Where do you recognize actress Gina Torres from? Well, that depends on what your favorite genre to watch is. Chances are, if you watch a screen, big or small, Ms. Torres has kept you captivated by her performance for decades.
If you love sci-fi, you’ve seen her in The Matrix movies and fan favorite show Firefly,. If you prefer dramas, then Suits is where she shined for you. If you’ve been wondering what this magnetic powerhouse of a woman has been up to lately, we found all the details you want to know.
Background info
Gina Torres was born in Manhattan, New York, the youngest of three siblings, and fun fact, shares the same birthday as fellow cinematic gem Renée Zellweger of April 25th, 1969.
While the fact that she speaks Spanish and was born to Cuban parents might be more common knowledge, she has tricks up her sleeve that some might not know about.
Not only is she trained in jazz and opera and is a stunning mezzo-soprano singer, but her first performances were as part of a gospel choir.
Torres has known her talents were impressive from a young age, leading her to attend New York’s Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art of Performing Arts. Though she would have liked to continue her education, she couldn’t afford any of the colleges she was accepted to.
Acting Career
She shifted from college dreams to on-screen success and started her acting career in 1992 in the TV series Unnatural Pursuits. One-time guest spots for the next few years led to a steady role on the soap opera One Life to Live from 1996 to 1996.
A handful more TV appearances and then Gina landed a spot on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys from 1997 until 1999, then followed that up with stints on Xena, Alias, and Any Day Now.
In 2020 would land the starting role in the sci-fi television show Cleopatra 2525. The series would run for two seasons over the course of 28 episodes.
On a screen a bit larger, Torres also played Cas in the still amazing The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions movies.
Firefly
Gina was in her early 30s when she scored a role in the show fans still want to see come back to life (please Netflix or Hulu!), Firefly.
She played calm-but-deadly second-in-command Zoë Alleyne Washburne in all 14 episodes of the short-lived-but-long-loved series.
She starred in the show alongside Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher and Christina Hendricks.
Though Firefly ended before it should have, fans loved what Gina brought to the character.
Torres got to bring Zoe back on screen one more time in the 2005 movie Serenity that tried to give fans a bit of closure after Firefly ended.
What did she do after Firefly?
Well, Gina has for sure been keeping busy with role after role after role to keep us entertained. She’s made us laugh alongside Chris Rock in the movie I Think I Love My Wife and kept us on the edge of our seats in the FBI crisis drama Standoff.
If you have a teenager at home, you may have caught Gina on the teen drama Huge.
Suits
But one other show most of her fans know her from is the hit Suits.
Suits, where she played Jessica Pearson for 94 episodes across seven seasons, alongside former Duchess Meghan Markle.
In 2018, Gina would get her own spin-off series from Suits, called Pearson. The show followed Jessica Pearson as she navigated the politica arena in Chicago.
The show aired for only one season and was canceled due to low ratings and mixed reviews from audience and critics.
What is Gina Torres doing now?
Well, you might say Gina is still acting. If you call being so busy between TV and film that she has not missed a year on screen in some way since 1992, then, yes, Ms. Torres is still acting.
You’ve heard her distinct voice giving the character Keeper Yennen life on the animated TV series The Legend of Vox Machina.
9-1-1: Lone Star
She is currently the fierce Tommy Vega on the hit drama show 9-1-1: Lone Star. She also has two projects in post, movies The Perfect Find and Give Me an A.
Execute Producer
Not only does Gina know how to succeed in front of the camera, but she knows what happens behind the scenes, as she served as executive producer on the show Pearson.
Gina starred in the series and was the EP for four episodes of the Chicago-based drama.
Podcast Host
The telenovela is still strong in the form of the podcast Princess of South Beach. If you love a good thriller that revolves around one sibling stealing the life of another sibling and wondering if anyone figures it out, then this podcast starring Gina Torres is for you.
The podcast started in September of 2021 and the last episode dropped in late December of 2021. Released in English and Spanish versions, the episodes are all super short so you can knock the whole thing out pretty quickly.
If you love mistakes behind the takes, they released a blooper episode in January of 2022. With a complete 5-Star rating, it’s a podcast to check out.
Cameo
If you’ve ever wanted to spend money having a celebrity send you a personalized video for a birthday or anniversary, then look up Gina Torres on Cameo.
Not only will you get a 5-star video that will melt your heart, but all of the proceeds go towards No Kid Hungry and Save the Children, so everyone wins.
Activism
As if being a strong woman on screen wasn’t enough, Torres is also a strong woman off screen. She leads by example to be the kind of woman she wants her daughter to be by getting awareness for Latinx to have more roles in Hollywood, supporting Black Lives Matter, and doing as much as possible to make sure no one goes hungry when things like COVID or a natural disaster happen. She is definitely a woman you always want to have in your corner.
Personal Life
Gina had a famous partner for quite some time. She was married to Lauren Fishburne, who we all know as Morpheus from The Matrix movies, from 2002 until their divorce was finalized in 2018.
Gina and Laurence have one child, a daughter named Delilah Fishburne who was born in 2007. While married to Fishburne, Gina was also stepmom to his two children from his first marriage.
Though Torres and Fishburne quietly separated around 2016, by the summer of 2017 she was seen with a new partner around town.
Kevin White, a former real estate executive who opts for a more cowboy lifestyle in Montana versus the Hollywood flash and lights game, seems to be wrangling Gina’s heart just fine.
She posts about her laid-back beau often on her personal Instagram account.
But that doesn’t mean she has any ill feelings toward her ex. Both she and Fishburne have stated that they want nothing but the best for each other, were able to divorce as amicably as you can these days, and continue to raise their daughter with nothing but respect and love.
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