Gina Torres facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gina Torres
Torres in 2024
Born	(1969-04-25) April 25, 1969 (age 56) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Laurence Fishburne ​ ​ (m. 2002; div. 2018)​
Children	1

Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress known for playing strong and memorable characters. She is famous for her roles as the tough soldier Zoe Washburne in the science-fiction show Firefly and the powerful lawyer Jessica Pearson in the drama series Suits.

Torres has also appeared in many other popular shows and movies, including The Matrix Reloaded, Westworld, and 9-1-1: Lone Star.

Early Life and Education

Gina Torres was born in The Bronx, a part of New York City. Her parents were immigrants from Cuba. Her father had a job as a typesetter, which means he arranged text for printing in newspapers like the New York Daily News. Growing up, Gina learned to speak both English and Spanish fluently.

Torres discovered her love for singing at a young age. She has a mezzo-soprano singing voice, which is a medium-high vocal range for a woman. She went to the famous Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York City. There, she studied opera and jazz music and sang in a gospel choir.

Although she was accepted into several colleges, her family could not afford the tuition. Instead, she decided to follow her dream of becoming a professional actress.

Acting Career

Gina Torres has had a long and successful career in television, movies, and even video games. She is known for playing intelligent and commanding characters.

Breakthrough TV Roles

In 2001, Torres won an ALMA Award for her leading role in the science-fiction series Cleopatra 2525.

A year later, she was cast as Zoe Washburne in the TV show Firefly. The show was about a group of people traveling through space on a small ship. Even though Firefly was only on for one season, it became a huge favorite with fans. Torres later played Zoe again in the movie Serenity, which continued the show's story.

From 2011 to 2018, Torres starred as Jessica Pearson in the legal drama Suits. Her character was the smart and stylish managing partner of a law firm. The role was so popular that it led to its own spin-off show called Pearson in 2019, with Torres as the main star.

Most recently, she joined the cast of the drama series 9-1-1: Lone Star in 2021 as paramedic captain Tommy Vega.

Other Notable Work

Torres in 2008

Torres has appeared in many other well-known TV shows. She played the mysterious Anna Espinosa in Alias and the powerful being Jasmine in Angel. She also had roles in popular series like 24, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, and Westworld.

In movies, she played the character Cas in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. She also appeared in the comedy I Think I Love My Wife with Chris Rock.

Voice Acting

Torres at the 2018 Global Education and Skills Forum, in Dubai

Torres is also a talented voice actress. She voiced the superhero Vixen in the animated show Justice League Unlimited. She was also the voice of the Decepticon Airachnid in the cartoon Transformers: Prime.

Fans of video games might recognize her voice as Ikora Rey in the Destiny game series or as Wonder Woman in DC Universe Online. She also voiced Ketsu Onyo in the animated series Star Wars Rebels.

Personal Life

In 2002, Gina Torres married actor Laurence Fishburne. They have one daughter together. Torres was also a stepmother to Fishburne's two children from a previous marriage. The two actors even played a married couple on the TV show Hannibal. Torres and Fishburne announced their separation in 2017, and their divorce was finalized in 2018.

On New Year's Day in 2020, Torres was honored as a Grand Marshal of the famous Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Gina Torres para niños