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]