Diane Guerrero

Diane Guerrero was born on July 21, 1986, in Passaic, New Jersey, to Colombian parents. She grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and remained there after her parents and older brother were deported to Colombia when she was 14. As the only member of her immediate family with U.S. citizenship, she navigated her teenage years without direct family support, relying on other Colombian families in Jamaica Plain and Roxbury, Boston. Guerrero attended Boston Arts Academy, a performing arts high school where she was involved in the music department. Initially planning to pursue political science and communications, she later decided to embrace her interest in acting.

After working in a law office post-college, Guerrero moved to New York City in 2011 to study acting at the Susan Batson Studios. Her career began to gain significant traction with her casting in the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black” (2012-2017, 2019) as Maritza Ramos, a role that resonated due to her own Colombian heritage. This role contributed to three consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series from 2015 to 2017. Concurrently, she secured a recurring role as Lina on The CW’s “Jane the Virgin” (2014-2019).

Guerrero’s experiences with her family’s deportation compelled her to become an outspoken advocate for immigration reform. This advocacy extended into her literary work with the publication of her memoir, “In the Country We Love: My Family Divided” (2016), co-written with Michelle Burford, which shed light on the challenges faced by immigrant families. She continued to showcase her versatility in acting, starring as Kay Challis/Crazy Jane in the Max action-drama series “Doom Patrol” (2019-2023) and lending her voice to Isabela Madrigal in Disney’s animated film “Encanto” (2021). Her commitment to social justice earned her the Lupe Ontiveros Indomitable Spirit Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition in 2018.