Stage and screen actress who became most well known for originating Diana Morales in Broadway's A Chorus Line. She also won a Tony Award for her role in A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine.
She majored in drama at the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. Her Broadway debut would have been Breakfast at Tiffany's if the musical had not closed before opening night.
She has had a number of prominent screen roles, appearing in As the World Turns, Musical Chairs, and Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise.
Her father, Francisco, was a hotel banquet foreman. Her mother was named Laura. She married Vincent Fanuele and has two children, Alex and Gabriella.
She played the onscreen mother of Jennifer Lopez in the 2002 film Maid in Manhattan.