The show starred Michael Madsen as Mr. Chapel, a mysterious and pragmatic character keen on serving justice to those who have been ignored by the law...	District Attorney Rosalie Hanson
1999	Promised Land Promised land The Promised Land is a term used to describe the land promised or given by God, according to the Hebrew Bible, to the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob. The promise is firstly made to Abraham and then renewed to his son Isaac, and to Isaac's son Jacob , Abraham's grandson...	Nina Charles
2000	Penascola: Wings of Gold	Alison Ali
2001–2002	Thieves	Katrina Epstein	Recurring Role
2002	First Monday First Monday First Monday was a short-lived U.S. television midseason replacement drama centered on the U.S. Supreme Court. Like another 2002 series, "The Court," it was inspired by the prominent role the Supreme Court played in settling the 2000 presidential election...	Lawyer	1 episode
2002–2003	CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....	Detective Adell Sevilla
2010	Law & Order: Los Angeles Law & Order: Los Angeles Law & Order: LA, originally titled Law & Order: Los Angeles, is an American police procedural and legal drama television series set in Los Angeles, where it was produced...	Lieutenant Arleen Gonzales	Pilot Episode
	All My Children All My Children All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...	Iris Blanco	Recurring Role

Awards and nominations

Year	Group	Award	Result	Film/Show
1996	NCLR Bravo Award	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series		Live Shot
2003	Imagen Award	Best Actress in a Television Film		Almost a Woman Almost a Woman Almost a Woman is a 2001 made-for-television film, directed by Betty Kaplan and based on the autobiographical book of the same name by Puerto Rican writer Esmeralda Santiago. This captivating movie is about a young woman named Esmeralda and her family move to New York from a rural area of Puerto...
2004		Best Actress in a Film		Illegal Tender Illegal Tender (film) Illegal Tender is a movie written and directed by Franc. Reyes and produced by Academy Award nominee John Singleton. It stars Rick Gonzalez, Wanda De Jesus and Dania Ramirez, the movie also marks the film debut of Reggaeton music star Tego Calderón....

External links