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 known for her roles in television, movies, and theater. She is famous for playing Gloria Mendoza in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black.
Leyva also starred in the Disney+ show Diary of a Future President and the NBC comedy Lopez vs Lopez. She has appeared in popular movies like Spider-Man: Homecoming and Creed III.
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Early Life and Career
Selenis Leyva grew up in The Bronx, a part of New York City. Her family has Cuban and Dominican roots. She started her acting career in Off-Broadway plays, which are shows in smaller theaters in New York.
On television, she had a recurring role as Detective Mariluz Rivera on the popular crime show Law & Order. She also appeared in other shows like The Good Wife and Elementary.
Breakthrough Role
In 2013, Leyva got her big break when she was cast as Gloria Mendoza in the Netflix show Orange Is the New Black. The show is about the lives of women in a prison. Her character, Gloria, was a strong leader among the inmates.
For the first two seasons, she was a recurring character. For season three, she became a main character. For her work on the show, Leyva and the cast won three Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series. The show was very popular and ran for seven seasons, ending in 2019.
Recent Work
After Orange Is the New Black, Leyva continued to act in many interesting projects. She co-starred in the 2017 superhero movie Spider-Man: Homecoming as Ms. Warren, one of Peter Parker's teachers.
From 2020 to 2021, she played Gabi Cañero-Reed in the Disney+ series Diary of a Future President. The show is about a young girl who grows up to become the president of the United States.
From 2022 to 2025, she starred as Rosie Lopez in the NBC comedy series Lopez vs Lopez, playing the ex-wife of comedian George Lopez's character. In 2023, she appeared in the hit boxing movie Creed III.
Personal Life
Leyva has one daughter named Alina. She is a strong supporter of the LGBT community. In 2015, she shared that her sister, Marizol, is transgender. Together, they wrote a book called My Sister: How One Sibling's Transition Changed Us Both, which was published in 2020.
Selected Roles
Here are some of Selenis Leyva's most well-known roles in movies and television.
Film
- Maria Full of Grace (2004) - Customs Inspector
- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) - Additional Voices
- ... and the City 2 (2010) - Teacher
- Custody (2016) - Jackie
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - Monica Warren
- Breaking (2022) - Rosa Diaz
- Creed III (2023) - Laura Chavez
Television
- Law & Order (2004–2006) - Detective Mariluz Rivera
- Blue Bloods (2011–2012) - Assistant M.E. Craig
- Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019) - Gloria Mendoza
- DuckTales (2018–2021) - Detective Cabrera (voice)
- Diary of a Future President (2020–2021) - Gabi Cañero-Reed
- Lopez vs Lopez (2022–2025) - Rosie Lopez
See also
In Spanish: Selenis Leyva para niños
