Jackie Cruz

Jackie Cruz, born Jacqueline Chavez on August 8, 1986, is a Dominican–American actress, singer, and former model. She is best known for her role as Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black.

Cruz was born in Queens, New York, and grew up between Los Angeles, California, and Santiago in the Dominican Republic. Raised by a single mother, she speaks fluent English and Spanish. Cruz was inspired to become an entertainer at seven years old after watching Whitney Houston in the film The Bodyguard. She attended Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, where she was a member of the music academy.

During her youth, Cruz experienced significant hardship. At age 16, she moved out of her mother's apartment and became homeless. When she was 17, she was involved in a car accident that left her with a collapsed lung, placed her in a coma, and required brain surgery. Her song "Sweet Sixteen" was based on this experience.

While in high school, Cruz worked with producers associated with will.i.am in a girl group named Krush Velvet, though the group was never signed to a record label. She independently released her debut extended play, Hollywood Gypsy, in 2010. She has also performed as part of a band called The Family Portrait.

Cruz began appearing on television in 2009 on the E! series Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami after meeting Kourtney Kardashian in an art class. Before being cast in her breakout acting role, she worked as a model and a waitress at the restaurant Lavo in New York City. She cites Rita Moreno as an acting influence.

Cruz gained prominent recognition for playing Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales on Orange Is the New Black. After serving as a recurring character during the show's first three seasons, it was announced in April 2015 that she was promoted to a series regular for the fourth season.

Following her work on the series, Cruz expanded into feature films. In early 2022, she filmed a starring role in the romantic comedy Things Like This, directed by her former co-star Max Talisman. By May 2022, she completed filming on the horror-thriller History of Evil. In 2024, she portrayed Alyssa Diaz in the Lifetime movie Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story, based on the Pladl incest and murder case.

In her personal life, Cruz married artist Fernando Garcia in August 2020. After announcing in December 2021 that they were expecting, Cruz gave birth to twins—a boy and a girl—in March 2022. In February 2025, she announced they were expecting their third child together, whom they welcomed in October 2025.