April L. Hernandez

Bronx-born actress April Lee Hernandez has built her acting career with appearances in a wide range of popular television shows, but her earliest performances were as a stand-up comic. Hernandez was a student at Hunter College in Manhattan, pursuing a degree in nutrition, when she became enchanted with the art of stand-up comedy after seeing John Leguizamo's Off-Broadway one-man show "Mambo Mouth." She left college to pursue a career in stand-up, which led to roles in several television commercials. Hernandez made her TV show debut in 2004 with a one-off role on the long-running crime drama "Law & Order." The following year, she landed the recurring role of Nurse Inez on the popular medical drama "ER." This led to a string of appearances on critically heralded shows like the showbiz sitcom "30 Rock," Showtime's dark comedy series "Nurse Jackie," and Denis Leary's dramedy "Rescue Me." Then in 2010, Hernandez scored a coveted supporting role on the fifth season of the award-winning serial killer drama "Dexter." Here Hernandez portrayed Officer Cira Manzon, who is brought into the fold on the Santa Muerte murders case because of her familiarity with the neighborhood. After her arc on the series came to an end, Hernandez moved on to a movie role, scoring a supporting part in the 2012 cop-centered crime drama "Officer Down."