Julee Cerda () is a South Korean born American actress who resides in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Biography

Born in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

to a Korean mother and Dominican father, Julee Cerda was raised simultaneously in New York and the

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 ...

. While in high school, her class took a field trip to see the

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production of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' where Cerda stated she was "floored" by the production. This show convinced her to take a career in acting. She later attended

Marist College Marist University is a private university in Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Marist was founded by the Marist Brothers, a Catholic Church, Catholic religious institute, in 1905 to prepare brothers for their ...

and participated in comedy troupes such as

Upright Citizens Brigade The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Amy Poehler, Matthew Walsh, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, ...

and Tangana!, the latter of which she was a founding member. She moved on to acting in advertisements, but wished to move on to other wider acting roles stating, "There will always be a reason not to do something. I had a lot of student loan debt for a career in advertising. There were a lot of lows getting to the point where I am today. There are still lows that I deal with. But not listening to your true self will beat you up, and you can either bury it or let it thrive." Cerda has been among actors and actresses of mixed ethnicity who have found it difficult working in the

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

system. "I don't fit 100% into any category. I'm an American, but casting directors don't always see me as that. I'm often looked at as the 'other', but it's getting better because people of color are working to make it better." Cerda began booking roles in high-profile television productions such as ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic natio ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

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'' and ''

Nurse Jackie ''Nurse Jackie'' is an American medical comedy-drama television series that aired on Showtime from June 8, 2009, to June 28, 2015. Set in New York City, the series follows Jackie Peyton ( Edie Falco), a drug-addicted emergency department nurse ...

''. She also gained recognition for starring in the Broadway revival of '' Children of a Lesser God'' and ''Smart People''. She also has a role in the second season of '' Marvel's Iron Fist'', which is set in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

. Cerda was cast in the

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series, '' The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers'', which premiered on March 26, 2021.‘The Mighty Ducks’: Emilio Estevez To Reprise Role As Coach Gordon Bombay In Disney+ Sequel Series
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Personal life

Cerda is married and has one child.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cerda, Julee Living people 21st-century American actresses American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Seoul American actresses of Korean descent American people of Dominican Republic descent Marist College alumni South Korean emigrants to the United States South Korean expatriates in the United States Year of birth missing (living people)