Zulay Henao

Zulay Henao was born in Medellin, Colombia, on March 22, 1979. Her family later emigrated to the United States, settling in New Jersey. After completing high school, Henao served three years in the U.S. Army, from 1997 to 2000, including deployment to El Salvador for hurricane relief efforts. Following her military service, she pursued her acting ambitions by enrolling at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. Her career began in 2005 with independent film productions.

Henao made her television debut in 2007 on “Army Wives” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” She gained critical attention with roles in films like “Fighting” (2009) alongside Channing Tatum, “Takers” (2010), and “Boy Wonder” (2011). In 2013, she joined the Oprah Winfrey Network sitcom “Love Thy Neighbor” as a series regular. Her career progressed with a role in Tyler Perry’s 2014 film “The Single Moms Club,” and she later reprised her character in the television adaptation “If Loving You Is Wrong,” where she was a series regular for 58 episodes between 2014 and 2017. Her more recent work includes “True Memoirs of an International Assassin” (2016) with Kevin James, “The Oath” (2019), and “Stumptown” (2019).

Beyond her acting career, Henao also co-founded Modern Muze, a digital lifestyle platform that aims to celebrate Latinas and create a community centered around soul, beauty, health, and society. She also holds a producer credit for the 2021 short film “When Devils Play.” In 2020, Henao welcomed her daughter Kennedy Cruz, expanding her perspective on empowering women through her platform.