# Saundra Santiago

Saundra Santiago (born April 13, 1957) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Detective Gina Calabrese in the NBC original crime drama series Miami Vice (1984–1990). She also played Carmen Santos on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light and the second Carlotta Vega on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.

## Early life

Santiago is the daughter of a Cuban father and a Puerto Rican mother. Raised in the South Bronx, New York City, she attended Our Lady of Victory Grammar School. When she was 13 years old, her family moved to Homestead, Florida.
Santiago graduated from South Dade Senior High School and attended the University of Miami on a scholarship, majoring in psychology. As a University of Miami student, she became interested in acting. After graduation, she went on to postgraduate study in theater and arts at Southern Methodist University, eventually earning a Master of Fine Arts degree. Santiago joined the company of regional summer stock theater Timber Lake Playhouse, Mount Carroll, Illinois, performing many roles, including Maria in West Side Story in the 1980 season.

## Career

In 1984, Santiago made her big-screen debut appearing in the dance drama film Beat Street, and later that year began starring in the NBC crime drama series Miami Vice, playing the role of Detective Gina Calabrese opposite Don Johnson. The series ran for five seasons. In the 1990s, Santiago appeared in a number of made-for-television movies, including The Cosby Mysteries (1994) and To Sir, with Love II (1996) opposite Sidney Poitier.
In 1999, Santiago joined the cast of the long-running CBS soap opera Guiding Light, playing crime boss Carmen Santos. She received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for America's Favorite Villain in 2002. She left the soap after three years. She appeared simultaneously in a recurring role on The Sopranos as Tony Soprano's next-door neighbor, Jeannie Cusamano, and as her twin sister Joan, from 1999 to 2007. Additionally, on television, Santiago guest-starred on Law & Order in the 1992 episode "Prince of Darkness" (episode 3.8) and in the 2004 episode "Veteran's Day" (episode 14.15).
In 2004, Santiago joined the cast of the ABC soap opera One Life to Live in the role of Isabella Santi/Angelina Parades after leaving Guiding Light. In 2007, she played a recurring role in the first season of the FX legal thriller Damages. In 2009, she returned to One Life to Live, this time taking over the role of Carlotta Vega from Patricia Mauceri. She remained with the show until 2011. In 2014, she returned to prime-time television, playing the role of Marciela Acosta, the wife of gang leader Javier Acosta, in the short-lived Fox drama series Gang Related. Santiago also guest-starred on Person of Interest, True Detective, Gotham, Blue Bloods, and Madam Secretary.

## Personal life

Santiago met jazz musician Roger Squitero in 1994, whom she married in 1999.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1981 | The End of August | Mariequita | |
| 1984 | Beat Street | Carmen Cararro | |
| 1993 | Carlito's Way | Club Patron Dancing with Carlito | |
| 1997 | Nick and Jane | Stephanie | |
| 1998 | Hi-Life | Elena | |
| 2002 | Garmento | Franca Fortuna | |
| 2006 | The Promise | Lourdes | Short |
| 2009 | Bruja | Lorraine | Short |
| 2013 | The House That Jack Built | Martha | |
| 2023 | Rare Objects | Aymee Parla | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1979 | ¿Qué Pasa, USA? | Lisa | Season 3 Episode 8: "Patria and Company" |
| 1984–1989 | Miami Vice | Detective Gina Calabrese | Main cast (111 episodes) |
| 1992 | ABC Afterschool Special | Jean Hodge | Season 20 Episode 4: "Summer Stories: The Mall - Part 3" |
| 1992 | Law & Order | Sandra Alvaro | Season 3 Episode 8: "Prince of Darkness" |
| 1993 | With Hostile Intent | Sergeant Lucille Preston | TV movie |
| 1994 | The Cosby Mysteries | Amy Flusser | TV movie |
| 1995 | New York Undercover | Juanita | Season 1 Episode 23: "The Shooter" |
| 1995 | Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan | Rosinha Zulueta | TV movie |
| 1996 | To Sir, with Love II | Louisa Rodgriguez | TV movie |
| 1999–2003 | Guiding Light | Carmen Santos | 25 episodes ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama (2001) Nominated – ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama (2000, 2002) Nominated – Daytime Emmy Award for America's Favorite Villain (2002) |
| 1999–2007 | The Sopranos | Jean and Joan Cusamano | 5 episodes |
| 2004 | Law & Order | Mariela Silva | Season 14 Episode 15: "Veteran's Day" |
| 2007 | Damages | Karen Gonzales | 5 episodes |
| 2008 | Cashmere Mafia | Dr. Jane | Season 1 Episode 6: "Yours, Mine and Hers" |
| 2009 | The Unusuals | Melanie Trumble | Season 1 Episode 4: "Crime Slut" |
| 2009–2011 | One Life to Live | Carlotta Vega | 13 episodes |
| 2011 | Person of Interest | Patti D'Agostino | Season 1 Episode 7: "Witness" |
| 2013 | Meddling Mom | Valeria | TV movie |
| 2014 | Gang Related | Marciela Acosta | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | The Following | Mrs. Miller | Season 3 Episode 1: "New Blood" |
| 2015 | True Detective | Irma | Season 2 Episode 5: "Other Lives" |
| 2015 | Gotham | Janice Caulfield | Season 2 Episode 4: "Rise of the Villains: Strike Force" |
| 2016 | Blue Bloods | Carmen Baez | Season 6 Episode 13: "Stomping Grounds" |
| 2017 | Snowfall | Mariela | Season 1 Episode 10: "The Rubicon" |
| 2017 | Madam Secretary | Margarita Garcia | Season 4 Episode 10: "Women Transform the World" |
| 2020 | Hightown | Beatriz | Season 1 Episode 4: "B.F.O." |
| 2021 | Sand Dollar Cove | Anna Walters | TV movie |