Dania Ramirez

Dania Ramirez is a Dominican actress and model born on November 8, 1979, in Santo Domingo. She is known for her roles in television series such as Heroes, Entourage, The Sopranos, Devious Maids, and Once Upon a Time. Her film credits include She Hate Me and X-Men: The Last Stand, and she stars as Captain Nikki Batista in the Fox drama series Alert: Missing Persons Unit.

Ramirez decided to become an actress at an early age, reenacting telenovelas for her family in Santo Domingo. She was discovered at age 15 by a modeling scout while working at a convenience store, leading to a role in a soda commercial. She formally studied acting at the Actor's Workshop in New York City under Flo Greenberg. Ramirez also attended Montclair State University starting at age 16, playing volleyball and ranking among the school's top five in career digs, digs per game, solo blocks, and total blocks. After graduating in 2000, she moved to Los Angeles.

Ramirez broke into the entertainment industry appearing in music videos and early screen roles. She featured in music videos for artists including Jay-Z ("Streets is Watching"), De La Soul ("All Good?"), Enrique Iglesias ("Could I Have This Kiss Forever"), LL Cool J ("Hush"), Santana ("Into the Night"), and Sporty Thievz ("Cheapskate"). She also starred as a military wife in Wisin & Yandel's video "Dime Qué Te Pasó."

After working as an extra on the 1997 HBO film Subway Stories, Ramirez met director Spike Lee, who cast her as Alex Guerrero in She Hate Me (2004). That same year, she played Lauri in Fat Albert. She went on to portray Callisto in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and starred in The 5th Commandment (2008). In 2012, she appeared as Selena in American Reunion and as a bicycle messenger in Premium Rush.

On television, Ramirez made early appearances as Caridad in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Blanca Selgado in season six of The Sopranos. She gained wider television recognition playing Maya Herrera in Heroes and guest-starring as Alex in Entourage. She was also a guest judge on America's Next Top Model. From June 2013 until its cancellation in 2016, she portrayed protagonist Rosie Falta on Lifetime's Devious Maids.

In July 2017, Ramirez was cast as Cinderella (Jacinda Vidrio) in the seventh season of ABC's Once Upon a Time. She joined CBS All Access's Tell Me a Story in 2018 as Hannah Perez, a character inspired by Gretel. In August 2022, she was cast in Fox's crime drama Alert: Missing Persons Unit, which premiered in January 2023.

Beyond screen acting, Ramirez became a model for CoverGirl Cosmetics in 2009 and launched the Clean Makeup for Clean Water Campaign with Queen Latifah in January 2010. She married director John Beverly "Bev" Land in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, on February 16, 2013, becoming a stepmother to his son. In December 2013, Ramirez gave birth to boy-girl twins.