Jessica Pimentel - Wikipedia Jessica Pimentel Jessica Pimentel ( 1982 - 09 - 20 ) September 20, 1982 ( age 35 ) Brooklyn, New York Occupation Actress, Musician Years active 1998 -- present Notable work Orange Is the New Black Musical career Instruments Vocals, guitar Associated acts Alekhine 's Gun Brujeria Black Heart Sutra Desolate Jessica Pimentel ( born September 20, 1982 ) is an American actress and musician. She is best known for her role as Maria Ruiz on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black. She is also the lead singer of the heavy metal band Alekhine 's Gun and backing vocalist in the band Brujeria. Contents 1 Early life 2 Acting career 3 Music career 4 Personal life 5 Filmography 5.1 Films 5.2 Television 6 References 7 External links Early Life Pimentel was born in Brooklyn, New York. Both of her parents, originally from La Romana, Dominican Republic, immigrated to New York as teenagers. Pimentel was the couple 's only child. Her parents divorced when she was six years old, after which she became estranged from her father. Pimentel graduated from New York 's High School of Performing Arts, where she played violin. She focused on acting more after high school, playing Juliet in a touring production of Romeo and Juliet, and landing small roles in movies and TV shows. Acting career After a series of bit parts, Pimentel played the role of Angelique Domenguez in the 2008 film Pride and Glory. In 2014, she was cast as Floyd in four episodes of Person of Interest. Pimentel 's breakout role came in 2013, when she was cast as Maria Ruiz on the Netflix comedy - drama Orange Is the New Black. Pimentel was credited as a guest star for the first four seasons, before finally being made a part of the regular cast for Season 5. Music career Jessica began playing music at the age of two and trained as classical violinist and concert master who has played at Carnegie hall. In her teens she began learning the guitar, electric bass, percussion and keyboards and joined several New York Hardcore bands. She was the bassist for New York heavy metal and hardcore band Desolate from 2010 -- 2014. Since 2010, Pimentel has been the lead vocalist and a recording guitarist for the New York - based heavy metal band Alekhine 's Gun. Pimentel has also recorded several songs with the band Black Heart Sutra, and sings in the Mexican metal band Brujeria. Pimentel is a featured artist for Spector basses, Halo guitars and Krank Amps. Personal Life Pimentel has been dating Meshuggah drummer Tomas Haake since 2013. Pimentel was raised Christian, but became a practicing Buddhist as an adult. Filmography Films Year Title Role Notes 1998 The Last Days of Disco Clubgoer Uncredited 2005 Room Young Mother Uncredited 2007 Illegal Tender Young Millie 2008 Off Jackson Avenue Olivia 2008 Pride and Glory Angelique Domenguez 2012 How to Score Your Life Ex-Girlfriend 2013 Go for Sisters La Mojada 2014 Death Pact Vivian TV movie 2014 Fugly ! Caroline 2015 The Grief of Others Ms. Nuñez Television Year Title Role Notes 1995 All My Children Pine Valley Kid 2 episodes 12 Angry Viewers Juror 2002 Third Watch Josie Episode : `` Falling '' 2003 Law & Order Hooker Episode : `` Under God '' 2005 Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Selma Garcia Episode : `` 911 '' 2008 Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Joanne Suarez Episode : `` Retro '' 2009 Law & Order Tina Episode : `` Boy Gone Astray '' Mercy Female Clerk Episode : `` There Is No Superwoman Law & Order : Criminal Intent Gabriella Belteno Episode : `` Disciple '' 2013 -- present Orange Is the New Black Maria Ruiz Recurring role ( Seasons 1 -- 4 ), Series regular ( Season 5 -- present ) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series ( 2015 - 2017 ) 2014 Casting Calls Mary 2014 -- 2015 Person of Interest Floyd 4 episodes 2015 Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Manuela Ozuna Episode : `` Institutional Fail '' References Jump up ^ `` Brujeria Joined By ' Orange Is The New Black ' Star Jessica Pimentel On U.S. Tour ''. November 7, 2017. Jump up ^ Keaney, Quinn. `` Orange Is the New Black 's Jessica Pimentel Reveals Which Season 4 Scene Made Her `` Cry Like a Little B * tch '' ``. POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 30. ^ Jump up to : `` Meet ' OITNBs Secret Metalhead : Inside Jessica Pimentel 's Double Life ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 30. Jump up ^ Hipes, Patrick ( 2017 - 06 - 01 ). `` ' Orange Is The New Black ' : Jessica Pimentel Upped To Regular For Season 5 ''. Deadline. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 30. ^ Jump up to : `` Jessica Pimentel 's Booking Agent and Speaking Fee - Speaker Booking Agency ''. Speaker Booking Agency. Retrieved 2017 - 12 - 16. Jump up ^ McCabe, Kathy ( March 13, 2017 ). `` OITNB actor Jessica Pimentel will freak you out onscreen and on stage as a death metal singer ''. Retrieved December 15, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Invoking La Bruja Encabronada : Orange is the New Black 's Jessica Pimentel Joins Brujeria Decibel Magazine ''. Decibel Magazine. November 22, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Spector Artists ''. www.spectorbass.com. Retrieved 2017 - 12 - 16. Jump up ^ `` MESHUGGAH Drummer Tomas Haake Is Dating Orange Is The New Black Actress Jessica Pimentel - Metal Injection ''. Metal Injection. 2016 - 08 - 17. Retrieved 2017 - 06 - 30. Jump up ^ `` How `` Orange Is the New Black '' taught actor Jessica Pimentel the danger of attachment ``. Lion 's Roar. 2016 - 06 - 17. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 01. Jump up ^ `` The 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards ''. www.sagawards.org. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 01. External links Jessica Pimentel on IMDb MusicBrainz : 1ec2ce19 - 2271 - 4f37 - b36d - 1b5d601426ec Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jessica_Pimentel&oldid=855881935 '' Categories : 1982 births 21st - century American actresses Actresses from New York ( state ) American female singers American people of Dominican Republic descent American rock singers American television actresses Dominican American Female heavy metal singers Hispanic and Latino American actresses Living people Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from December 2017 Use American English from December 2017 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Italiano Português Edit links This page was last edited on 21 August 2018, at 13 : 15 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: who plays maria on orange is the new black
Answer: Jessica Pimentel