Laura Gómez (actress)

Laura Gómez is a Dominican actress, writer, and director. Gómez is known for her role as Blanca Flores in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019).

Early years
Born in the Dominican Republic, Gómez grew up in Santo Domingo working as an actress and reporter. She moved to New York at the age of 21 to study acting and filmmaking at the New York University. After three years in the United States, she made her entry into theater and voice work.

Career
Gómez began her career appearing in Dominican film Víctimas del poder (1998) and later worked on Mexican telenovela Por tu amor. She made her American television debut appearing in an episode of Law & Order in 2008. In 2011, Gómez was awarded an IX Screenwriting Developing Grant by the Spanish Fundación Carolina. She wrote, directed and produced the short films To Kill A Roach—for which she received the NYU Fall 2012 Technisphere Award for Outstanding Achievement—and Hallelujah. She is a member of Spanish Repertory Theater, with which she has appeared in critically acclaimed theatrical productions such as Doña Flor y sus dos maridos and La casa de los espíritus. Her voice-over work includes Spanish-language announcer for CoverGirl and Suave, and audiobooks including How the García Girls Lost Their Accent, by Julia Álvarez, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz. She directed and co-produced The Iron Warehouse (2015), written by the playwright Hilary Bettis.

In 2013, Gómez was cast as Blanca Flores in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black. She was a recurring character during the first five seasons and was promoted to regular for season 6 and 7. As a part of the cast, Gómez received Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2016. From 2014 to 2015 she also had a recurring role in the NBC series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and in 2015 appeared in the HBO miniseries Show Me a Hero. In 2016, she starred in the Dominican sports drama film Sambá receiving La Silla Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Also in 2016, Gómez co-starred in the American thriller film, Exposed.

In 2020, Gómez appeared in the Dutch drama series, Anne+. In 2022 she starred in the Spanish drama film Upon Entry. The film received positive reviews from critics. In 2024 she appeared in the drama film La cocina, it had its world premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.