Dascha Polanco
Dascha Polanco was a Dominican-American actress born on December 3, 1982. After moving from the Dominican Republic to America, where she grew up in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Polanco had dreams of being an actress. However, she was hesitant to audition because of weight expectations. Polanco had a child at 18, daughter Dasany Kristal Gonzalez, who would end up playing a 14-year-old version of her "Orange Is the New Black" Character. She had a son two years later, and attended Hunter College, from which she graduated in 2008 with a bachelor's in psychology. Polanco was working at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx when she decided to pursue acting, and soon after landed a small part in an episode of the first season of "Unforgettable" (CBS, 2011-16). She would soon make her breakthrough appearance as Dayanara "Daya" Diaz on "Orange Is the New Black" (Netflix, 2013- ). Polanco made her film debut in the Vanessa Hudgens-led "Gimme Shelter" (2013), and played Macy in "The Cobbler" (2014), which starred Adam Sandler. She also starred alongside Jennifer Lawrence in David O. Russell's "Joy" (2015).
Photos
Dascha Polanco
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story | Marcela Borges (Character) | - | 2025 |
11% |
|
Air Force One Down | Vice President Hansen (Character) | - | 2024 |
No Score Yet |
|
Junction | Unknown (Character) | - | 2024 |
92% | No Score Yet | A Little Prayer | Unknown (Character) | - | 2023 |
38% |
|
Samaritan | Tiffany Cleary (Character) | - | 2022 |
72% |
|
DC League of Super-Pets | Green Lantern (Voice) | $93.7M | 2022 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | iGilbert | Jana (Character) | - | 2021 |
94% |
|
In the Heights | Cuca (Character) | $29.9M | 2021 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | MFKZ | Luna (Voice) | - | 2017 |
22% |
|
The Perfect Match | Pressy (Character) | $9.7M | 2016 |
61% |
|
Joy | Jackie (Character) | $56.4M | 2015 |
10% |
|
The Cobbler | Macy (Character) | - | 2014 |
27% |
|
Gimme Shelter | Carmel (Character) | $1.4M | 2014 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
98% | 81% | Poker Face | Natalie (Guest Star) | 2023 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Karma's World | Ms. Camilla Torres (Voice) | 2021-2022 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The $100,000 Pyramid | Guest | 2021 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Match Game | Guest | 2020 |
96% | 86% | Evil | Patti Hitchens (Guest Star) | 2019 |
90% | 82% | Orange Is the New Black |
Dayanara Diaz (Character), Unknown (Guest Star), Guest |
2013-2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Desus & Mero | Guest | 2019 |
96% | 89% | When They See Us | Unknown (Character) | 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hollywood Game Night | Guest | 2017 |
41% | 61% | Chelsea | Guest | 2016 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | FABLife | Guest | 2016 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Doctors | Guest | 2015 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Wendy Williams Show | Guest | 2015 |
43% | No Score Yet | NYC 22 | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2012 |
No Score Yet | 56% | Unforgettable | Estella (Guest Star) | 2011 |