# Gina Ravera

Gina Ravera (born May 20, 1966) 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).

## Life and career

Ravera was born in San Francisco, California. 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, 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 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.

## 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 |
| 1995 | Showgirls | Molly Abrams | |
| 1995 | W.E.I.R.D. World | Dr. Patty Provost | TV movie |
| 1995 | 919 Fifth Avenue | Sheila | TV movie |
| 1996 | Soul of the Game | Grace | TV movie |
| 1996 | Get on the Bus | Gina | |
| 1997 | Soul Food | Faith Hunter | |
| 1997 | 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 |
| 2004 | 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,” credited as Gina Ravarra |
| 1991 | In Living Color | Herself | Episode: "Episode #2.24" |
| 1991 | True Colors | Anita | Episode: "Yo' House, Mama: Part 2" |
| 1991 | Reasonable Doubts | Latasha Richardson | Episode: "Pure Gold" |
| 1992 | Melrose Place | Theresa | Episode: "Second Chances" |
| 1993 | Where I Live | Robin | Episode: "Dontay's Inferno" |
| 1993 | Days of Our Lives | Vanessa Mitchell | Episode: "Episode #1.7060" |
| 1993 | Frasier | Waitress | Episode: "The Good Son" |
| 1993 | 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" |
| 1998 | 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" |
| 2003 | Charmed | Mary | Episode: "My Three Witches" |
| 2004 | The Handler | Agent Ridgeway | Episode: "Acts of Congress" |
| 2004 | Boston Legal | Dr. Amanda Gerard | Episode: "A Greater Good" |
| 2005 | Inconceivable | Tricia Santos | Episode: "The Last Straw" |
| 2005 | Everwood | Stacey | Episode: "Pro Choice" |
| 2005–09 | The Closer | Det. Irene Daniels | Recurring cast: seasons 1-2, main cast: seasons 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

| Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Outcome |
| 1999 | ALMA Awards | ALMA Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series | The Temptations | Nominated |
| 2006 | Imagen Awards | Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress - Television | The Closer | Nominated |
| 2008 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| 2009 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Closer | Nominated |
| 2009 | Imagen Awards | Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress - Television | The Closer | Nominated |