Dascha Yolaine Polanco (born December 3, 1982) is a Dominican actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara "Daya" Diaz on the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Pr ...

'', and for the role of Cuca in the 2021 film ''

In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is a romance as well as a celebration of community, culture, and aspirations. It is set over the course of thr ...

''.

Early life

Polanco was born in

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

, and moved to the United States at a young age. She was raised in Sunset Park,

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, and

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

by her father, a mechanic, and mother, a cosmetologist. Polanco is the oldest of three children; she has a brother and sister.

Career

Polanco aspired to be an actress from an early age but "always doubted auditioning because of her weight", so she completed a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in psychology at

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

, as a first generation college student. After college she began working in the healthcare industry with the intention of becoming a nurse. She was working in hospital administration at

Montefiore Medical Center Montefiore Einstein Medical Center is an academic medical center that is the primary teaching hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York City. Its main campus, the Henry and Lucy Moses Division, is in the Norwo ...

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

while studying nursing when she gained the courage to pursue acting again and registered herself with an acting studio. She attended BIH Studios in New York, and while there was signed by the

talent agency A talent agency is a company that represents actors, authors, musicians, model (person), models, professional athlete, athletes, writers, dancers, and other professionals in various industries. Talent agencies specialize, either by creating dep ...

Shirley Grant Management. Her first acting credits were minor parts in the television series ''

Unforgettable Unforgettable may refer to: Film * ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta * ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film * ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film * ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...

'' and ''

NYC 22 ''NYC 22'' (pronounced NYC 2-2) is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on CBS from April 15 to August 11, 2012, as a mid-season replacement for '' CSI: Miami''. On August 29, 2012, CBS canceled the series after one ...

''. In 2012, Polanco was cast in the

series ''

'' as Dayanara "Daya" Diaz. In 2013, Polanco appeared in the independent film ''

Gimme Shelter "Gimme Shelter" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. Written by Jagger–Richards, it is the opening track of the band's 1969 album '' Let It Bleed''. The song covers the brutal realities of war, including murder, rape and f ...

'' before returning to her role on ''Orange Is the New Black'' for the show's second season. In June 2014, it was announced that she had been promoted from a recurring role to a series regular for the show's third season, which was released in June 2015. She appeared in the comedy films ''

The Cobbler The Cobbler () is an mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is a Corbett, and is an important site for rock climbing in the Southern Highlands. Many maps include the name Ben Arthur (an anglicisation of ...

'' and ''

Joy Joy is the state of being that allows one to experience feelings of intense, long-lasting happiness and contentment of life. It is closely related to, and often evoked by, well-being, success, or good fortune. Happiness, pleasure, and gratitu ...

'', and starred in the film '' The Perfect Match''. In 2018, Polanco had a recurring role in '' The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story'', and in 2019, she had a recurring role in Netflix series, ''

Russian Doll A Russian doll (or Matryoshka) is a type of nested, wooden toy. Russian Doll or Russian Dolls may also refer to: Television series * ''Russian Doll'' (TV series), a 2019 American drama series on Netflix * ''Russian Dolls'' (2011 TV series), a ...

'' and ''

When They See Us ''When They See Us'' is a 2019 American crime drama television miniseries created, co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay for Netflix, that premiered in four parts on May 31, 2019. It is based on events of the 1989 Central Park jogger cas ...

''. In 2021, Polanco played the role of Cuca, one of the lead salon ladies, in the film ''

''. From 2021 to 2022, she voiced Ms. Camilla Torres, the mother of Winston who owns a record shop, in the animated series ''

Karma's World ''Karma's World'' is an animated musical comedy television series created by Chris Bridges and developed by Wendy Harris, Rachel Kalban, and Jennie Stacey for Netflix. It was released on October 15, 2021. Produced by 9 Story Media Group in Can ...

''. In 2025, Polanco starred as Michelle Borgas in the Lifetime film ''Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borgas Story'', a part of the channel's "Ripped from the Headlines" feature films.

Personal life

Polanco has two children, a daughter and a son. Her daughter portrayed a younger version of Polanco's character in the fifth season of ''Orange is the New Black''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Polanco, Dascha 1982 births Living people Actresses from Miami Actresses from Brooklyn American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses American people of Dominican Republic descent Dominican Republic emigrants to the United States Dominican Republic film actresses Dominican Republic television actresses Hispanic and Latino American actresses Hunter College alumni Mixed Dominicans Actors from Santo Domingo People from Sunset Park, Brooklyn 21st-century American actresses