Jackie Cruz

Born Jacqueline Chavez on August 8, 1986, in Queens, New York City, Jackie Cruz spent her formative years between Los Angeles, California, and Santiago, Dominican Republic. Raised by a single mother, Cruz became fluent in both English and Spanish. Her interest in entertainment began at age seven, inspired by Whitney Houston’s performance in “The Bodyguard.” She attended Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, where she was an active member of the school’s music academy, laying the groundwork for her future career.

Cruz faced personal challenges early in her life, including a period of homelessness at age 16 after leaving her mother’s apartment. At 17, she was involved in a severe car accident that resulted in a collapsed lung, a coma, and the need for brain surgery. This significant life event later inspired her song “Sweet Sixteen.” Her early musical endeavors included working with will.i.am’s producers in a girl group called Krush Velvet, though the group did not secure a record label deal. She independently released her debut extended play, “Hollywood Gypsy,” in 2010. She is also a member of the band “The Family Portrait.”

Jackie Cruz’s acting career began with appearances on E!’s “Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami” in 2009. Her breakthrough role came as Marisol “Flaca” Gonzales in the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black,” where she started as a recurring character and was promoted to series regular for the fourth season in April 2015, continuing until 2019 across 82 episodes. Her filmography includes roles in “Midnight in the Switchgrass” (2021), “Panama” (2022), and “History of Evil” (2024). She also starred as Alyssa Pladl in the Lifetime film “Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story” in 2024. Beyond acting, Cruz has expanded her career into production, serving as an executive producer for projects like “Nuevo Rico” (2021) and “Rosa” (2020), and as a producer for “The Dying Kind” (2019).