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Dascha Polanco

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Dascha Polanco
Polanco at the 73rd Peabody Awards in May 2014
Born
Ashley Martinez

(1982-12-03) December 3, 1982 (age 41)
Dominican Republic
Alma materHunter College
OccupationActress
Years active2011–present
ChildrenAshley Martinez

Dascha Polanco is a Dominican American actress, best known for playing the character Dayanara Diaz on Orange Is the New Black.[1]

Early life

Polanco was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States at a young age.[2] She was raised in Brooklyn, New York and Miami by her father, a mechanic, and mother, a cosmetologist.[3][4]

Career

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.[4] After college she began working in the healthcare industry with the intention of becoming a nurse.[5][6] She was working as a hospital administrator at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, while studying nursing, when she gained courage to pursue acting again and registered herself into an acting studio.[4][6] She attended BIH Studios in New York, which is where she was signed by the talent agency Shirley Grant Management.[7] Her first acting credits were minor parts on the television series Unforgettable and NYC 22.[8]

In 2012, Polanco was cast in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black as Dayanara "Daya" Diaz, an inmate in a women's prison;[9] it was her first full-time acting job.[4]

Polanco subsequently appeared in the independent film Gimme Shelter (2013) before returning to her role on Orange Is the New Black for the show's second season.[4] 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.[10] She appeared in the comedy films The Cobbler (2014) and Joy (2015),[2] and will next star in the film The Perfect Match (2016), as well as Orange Is the New Black's fourth season.

On August 4, 2015, the NFL announced that Polanco is part of their Women's Apparel line along with Jamie Chung, Alyssa Milano and many more. Polanco is the only Latina to be featured in the new season's apparel campaign and she is representing the New York Giants.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Gimme Shelter Caramel
2014 The Cobbler Macy
2015 Joy Jackie
2016 The Perfect Match Sheila "Pressy" Wells Post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Unforgettable Estella 1 episode
2012 NYC 22 Fan #2 1 episode
2013–present Orange Is the New Black Dayanara Diaz 37 episodes
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2014, 2015)

References

  1. ^ "'Orange Is the New Black's' Latinas – The Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. November 22, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Rothaus, Steve (May 2014). "'Orange Is the New Black' co-star Dascha Polanco to be guest Friday at Aqua Girl VIP, dance events". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  3. ^ Santos, Orlando (August 18, 2013). "Cinco dominicanas en la serie del momento: Orange Is The New Black". Diario Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e Ortiz, Erik (September 11, 2013). "Dascha Polanco returns to 'Orange Is the New Black' for second season". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  5. ^ Terrero, Nina (August 15, 2013). "Dominican actress Dascha Polanco talks Netflix series "Orange is the New Black"". NBC Latino. NBC. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Smouse, Deborah (July 11, 2013). "Meet Actress Dascha Polanco". All Things Girl. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  7. ^ "Exclusive Interview: OITNB's Dascha Polanco (Daya Diaz)". OITNB.com. Netflix. March 23, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  8. ^ Greco, Patti (August 3, 2013). "OITNB's Dascha Polanco on Daya and Bennett, Doodling Penises, and Her Johnny Depp Crush". New York. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  9. ^ Rapp, Ilana (July 15, 2014). "Actress Dascha Polanco Tells Us About Life Before and After Netflix's Orange Is the New Black". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  10. ^ Thomas, Kaitlin (June 12, 2014). "Orange Is the New Black Promotes Dascha Polanco to Series Regular". TV Guide. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
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