Gina Ravera
Gina Ravera is an American actress. She has appeared in the films Showgirls (1995), Soul Food (1997), Kiss the Girls (1997), and The Great Debaters (2007). She co-starred as detective Irene Daniels in the TNT crime drama series The Closer (2005-2009).
Gina Ravera | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1990–present |
Life and career
Ravera was born in San Francisco, California. She is of mixed African-American and Puerto Rican heritage.[1] 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, Melrose Place, 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 Showgirls, directed by Paul Verhoeven, and in 1997 appeared in the comedy-drama Soul Food. 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, from 1999 to 2001.
From 2005 to 2009, Ravera played Irene Daniels during the first four seasons[2] of the TNT crime drama series The Closer 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's wife in the biographical film The Great Debaters.[3]
Filmography
Film and TV Movies
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Lambada | Funk Queen | |
| 1991 | Auto Theft: Hot Cars, Cold Facts | Lisa | Short |
| 1992 | Steal America | Jeena | |
| 1994 | White Mile | Alma | TV movie |
| 1995 | Illegal in Blue | Alexis | Video |
| Showgirls | Molly Abrams | ||
| W.E.I.R.D. World | Dr. Patty Provost | TV movie | |
| 919 Fifth Avenue | Sheila | TV movie | |
| 1996 | Soul of the Game | Grace | TV movie |
| Get on the Bus | Gina | ||
| 1997 | Soul Food | Faith Hunter | |
| Kiss the Girls | Naomi Cross | ||
| 1999 | A Luv Tale | Taylor James | |
| 2000 | Rhapsody | Lenore Foxwood | TV movie |
| 2002 | Saint Sinner | Rachel Dressler | TV movie |
| 2003 | Chasing Papi | Beauty Pageant Judge | |
| 2004 | Pryor Offenses | Tameka | TV movie |
| Gas | Rev. Sheila | ||
| 2007 | The Great Debaters | Ruth Tolson |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Cheryl | Episode: "Someday Your Prince Will Be in Effect: Part 2" |
| 1991 | In Living Color | Herself | Episode: "Episode #2.24" |
| True Colors | Anita | Episode: "Yo' House, Mama: Part 2" | |
| Reasonable Doubts | Latasha Richardson | Episode: "Pure Gold" | |
| 1992 | Melrose Place | Theresa | Episode: "Second Chances" |
| 1993 | Where I Live | Robin | Episode: "Dontay's Inferno" |
| Days of Our Lives | Vanessa Mitchell | Episode: "Episode #1.7060" | |
| Frasier | Waitress | Episode: "The Good Son" | |
| Star Trek: The Next Generation | Ensign Tyler | Episode: "Phantasms" | |
| 1993-94 | Silk Stalkings | Dr. Diana Roth | Recurring cast |
| 1994 | NYPD Blue | Shawanda Wilson | Episode: "For Whom the Skell Tolls" |
| 1997 | In the House | Sam | Episode: "Men in the Black" |
| 1998 | The Temptations | Josephine | Episode: "Episode #1.1 & #1.2" |
| Malcolm & Eddie | Tracy Burke | Episode: "Dream Girl" | |
| 1999–2000 | Time of Your Life | Jocelyn House | Main cast |
| 2000–01 | The Fugitive | Sara Gerard | Recurring cast |
| 2003 | Miracles | Raina Bauer | Episode: "The Patient" |
| Charmed | Mary | Episode: "My Three Witches" | |
| 2004 | The Handler | Agent Ridgeway | Episode: "Acts of Congress" |
| Boston Legal | Dr. Amanda Gerard | Episode: "A Greater Good" | |
| 2005 | Inconceivable | Tricia Santos | Episode: "The Last Straw" |
| Everwood | Stacey | Episode: "Pro Choice" | |
| 2005–09 | The Closer | Det. Irene Daniels | Recurring cast: season 1-2, main cast: season 3-4 |
| 2006–08 | ER | Dr. Bettina DeJesus | Recurring cast: Season 13-14, guest: Season 15 |
| 2007 | Raines | Lisa Lincoln | Episode: "Stone Dead" |
| 2009 | Private Practice | Dawn | Episode: "The Hard Part" |
| 2011 | Lie to Me | Paula | Episode: "Rebound" |
| 2012 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Dr. Paula O'Keefe | Episode: "Risky Business Class" |
| 2014 | Castle | Marsha Stoller | Episode: "Montreal" |
| 2018 | Arrow | Lydia Cassamento | Recurring cast: season 6 |
| 2020 | Station 19 | Claudia Flores | Episode: "Satellite of Love" & "Born to Run" |
| 2021 | Calls | Room Service (voice) | Episode: "Pedro Across the Street" |
Awards and nominations
References
- McCann, Bob (30 October 2009). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. ISBN 9780786458042. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- The Closer article
- "The Great Debaters". Rotten Tomatoes. 25 December 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
External links
- Gina Ravera at IMDb