Daniella Pineda

Daniella Pineda was born on February 20, 1987, in Oakland, California, to Eric Klein and Patricia Pineda. A third-generation Mexican American, she earned degrees in sociology and radio journalism from Mills College. Early in her career, Pineda gained recognition through online comedy sketch videos for CollegeHumor from 2010 to 2011 and fashion tutorials on YouTube. Her debut film appearance was in Edward Burns’ 2011 comedy-drama “Newlyweds.”

Pineda’s television career began with an episode of The CW’s “Men of a Certain Age” in 2010, followed by a significant role in “The Vampire Diaries” in 2013, which served as a backdoor pilot for the spin-off series “The Originals.” She played the witch Sophie in the first season of “The Originals.” In 2015, she was cast in NBC’s “American Odyssey” as Ruby Simms. A career turning point arrived in 2018 when Pineda secured a role in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” as Zia Rodriguez, marking her first major studio film. She reprised this role in “Jurassic World Dominion” in 2022. Additionally, she portrayed Faye Valentine in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of “Cowboy Bebop” in 2021.

Pineda has been an advocate for greater recognition of Mexican actors, addressing the limited representation of Latin Americans in Hollywood. She has spoken publicly about the challenges faced by Mexican actors and experiences of being told she was not “Mexican enough” for certain roles. In 2023, Pineda appeared in the film “Plane” and is slated to appear in “The Accountant 2” and “Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado” in 2025. Her diverse roles span comedy, drama, and action, demonstrating her range as an actress.