Selenis Leyva facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Selenis Leyva
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Leyva at the 2014 Peabody Awards
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| Born | May 26, 1972 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Children | 1 |
Selenis Leyva (born May 26, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in popular TV shows and movies. Selenis first started acting in plays before getting parts on television. Her most famous role was playing Gloria Mendoza in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. She has also appeared in family-friendly shows like Diary of a Future President on Disney+ and the NBC sitcom Lopez vs Lopez. You might also recognize her from movies such as Spider-Man: Homecoming and Creed III.
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Early Life and First Roles
Selenis Leyva grew up in The Bronx, a borough of New York City. Her family background is from Cuba and the Dominican Republic. She began her acting journey in plays performed in smaller theaters, known as Off-Broadway productions. Her first professional acting job was in 1995 in a play called Simpson Street. She also acted in other plays like Celia in 2007.
On television, Selenis had early roles in shows like the Nickelodeon teen sitcom Taina in 2001. She also played Detective Mariluz Rivera in the police drama Law & Order for a few years. She made guest appearances on many other popular TV shows, including The Sopranos, The Good Wife, and Girls. In movies, she had smaller parts in films like Maria Full of Grace (2004).
Breakthrough with Orange Is the New Black
In 2013, Selenis Leyva got a big role that made her very well-known. She started playing Gloria Mendoza in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black. Her character, Gloria, was a strong leader among the Latina inmates in the prison.
At first, her character was a recurring role, meaning she appeared sometimes. But because she was so popular, she became a main character from the third season onwards. Selenis and her castmates won several Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series awards for their acting in the show. The series was very successful and ran for seven seasons, ending in 2019.
Recent Projects and Film Appearances
While working on Orange Is the New Black, Selenis also took on other exciting roles. In 2017, she played Monica Warren in the superhero movie Spider-Man: Homecoming. This film is part of the popular Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After Orange Is the New Black ended, Selenis continued to star in new TV shows. In 2019, she joined the cast of the Disney+ comedy-drama series Diary of a Future President. In this show, she played Gabi Cañero-Reed, the mother of the main character. The series was about a young girl who dreams of becoming the President of the United States.
More recently, in 2022, Selenis was cast in the NBC sitcom Lopez vs Lopez. In this show, she plays Rosie Lopez, the ex-wife of the main character, played by George Lopez. She also appeared in the sports drama film Creed III in 2023.
Personal Life and Advocacy
Selenis Leyva has one daughter named Alina. She is a strong supporter of the LGBT community, which stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people. In 2015, she shared that her sister, Marizol, is transgender.
Selenis and her sister Marizol even wrote a book together. The book is called My Sister: How One Sibling's Transition Changed Us Both. It was published in 2020 and shares their personal story and experiences.
See also
In Spanish: Selenis Leyva para niños
