Juani Feliz
Dominican-American actress (born 1989)
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Juani Feliz (born January 3, 1989) is a Dominican-American actress. She is best known for her roles as Isabela Benitez-Santiago in the Amazon series Harlem, Carmen in the HBO Max series DMZ, and Alejandra Lopez in FX's Fleishman Is In Trouble. She stars as Roxie Alba in Ryan Murphy's ABC drama 9-1-1 Nashville.[1][2][3][4]
Juani Feliz | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 3, 1989 |
| Education | Harvard University (BS, MS) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Spouse |
Claribel Jimenez (m. 2021) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
Feliz was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the Bronx. She started acting at the age of 14 after getting involved in her first school play. She landed her first TV role at the age of 15 on Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Her acting career took a backseat when she graduated high school and studied biomedical engineering at Harvard University. After college, Feliz worked at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering in Boston, where she worked on a clinical trial for a melanoma cancer vaccine and helped develop biomaterials and drug delivery systems. During this time she also completed a master's degree at Harvard.[5] Despite a promising career in bioengineering, Feliz made her return to acting in 2016.[6]
Career
Upon her return to acting, Feliz made her big-screen debut in The Purge: Election Year and went on to appear in several television series, including Power, Shades of Blue, One Dollar, Blue Bloods, The Good Doctor. [6][7]
in 2019, Feliz was cast as a series regular in the ABC drama pilot Until The Wedding. [8]
In 2021, she played Isabela Benitez-Santiago in Amazon's comedy series Harlem,[1] from Tracy Oliver and Amy Poehler.[9][10]
In 2022, Feliz played Carmen in the HBO Max limited series DMZ, from Ava DuVernay and Roberto Patino.[2] Later that year, she played Alejandra Lopez in the FX limited series Fleishman Is In Trouble, Taffy Brodesser-Akner's screen adaptation of her 2019 NYT best-selling novel.[3]
In 2022, Feliz was included in People en Español's list of "50 Más Bellos" ("50 Most Beautiful").[11][12]
In 2023, she reprised her role as Isabela Benitez-Santiago in the second season of Harlem and guest starred in episodes of The Rookie: Feds and NCIS: Hawaiʻi .[7]
In 2024, Feliz starred in Alex Garland's dystopian film Civil War for A24.[7]
In 2023 and 2024, Feliz was nominated for the "Best Actor/Actress Abroad" award at the Soberano Awards in the Dominican Republic for her work in Harlem and Fleishman Is In Trouble.[13]
In early 2025, it was announced that Feliz and Titus Welliver would headline a potential spinoff of The Equalizer for CBS.[14] The two portrayed a father-daughter duo introduced in a backdoor pilot episode of the original series. In a wave of cancellations, CBS opted to not move forward with the spinoff and cancelled the mothership series shortly after.[15][16]
Feliz was later cast as a series regular in Ryan Murphy's new ABC drama 9-1-1 Nashville, where she stars as Roxie Alba, a former trauma surgeon turned firefighter paramedic.[4][17]
Personal life
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Delirious | Staci from Queens | |
| 2016 | The Fastest, Most Romantic Love Yet | Female #3 | |
| The Purge: Election Year | Schoolgirl #2 | ||
| Doctor Strange | Girl on Bus | Uncredited | |
| 2017 | The Polka King | PR Woman | |
| 2018 | Canal Street | Zoey Swanson | |
| 2024 | Civil War | Joy Butler | |
| TBA | Quiet In My Town | Janet | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Esperanza | Episode: "Acts of Contrition" |
| 2006 | Conviction | Vida Diletez | Episode: "Savasana" |
| 2018 | Shades of Blue | Vanessa Ruiz | 2 episodes |
| One Dollar | Paloma | Episode: "Chelsea Wyler" | |
| 2019 | Blue Bloods | Corey Vallejo | 2 episodes |
| Power | Jesenia | Episode: "Deal with the Devil" | |
| Until the Wedding | Isabel | Television film | |
| 2021–2022 | Harlem | Isabela Benitez-Santiago | 8 episodes |
| 2022 | DMZ | Carmen | 3 episodes |
| Fleishman Is in Trouble | Alejandra Lopez | ||
| 2022 | The Rookie: Feds | Detective Naomi Voss | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | NCIS: Hawai'i | CID Sgt. Summer Westmore | Episode: "Shields Up |
| 2025 | The Equalizer | Samantha Reed | Episode: "Sins of the Father" |
| 9-1-1: Nashville | Roxie Alba | Regular cast | |
| 2026 | The Terror | Marisol | Season 3: The Terror: Devil in Silver |