Gina Ravera is an American actress. She has appeared in the films ''

Showgirls ''Showgirls'' is a 1995 erotic drama pulp noir film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. The film stars Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plummer, Robert Davi, Alan Rachins, and Gina Ravera. Produ ...

'' (1995), ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

'' (1997), '' Kiss the Girls'' (1997), and ''

The Great Debaters ''The Great Debaters'' is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by and starring Denzel Washington. It is based on an article written about the Wiley College debate team by Tony Scherman for the spring 1997 issue of ''American Legacy'' ...

'' (2007). She co-starred as detective Irene Daniels in the TNT crime drama series ''

The Closer ''The Closer'' is an American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda has a reputation as a c ...

'' (2005-2009).

Life and career

Ravera was born in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

. She is of mixed African-American and Puerto Rican heritage. She is a classically trained dancer. In the early 1990s, Ravera began appearing in guest-starring roles on television shows, including ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart ...

'', ''

Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, i ...

'', and '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. During 1993-94, she was a cast member of the CBS crime series '' Silk Stalkings''. In films, she had a starring role in the 1995 erotic drama ''

'', directed by

Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...

, and in 1997 appeared in the comedy-drama ''

''. Ravera later went to television, appearing in TV films of the week and in series guest roles and regular roles. She was a regular cast member of '' Time of Your Life'', a spin-off series of Fox's popular teen drama ''

Party of Five ''Party of Five'' is an American television teen and family drama created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox for six seasons from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000. The series featured an ensemble cast led by ...

'', from 1999 to 2001. From 2005 to 2009, Ravera played Irene Daniels during the first four seasons of the TNT crime drama series ''

'' and was the only regular cast member to leave the series during its run. From 2006 to 2008, she also had a recurring role on '' ER'' and in 2007, she played

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". Throughout his career spanning over four decades, Washington ha ...

's wife in the biographical film ''

''.

Filmography

Film and TV Movies

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ravera, Gina 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from California American people of Puerto Rican descent Living people Actresses from San Francisco American television actresses African-American actresses American film actresses 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people Year of birth missing (living people)