Gina Ravera

Gina Ravera (born May 20, 1966) is an American actress. She has appeared in 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 African-American and Puerto Rican descent.[1] She is a classically trained dancer.
In early 1990s, Ravera began appearing in guest starring roles on television shows, include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Melrose Place, Star Trek: The Next Generation. During 1993-1994, she was cast member on the CBS crime series, Silk Stalkings. In film, she had starring role in the 1995 erotic drama film Showgirls directed by Paul Verhoeven. In 1997, she has appeared in the comedy-drama Soul Food. Ravera later went to television, playing roles in the movies-of-the-week, guest roles, and regular roles. She was part of the main cast 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 the recurring role on ER, and in 2007 played Denzel Washington's wife in the biographical film The Great Debaters.[3]
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
Year	Title 	Role 	Notes
1990	Lambada 	Funk Queen 	
1992	Steal America 	Jeena 	
1995	Illegal in Blue 	Alexis 	Direct-to-Video
1995	Showgirls 	Molly Abrams 	
1996	Get on the Bus 	Gina 	
1997	Soul Food 	Faith 	
1997	Kiss the Girls 	Naomi Cross 	
2003	Chasing Papi 	Beauty Pageant Judge	
2004	Gas 	Rev. Sheila 	
2007	The Great Debaters	Ruth Tolson 	
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1990 	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 	Cheryl 	"Someday Your Prince Will Be in Effect: Part 2"
1991 	True Colors 	Anita 	"Yo' House, Mama: Part 2"
1991 	Reasonable Doubts 	Latasha Richardson 	"Pure Gold"
1992 	Melrose Place 	Theresa 	"My Way"
1993 	Where I Live 	Robin 	"Dontay's Inferno"
1993 	Days of Our Lives 	Vanessa Mitchell 	"1.7060"
1993 	Frasier 	Waitress 	"The Good Son"
1993 	Star Trek: The Next Generation	Ensign Tyler 	"Phantasms"
1993–1994	Silk Stalkings 	Dr. Diana Roth 	Recurring role
1994 	White Mile 	Alma 	TV film
1994 	NYPD Blue 	Shawanda Wilson 	"For Whom the Skell Tolls"
1995 	W.E.I.R.D. World 	Dr. Patty Provost 	TV film
1996 	Soul of the Game 	Grace 	TV film
1997 	In the House 	Sam 	"Men in the Black"
1998 	The Temptations 	Josephine 	TV film
Nominated — ALMA Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series
1998 	Malcolm & Eddie 	Tracy Burke 	"Dream Girl"
1999–2001	Time of Your Life 	Jocelyn House 	Main role
2000 	919 Fifth Avenue 	Sheila 	TV film
2000 	Rhapsody 	Lenore Foxwood 	TV film
2000–2001	The Fugitive 	Sara Gerard 	"Pilot", "Sanctuary", "And in That Darkness"
2002 	Saint Sinner 	Rachel Dressler 	TV film
2003 	Miracles 	Raina Bauer 	"The Patient"
2003 	Charmed 	Mary 	"My Three Witches"
2004 	The Handler 	Agent Ridgeway 	"Acts of Congress"
2004 	Boston Legal 	Dr. Amanda Gerard 	"A Greater Good"
2004 	Pryor Offenses 	Tameka 	TV film
2005 	Inconceivable 	Tricia Santos 	"The Last Straw"
2005 	Everwood 	Stacey 	"Pro Choice"
2005–2009	The Closer 	Det. Irene Daniels 	Series regular, 44 episodes
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2008–2009)
Nominated — Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress - Television (2006, 2009)
2006–2008	ER 	Dr. Bettina DeJesus	Recurring role
2007 	Raines 	Lisa Lincoln 	"Stone Dead"
2009 	Private Practice 	Dawn 	"The Hard Part"
2011 	Lie to Me 	Paula 	"Rebound"
2012 	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Dr. Paula O'Keefe 	"Risky Business Class"
2014 	Castle 	Marsha Stoller 	"Montreal"
2018 	Arrow 	Lydia Cassamento 	"The Dragon", "Shifting Allegiances", "The Ties That Bind"