Dominican Star in Hollywood

When I decided to look into the heritage of some of the stars in Hollywood, I felt that I knew who they were; little did I know that some of our most popular TV and movies star are of Dominican descent like me. Therefore, I started my investigation into Hollywood a little closer; during my research, I was very surprised at my findings, that many of the successful actors in hollywood had been born, in Dominican Republic or their parents originated from the island. as our new generation of up-and-coming talents spill onto the streets of Hollywood, I wanted to see more proficient work given to my fellow Dominicans. I can not only identify with what Hollywood classifies Dominicans as; drug dealers, housekeepers, and spouse abusers in these isolated terms. By Hollywood, standards there are stereotypical portrayals in the movie and TV when it comes to Dominicans; other cultures may feel that we can play only these parts and to some extent that is all. This could not be furthest from the truth.



The presence of Dominicans in Hollywood rangers far across the cultural spectrum. My people come in a variety of colors from white complexion with blue eyes, Indian complexion with dark eyes, to black complexion with an Afro. Indians originally inhabited the small island from different tribes before the Spaniards invaded it and resided on the island with their African slaves. So why is it that if we have a variety of looks and features, we are usually portrayed the same way in Hollywood? Most people are not aware, but there are a few prominent actors of Dominican descent in Hollywood today. Zoe Saldana, star of the hit movie "Guess Who?" with Bernie mac and Ashton Kutcher, born in New York City but raised in Dominican Republic until she was 17 years old. Miguel A. Nunez Jr., star of the hit movie "Juwanna Mann", is of Dominican descent; although he is mostly well known for portraying African-American roles. The same is true in the case of Alfonso Ribeiro, whose parents are Dominican, and they immigrated to the United States. Alfonso is also well known for his role as cousin "Carlton Banks" from the NBC hit show "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". Another performer of mixed origins is Michelle Rodriguez from the hit movie "Fast and the Furious" who is Dominican and Puerto Rico. Judy Reyes, who plays Carla Espinosa, from "Scrub" grow up in the bronx, and attent the same high school as that I did, John F. Kennedy H.S. And Dania Ramirez, who can be seen in the hit movie "X-Men 3: The Last Stand", represent the next generation of Dominican actors making their mark in Tinseltown.

However, Hollywood is not the only invasion that up and coming talented Dominicans are making themselves known in. Fashion has one of the five best internationally recognized designer in the world in Oscar de la Renta. Born in Dominican Republic, he left the island at age 18 to pursue his career in the United States.




Dominican have always made their presence known in sports, with the most popular, being baseball. However, more and more Dominicans are branching out to other sports like Francisco Garcia who plays for the NBA Sacramento Kings, and even the NFL has a few Dominican players such as defensive tackle Luis Castillo from the San Diago Chargers.
Historically, we Dominicans did not have a major participation in politics in the United States, but times are charging. We currently have no Dominicans representing us in the House of Representatives, but we are now finally coming out swinging in the political arena with representatives including Guillermo Linares Commissioner of Immigrant Affair of the City of New York, Councilman Miguel Martinez and Councilwoman Diana Reyna.

Dominicans can be credited with a variety of achievements in many fields, but look closely as we are making permanent footprints in every region of the world, from Entertainment to Capital Hill, and you never know someday in the White House itself. Dominicans in the United States are realizing that with every step forward, we leaves imprints behind. Even coming from a small island, we have giants talents.