Dascha Polanco was born on December 27, 1984 in Washington Heights, New York City, to Dominican parents. After graduating from Bronx High School of Science and performing at the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, she went on to study theater at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 2007 with honors in drama and psychology. She began her career performing at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, winning the Nuyorican Poets Cafe’s poetry slam championship in 2004. In the Heights Star Dascha Polanco s Real-Life Story

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Dascha Yolaine Polanco is a Dominican-American actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara Daya Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, and for the role of Cuca in the 2021 movie In the Heights.
Polanco was born in Bronx, New York to parents who came from Puerto Rico. At three years old, she was stabbed with a kitchen knife by her father during an argument between him and her mother. In the Heights Star Dascha Polanco s Real-Life Story
Bio
Dascha Yolaine Polanco is a Dominican-American actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara Daya Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, and for the role of Cuca in the 2021 movie In the Heights.
Born in Queens, New York, her mother left her father when she was two years old and she spent most of her time growing up with relatives in Queens and Washington Heights, where she credits neighborhood kids for motivating her to pursue acting.
Family
She was born in New York City to a Dominican mother and Haitian father. Her brother Angel is also an actor, playing Sofia’s son in In The Heights. Growing up as one of nine children, she dealt with her share of adversity. At a young age, Polanco and her family lived at home with a series of abusive foster parents who left them both physically and emotionally scarred.
Physical info
She is a Dominican-American actress. Known for portraying the role of Dayanara Daya Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, and for her performance as Cuca in In The Heights , an adaptation of the Tony Award winning musical from Lin Manuel Miranda.
Career
Dascha Yolaine Polanco is a Dominican-American actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara Daya Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, and for the role of Cuca in the 2020 movie In The Heights.
Her parents are from Puerto Rico. They lived in Manhattan when she was born but eventually settled in Bushwick, Brooklyn where she grew up.

Awards
Ms. Polanco was born in Brooklyn to Dominican parents. She graduated from Fort Hamilton High School in 2009 and went on to major in theatre at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2013.
In 2009, she starred as Julia Alvarez in La Ronde by Arthur Schnitzler at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club alongside Shaina Taub and Stephen Jones, earning her a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress.
Net worth
Dascha Yolaine Polanco was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on December 1, 1988. At a young age she and her family moved to New York City when her father became politically active. When her mother passed away when she was 18 years old, she did not have enough money to send herself to college. A few months later, Polanco auditioned for what would become the Broadway hit In The Heights.
sweetest time
Dascha Yolaine Polanco is an actress and musician best known for her role as Dayanara Daya Diaz on Netflix’s original series Orange Is the New Black. Born in Haverstraw, New York, to a Dominican father and Puerto Rican mother, she attended Amityville Memorial High School where she acted in high school plays. She graduated from Seton Hall University with a degree in theater and Spanish.
secrets of beauty
Dascha Yolaine Polanco is a Dominican-American actress who is known for portraying the role of Dayanara Daya Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. She is also known for her lead role in In The Heights, and more recently for her roles in Hulu’s Future Man and in American Crime Story: United States of America v. Orenthal James Simpson. Growing up, she was bullied by other kids because of her darker skin color.

first love
Dascha Yolaine Polanco is a Dominican-American actress, known for portraying the role of Dayanara Daya Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. She was born in La Vega, Dominican Republic, where she spent her early years in extreme poverty with her sister and parents. When she was only one year old, her family moved to New York City because they were being persecuted as members of an opposition political party in their country.
first success
It was during her sophomore year of high school that Dascha Polanco fell in love with performing arts. After high school, she landed a scholarship to study theater at Pace University and graduated from the university in 2005. On Orange Is The New Black, she portrays an inmate named Daya who faces adversity as a Latina with a criminal record.
dearest person
Dascha Yolaine Polanco was born on September 2, 1990 in The Bronx. Her mother was a police officer and her father, who hailed from the Dominican Republic, worked as a carpenter. She spent her childhood mostly in Harlem, but after she and her family relocated to Manhattan in order to give her opportunities that weren’t available in the South Bronx.
Where did she grow up?
Dascha Yolaine Polanco was born on January 7, 1994 in The Bronx, New York. When she was in high school, her family relocated to Bayside. She is a graduate of Herbert H. Lehman High School and attended courses at NYU before pursuing a career in acting.
Who was her father?
Her father, José Antonio Polanco Jr., was an Argentine football player. He was born in Buenos Aires and played professionally for San Lorenzo de Almagro, Boca Juniors, CA Platense and Club Atlético Temperley. He was injured at a very young age which ultimately led to his early retirement from soccer.

