Jackie Cruz
Singer-actress Jackie Cruz's attempts at stardom, which dominated much of her teenaged years, came to fruition in 2015 when she was cast as Flaca, a women's prison inmate, on "Orange is the New Black" (Netflix, 2013- ). Born August 8, 1986 in Queens, New York, Cruz was raised by her single, Dominican Republic-born mother, who nurtured her daughter's interest in performance through singing, dancing and acting lessons. In her mid-teens, she moved with her mother to Los Angeles, where she studied at the Hamilton Music Academy; during this period, she experienced initial brushes with fame as a member of Krush Velvet, a girl group produced by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and later, through appearances as herself as a sort of romantic foil for Kourtney Kardashian on "Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami" (E!, 2009-2013). A streak of personal turmoil, during which she was homeless and later suffered a traumatic injury in a car accident, led to a return to New York, where Cruz worked as a model and waitress while continuing to pursue careers in music and acting. Her big break came in 2013 when she was cast as Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales, a slightly dim, Goth-influenced inmate on "Orange is the New Black." Initially a recurring character, Flaca was made part of the main cast in the series' fourth season.
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Jackie Cruz
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
22% |
|
History of Evil | Alegre Dyer (Character) | - | 2024 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story | Alyssa (Character) | - | 2024 |
No Score Yet |
|
All the World Is Sleeping | Toaster (Character) | - | 2021 |
8% |
|
Midnight in the Switchgrass | Suzanna (Character) | - | 2021 |
64% |
|
Lansky | Dafne (Character) | $27.5K | 2021 |
33% |
|
Here After | Susan (Character) | $5.6K | 2020 |
50% |
|
Tremors: Shrieker Island | Freddie (Character) | - | 2020 |
11% |
|
A Nice Girl Like You | Nessa Jennings (Character) | - | 2020 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Rosa |
Rosa (Character), Executive Producer |
- | 2020 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
90% | 82% | Orange Is the New Black |
Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales (Character), Unknown (Guest Star) |
2013-2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | TRL | Guest | 2018 |
No Score Yet | 81% | Blue Bloods | Unknown (Guest Star) | 2016 |
No Score Yet | 56% | Unforgettable | Maria Torres (Guest Star) | 2014 |