Dania Ramirez

Dania Ramírez (born November 8, 1979) is an actress from the Dominican Republic, most recently known for two roles on television: playing a recurring character during the last season of The Sopranos and for her current role on Heroes.


Early life

Ramírez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. At an early age, she decided to become an actress. As a young child, she would reenact Spanish soap operas for her family. She was discovered by a modeling scout while working in a New York City convenience store at the age of 15, and was cast in 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 Greeberg. She graduated from Montclair State University in 1999, where her volleyball talents led her to be placed among the top five in career digs, digs/game, solo blocks and total blocks. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career.

Career

Music videos

Ramírez at the 2007 Scream Awards.Ramírez has appeared in several music videos, including Jay-Z`s Streets is Watching (1998), LL Cool J`s "Hush" (2005; directed by her fiancè, Jessy Terrero), and Santana`s "Into the Night" (2007).

Films

Ramírez appeared as an extra in the HBO film Subway Stories (1997), where she met filmmaker Spike Lee who later cast her in his film, She Hate Me (2004). She was Callisto, one of The Omegas, in the comic book film X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).


Television

Ramírez appeared as the minor character Caridad in the final episodes of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and as Blanca Selgado, a recurring role during the the sixth season of The Sopranos.

Currently, Ramirez portrays the character of Maya on the TV series Heroes. With the US writers` strike condemning Season 2 of Heroes to just 11 episodes, Ramierz has promised fans that her character will evolve in Season 3, saying: "I cry a lot less this season and make out a lot more."