Jessica Pimentel

Jessica Pimentel, born on September 20, 1982, is an acclaimed American actress and singer. She gained significant recognition for her role as Maria Ruiz on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black. Apart from acting, she harbors a profound passion for music, and is also the lead singer of the metal band Alekhine's Gun, and a backing vocalist in the band Brujeria. Born in Brooklyn, New York, to parents who immigrated from La Romana, Dominican Republic, she was the couple's only child. Following her parents' divorce when she was six, she became estranged from her father. Nevertheless, she demonstrated prodigious talent early in life, graduating from New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts where she played violin. She continued her education at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in the class of 1999. Post her academic achievements, she began focusing on her acting career, playing Juliet in a touring production of Romeo and Juliet, and landed small roles in movies and TV shows. Her breakout in the acting industry occurred in 2013 with Orange Is the New Black. Pimentel underwent a parallel development in her music career since childhood, training as a classical violinist and concert master, played at Carnegie Hall, and then gaining proficiency in various instruments including guitar, electric bass, percussion, and keyboards in her teens. She became bassist for New York heavy metal and hardcore band Desolate and later joined Alekhine's Gun and Brujeria.