Dascha Polanco | |
|---|---|
 Polanco in 2019 | |
| Born | Dascha Yolaine Polanco December 3, 1982 |
| Alma mater | Hunter College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Children | 2 |
Dascha Yolaine Polanco (born December 3, 1982) [1] is a Dominican actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara "Daya" Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black , and for the role of Cuca in the 2021 film In the Heights . [2]
Polanco was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, [3] [4] and moved to the United States at a young age. [5] She was raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Miami by her father, a mechanic, and mother, a cosmetologist. [6] [7] Polanco is the oldest of three children; she has a brother and sister. [8]
Polanco aspired to be an actress from an early age but "always doubted auditioning because of her weight", so she completed a bachelor's degree in psychology at Hunter College, as a first generation college student. [7] [9] After college she began working in the healthcare industry with the intention of becoming a nurse. [10] [11] She was working in hospital administration at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx while studying nursing when she gained the courage to pursue acting again and registered herself with an acting studio. [7] [11] She attended BIH Studios in New York, and while there was signed by the talent agency Shirley Grant Management. [12] Her first acting credits were minor parts in the television series Unforgettable and NYC 22 . [13]
In 2012, Polanco was cast in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black as Dayanara "Daya" Diaz. [14]
In 2013, Polanco appeared in the independent film Gimme Shelter before returning to her role on Orange Is the New Black for the show's second season. [7] In June 2014, it was announced that she had been promoted from a recurring role to a series regular for the show's third season, which was released in June 2015. [15] She appeared in the comedy films The Cobbler and Joy , [5] and starred in the film The Perfect Match .
In 2018, Polanco had a recurring role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story , and in 2019, she had a recurring role in Netflix series, Russian Doll and When They See Us .
In 2021, Polanco played the role of Cuca, one of the lead salon ladies, in the film In the Heights . From 2021 to 2022, she voiced Ms. Camilla Torres, the mother of Winston who owns a record shop, in the animated series Karma's World . [16]
In 2025, Polanco starred as Michelle Borgas in the Lifetime film Terror Comes Knocking: The Michelle Borgas Story , a part of the channel's "Ripped from the Headlines" feature films. [17]
Polanco has two children, a daughter and a son. [8] [18] Her daughter portrayed a younger version of Polanco's character in the fifth season of Orange is the New Black. [19]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Gimme Shelter | Carmel | |
| 2014 | The Cobbler | Macy | |
| 2015 | Joy | Jackie | |
| 2016 | The Perfect Match | Pressie | |
| 2018 | Mutafukaz | Luna (voice) | English dub |
| 2019 | The Irishman | Nurse | |
| 2021 | In the Heights | Cuca | |
| 2022 | DC League of Super-Pets | Jessica Cruz (voice) | [20] |
| 2022 | Samaritan | Tiffany Cleary | [21] |
| 2023 | A Little Prayer | Narcedalia | [22] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Unforgettable | Estella | Episode: "Trajectories" |
| 2012 | NYC 22 | Fan #2 | Episode: "Firebomb" |
| 2013–2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Dayanara "Daya" Diaz | 81 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2014, 2015) |
| 2018 | The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story | Det. Lori Wieder | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Russian Doll | Beatrice | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | When They See Us | Elena | Episode: "Part Three" |
| 2019 | Evil | Patti Hitchens | Episode: "3 Stars" |
| 2023 | Poker Face | Natalie | Episode: "Dead Man's Hand" [23] |
| 2024 | Dora | La Reina (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2025 | Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borgas Story | Marcela Borgas | Television film |
Karina Arroyave is a Colombian-American actress. She began her career starring as Bianca Marquez Walsh in the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns (1988–1994), and later made her big screen debut appearing in the biographical drama film Lean On Me (1989). Arroyave later had supporting roles in a number of movies and played recurring roles on television series 24 (2001–2002) as Jamey Farrell, Orange Is the New Black (2019) as Karla Cordova, and The Blacklist (2021–2022) as Mierce Xiu.
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Michelle Hurst is an American actress. She played Miss Claudette Pelage in the first season of the streaming television series Orange Is the New Black.
The first season of the American comedy-drama television series Orange Is the New Black premiered on Netflix on July 11, 2013, at 12:00 am PST in multiple countries. It consists of thirteen episodes, each between 51–60 minutes. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison (2010), about her experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum-security federal prison. Created and adapted for television by Jenji Kohan. In July 2011, Netflix was in negotiations with Lionsgate for a 13-episode TV adaptation of Kerman's memoirs. The series began filming in the old Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center in Rockland County, New York, on March 7, 2013. The title sequence features photos of real former female prisoners including Kerman herself.
Selenis Leyva is an American actress. She began her career appearing in Off-Broadway productions and had supporting roles on television, before her breakthrough role as Gloria Mendoza in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black (2013–19). She later starred in the Disney+ comedy-drama series, Diary of a Future President (2020–21), and the NBC sitcom Lopez vs Lopez (2022–). Leyva also appeared in films Custody (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Breaking (2022) and Creed III (2023).
Kimiko Glenn is an American actress known for portraying Brook Soso in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, for which she received three ensemble Screen Actors Guild Awards. She also originated the role of Dawn Pinkett in the Broadway musical Waitress and has provided the voices of Ezor in Voltron: Legendary Defender, Lena Sabrewing in DuckTales, Peni Parker in Spider-Man: Into, Across, and Beyond the Spider-Verse, Stefani Stilton in BoJack Horseman, Bridgette Hashima in Close Enough, Horse in Centaurworld, Izzy Moonbow in My Little Pony: A New Generation, Paper Star in Carmen Sandiego, the title character in Kiff, and Niffty and Susan in Hazbin Hotel.
Madeline Kathryn Brewer is an American actress, known for recurring roles in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black (2013) and Hemlock Grove (2014–2015). She stars as Janine Lindo in the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale (2017–present), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Emma Myles is an American actress best known for her recurring role as Leanne Taylor on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black. She was friends with fellow actress Dascha Polanco before being cast on the show, having met her after they both auditioned for a guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
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