Diane Guerrero is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as inmate Maritza Ramos on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black and Lina on Jane the Virgin. Guerrero grew up in Boston and remained there after the rest of her family was deported to Colombia. She is an advocate for immigration reform. Her role on Orange Is the New Black has contributed to three consecutive wins for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Guerrero is the author of In the Country We Love: My Family Divided, a memoir about her parents being detained and deported when she was fourteen. She currently stars as Jane in the HBO Max action-drama series Doom Patrol. She also voiced the character Isabela Madrigal in the 2021 Disney film Encanto.
Years active 2011–present
Born: July 21, 1986, 38 years old and 4 months, Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.
Sun Sign: Cancer
Hair Color: Dark Brown
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Height: 5 ft 2 in / 157 cm
Measurements: 35-26-34 in / 89-66-86 cm
Bra Size: 32C US / 70C EU
Ethnicity
She is of Columbian origin due to her parents.
Education
Diane went to the Boston Arts Academy, which was the only performing arts high school in Boston.
She then got admission at the Regis College to study political science and communications.
Early life
Guerrero was born to Colombian parents and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. As the only member of her immediate family with American citizenship, she chose to remain in the U.S. at the age of 14 when her parents and older brother were deported back to Colombia after unsuccessfully pursuing legal citizenship. Guerrero has since become a strong advocate for immigration reform.
Guerrero was raised in the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston after being taken in by other Colombian families. She attended Boston Arts Academy, a performing arts high school, where she was in the music department. Among her high school activities was singing with a jazz group, but she anticipated pursuing political science and communications in college. Her first job after college was in a law office.
In 2010, at age 24, Guerrero decided to pursue a career in acting. That same year, she appeared in the music video for Boston-based R&B singer Louie Bello‘s song “Faces”. In 2011, she moved to New York City and studied acting at the Susan Batson Studios, where she met her manager Josh Taylor.
Career
In 2012, Guerrero was cast in Orange is the New Black in the role of Maritza Ramos, a Bronx-bred character with Colombian roots. For season 2, she was part of the cast that earned recognition for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards. The cast earned recognition for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series again at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards and 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards. She remained part of the show through season 5. She returned for the final season in 2019.
In 2014, Guerrero was cast in a recurring role on The CW series Jane the Virgin. In February 2015, Guerrero was cast as the female lead in CBS’ television pilot for Super Clyde, but the show was not picked up for series. In 2017, Guerrero was cast in a regular role for season 2 of Superior Donuts. Guerrero has appeared in the films Emoticon 😉, Peter and John, and Happy Yummy Chicken. In 2018, she appeared in the films Beyond Control and The Godmother.
In 2016, Guerrero released In the Country We Love: My Family Divided, a memoir about her parents being detained and deported when she was 14. The book was written with Michelle Burford and published by Henry Holt and Co. A drama based on her memoir was picked up by CBS, to be developed into a drama executive produced by Jennie Snyder Urman, Ben Silverman, and Paul Sciarrotta, with Snyder attached as the showrunner. Guerrero was initially set to play the lead. In 2017, CBS decided to pass on the project, but was picked up by Fox. As of January 2018, no pilot for the series has been ordered.
Following the release of In the Country We Love: My Family Divided, Guerrero also released My Family Divided, a memoir similar to her previous work but for younger children. One of the main reasons she wanted to cater this book to a younger audience is because she felt like kids who were in similar situations as her own had no knowledge on how to deal with it. In an interview with The Washington Post, she says “I never read anything close to my story. I had no reference point. I felt really alone.”
In July 2018, Guerrero joined the cast of the DC Universe series Doom Patrol as Jane. The series debuted in 2019. She is the first actor to play Crazy Jane onscreen
Guerrero hosted the first two seasons of the Hello Sunshine podcast, How It Is.
Guerrero provided the voice of Isabela Madrigal in the Disney animated film Encanto, which premiered November 24, 2021.
Awards
In 2018, Guerrero was awarded the “Lupe Ontiveros Indomitable Spirit Award” by the National Hispanic Media Coalition for her commitment to advocacy and increasing the visibility of the Latino community’s achievements and contributions in the USA.
Advocacy
After publicly speaking about her immigrant parents in an article for the Los Angeles Times, Guerrero became an advocate for the immigrant community. She volunteers and is an ambassador for the Immigration Legal Resource Center, a nonprofit organization, that aims to educate people about issues in the immigrant community. She also became a board member for Mi Familia Vota, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to engage communities for social justice.
In September 2015, she was named one of the Presidential Ambassadors for Citizenship and Naturalization by Barack Obama. On May 24, 2018, she was recognized at the 2018 Phillip Burton Immigration & Civil Rights Awards for the work she continues to do.
First Film
She played the title role of Ashley in a short film Ashley/Amber in 2011.
First TV Show
Diane guest appeared on the ABC medical drama Body of Proof as Sara Gonzales in 2011.
Diane Guerrero Favorite Things
Beauty Icon – Jennifer Lopez
Beauty Advice – Drink lots of water and stay hydrated.
TV Series – New Girl, Parenthood (2010-2015), Red Band Society (2014-2015)
Diane Guerrero Facts
When she got her breakthrough role in the comedy series Orange is the New Black, she was about to give up due to lack of any progress in her career.
For her audition for Orange is the New Black, she wore a simple t-shirt and sweatpants and had her hair pulled up as the casting call had asked for out of the bed look.
After completing her college education, she got a job at a law firm.
She has worked as a volunteer with the charity group, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, which aims to support immigrant groups and protect their rights.
While studying at the high school, she was a vocalist of a jazz group.
Once, at the age of 14, when she returned home, the immigration authorities had detained her parents. She then stayed with her parents’ friends, and could only meet her parents by visiting Columbia during vacations.
In 2016, she published a memoir In the Country We Love, in which she shared her experience as an immigrant and struggles she had to endure. She later played a lead role in the TV series adaptation of the book on CBS.
In the run up to the 2016 Presidential Election, she was very vocal in her opposition for eventual winner Donald Trump due to his anti-immigrant stance.
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