Lauren Velez (Role) : Lt. Maria LaGuerta
Birthday : 11-2-1964
Birthplace : Brooklyn, New York
Birth Name : Lauren Vélez
Recent Role : Elena on Ugly Betty
Gender : Female
Height : 5′ 4½” (1.64 m)
Lauren Velez is a very popular American actress. She has a twin sister Loraine Velez and before their birth, their parents moved from Puerto Rico and started living in the Brooklyn, New York City. It was the place where they both took birth. Lauren’s father was a New York Police Officer and she has seven siblings. When Lauren was in second grade, she portrayed the part of a groundhog in a school play and it was what inspired her to become an actress.
She and her twin sister are very intelligent and after graduating from High School, they both received scholarships to attend The Alvin Ailey Dancing School. They studied acting at The Acting Studio and she also studied Shakespeare with Michael Howard. She also acted in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.
It was 1995 when Velez landed her first major TV role. In the TV series ‘New York Undercover’, she portrayed the character of Nina Moreno. In the very same year, she made her movie debut, portraying Lisette Linares on ‘I Like It like That’. The lady received nominations for the Independent Spirit Award and The Desi Award for ‘Best Lead Actress’. She also has a small role on the HBO jail drama ‘OZ’.
In 1997, Lauren Velez made appearance in Buscando un Sueño. During 2006, she won the Best Supporting Actress Award.
Her acting credits include ‘The Cosby Mysteries’, ‘City Hall’, ‘I Think I Do’, ‘Thicker Than Blood’, ‘The LaMastas’, ‘Taino’, ‘Prince of Central Park’, ‘Prison Song’, ‘Love and Treason’, ‘Strong Medicine’, ‘Barely Buzzed’, ‘Numb3rs’, ‘Serial’ and of coarse ‘Dexter‘ with some other popular TV shows…
