Gina Ravera

Gina Ravera was born Gina D. Ravarra in San Francisco, California. Her father is Puerto Rican and her mother is African American.

>> I’ll be talking to Gina about her growing up years and what were her early influences.

Ravera is an actress and a classically-trained dancer. Her career spans off-Broadway to television and major motion pictures. Her film credits, among many others, include THE GREAT DEBATERS opposite Denzel Washington, director George Tillman’s award-winning SOUL FOOD, KISS THE GIRLS with Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd, Spike Lee’s GET ON THE BUS and Paul Verhoeven’s cult classic SHOWGIRLS.

Ravera has starred in popular television series’ including ER, THE CLOSER and TIME OF YOUR LIFE; and has been recurring or featured in numerous other series’ including BOSTON LEGAL, EVERWOOD, NYPD BLUE, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, FRASIER and MELROSE PLACE.

>> What has Gina learned over the course of her career and who has she enjoyed working with the most?

Ravera has starred in critically-acclaimed television movies that include THE TEMPTATIONS and THE SOUL OF THE GAME and she recently played the role of Jennifer Pryor in Showtime’s PRYOR OFFENSES, based on the life of the late Richard Pryor.

In 2008, Ravera was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series alongside the cast of THE CLOSER. In 2007, also for THE CLOSER, she was the nominee for a Vision Award for Best Actress in a Drama.

She also has garnered nominations for the Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress, the ALMA Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Made-for-Television Movie and a NAMIC Award.

>> Given all the awards and acclaim she’s received for her craft, what do these mean to her, and what kind of awards has she enjoyed the most?

Ravera is the founder of non-profit organization Project Reina (www.projectreina.org), a homegrown, non-profit organization, which was created to empower African-American and Latina girls, age 13 to 24, to cherish themselves and their bodies through the promotion and support of HIV/AIDS education. Its mission is to bridge the gap between the medical community and the female community hardest hit: young Black and Latina women. It is her personal mission to gain nationwide support for “Project Reina” and its ideas in hopes of protecting the health of young girls and women.

>> How did Gina come to found Project Reina and what can she tell us about the organization and its development?

Gina has performed and lived in New York City, but currently resides in Los Angeles.