Victoria Cartagena

Victoria Cartagena came into the acting game in 2004, launching from background parts in little-seen films to central roles on major television series. Throughout her time as an actor, Cartagena bounced between screens big and small, including a co-starring role on the DC Comics drama "Gotham" (Fox 2014- ), in which she played Detective Renee Montoya, a staple of Batman lore. Cartagena was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she grew up invested in the pursuit of acting. At age 14, Cartagena studied at the city's Society Hill Playhouse under a regimen that honed her skills for a life onscreen. After graduating from Penn State University with a degree in education, Cartagena relocated to New York City, where she reconvened her conquest for a career in performance at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and the Lark Play Development Center. After making her big screen debut with a small role in the Staten Island comedy "Baby Fat" (2004), Cartagena devoted her focus to the short-lived romantic drama series "The Bedford Diaries" (WB 2006), starring throughout the program's brief run as Zoe Lopez and working with the likes of Milo Ventimiglia, Penn Badgley, and Aasif Mandvi. While making guest appearances on a string of TV series including "Law & Order" (NBC 1990-2010) and "The Good Wife" (CBS 2009-16), she appeared briefly in the high-profile Angelina Jolie thriller "Salt" (2010). Cartagena snagged her most noteworthy film role thus far as Prof. Hopper in the acclaimed "Still Alice" (2014), starring Julianne Moore as an academic slowly succumbing to Alzheimer's disease. The very same year treated Cartagena to another regular role on a network series; for "Gotham," the Batman origin story series, she reinvented the familiar DC Comics character of Detective Renee Montoya.