What does she love about her mother?
Polanco is of Dominican descent, and her father is Puerto Rican. She was raised by her mom and stepdad, who served in the military. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be an actress. Growing up in the Bronx, New York, with a mother who worked full time as a secretary while taking night classes in Spanish, they struggled with finances. It’s because of my mother that I’m still here, says Polanco.
Why did she decide to move to New York City?
Polanco was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Marilyn and Miguel Polanco. Her father worked as a construction worker, and her mother is an artist who works primarily with glass. They immigrated to New York City when she was five years old, settling in Corona in Queens because her parents wanted more safety for their children.
What was it like working as an actress when she first started out?
Dascha was told she had no hips and no breasts when she was first starting out as an actress. She did not have a large portfolio of work to show casting directors because she had not yet started working professionally. This made it difficult for her to get roles. One casting director told her she had no hips and no breasts, but now, with her roles in Orange is the New Black and In The Heights, she has proven him wrong.
What was it like working on Orange is the New Black?
Working on Orange is the New Black was like a dream come true for me. I still can’t believe it was my first job as an actress, but working with so many talented people has been absolutely incredible and one of the best experiences of my life.
How did she make her character unique?
Dascha Polanco worked with director Chris Columbus and actor John Krasinski in order to create a realistic character for her role as Cuca. She learned to speak in Spanish, became familiar with Dominican culture, read Pedro Juan Soto’s novel of the same name, and had phone conversations with New York Puerto Rican activist Haydée Beltrán.
What are some of her favorite projects outside Orange is the New Black?
Outside of her role on Orange is the New Black, Dascha has appeared in various TV shows and movies, including movies such as Ghost Busters (2016) and In The Heights (2020). She also has a YouTube channel that she used to upload videos with her sister Abby.

What advice would she give aspiring actresses trying to get into acting?
When I was younger, I always had that feeling of this need to represent myself and my culture on screen, and it didn’t exist. There were all these stereotypes, so now when people ask me what they should do to get into the business as a minority, my advice is just be good. Just be really good at what you do because it will take you a lot further than trying to represent somebody else or stereotype someone else.
Q.&A.
Where are you from? I was born in Queens, New York. My family migrated from the Dominican Republic when I was 3 years old. Growing up in Jackson Heights with my parents and four brothers (my sister came later) had a profound impact on me. Do you think about being a Latina actress often? Absolutely! The need to represent is one of my guiding principles, and I never forget where I come from or that representation matters. Have you always loved acting?
Why is Dascha Polanco famous?
Dascha Yolaine Polanco is an actress known for her portrayals of Dayanara Daya Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black and Cuca in the upcoming film In The Heights. She was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, to Aurora Perez, a laboratory technician, and Manny Polanco, a school custodian. Shortly after her birth she moved with her family to Bronxville, New York.
What ethnicity is Dascha Polanco?
Dascha Yolaine Polanco is a Dominican-American actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara Daya Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, and for her role in In The Heights.

Polanco was born in Washington Heights, New York City. She studied acting at Fiorello H.
What movie is Dascha Polanco?
Dascha Yolaine Polanco is a Dominican-American actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara Daya Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, and for the role of Cuca in the 2021 movie In the Heights. In 1997, Polanco’s family immigrated to America as a result of her mother being threatened and later brutally attacked by an armed group who were drug trafficking in their town. They immigrated with nothing but determination and little English.