Jackie Cruz
| Jackie Cruz | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 8, 1986 Queens, New York City, United States |
| Education | Hamilton Music Academy |
| Occupation |
|
| Notable work | Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales on Orange Is the New Black |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 120 lb (54 kg) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop |
| Associated acts | will.i.am |
Jackie Cruz (born August 8, 1986) is a Dominican–American actress, musician and former model, known for her role as Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales on the Netflix television series Orange Is the New Black.
Cruz was born in Queens, New York, and grew up between Los Angeles and in Santiago Dominican Republic. She was raised by a single mother, and she speaks fluent English and Spanish. Cruz was inspired to become an entertainer at the age of seven after watching Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard.
At age 16, Cruz moved out of her mother's apartment and became homeless. When she was 17, she was the victim of a car accident where she suffered a collapsed lung, as well as a coma and having to undergo brain surgery. Her song "Sweet Sixteen" is based on the incident.
When Cruz was in high school, she worked with will.i.am's producers in a girl group called Krush Velvet, although the group never got signed to a record label. Her debut extended play, Hollywood Gypsy, was released independently in 2010.
In 2009, Cruz began making appearances on the E! television series Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami. She and Kourtney Kardashian became friends after meeting in an art class, which led to further appearances on the series. In one episode, Cruz and Kardashian were filmed kissing, an incident that Kardashian later stated she was "so embarrassed" by. Although Cruz initially stated that she and Kardashian remained friends following the incident, Kardashian later stated that she "can never talk to [Cruz] again".
Cruz cites Rita Moreno as an acting influence.
Cruz was working as a model as well as a waitress at New York City restaurant Lavo before she was cast as Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black; and she briefly continued both previous jobs while filming the series, whose hours led to her being "kind of fired" from Lavo. Originally a recurring character for the first three seasons, it was announced in April 2015 that she would be promoted to series regular for the fourth season.
...
Wikipedia