Jenny Gago is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actress.

Career

Gago has appeared in movies and television for 25 years, including recurring roles as Captain Santina on MacGyver

MacGyver

MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...

, Detective Beatrice Zapeda in Alien Nation, Anaya on The Agency and Grandma on Freddie

Freddie

Freddie is a television sitcom created by, and starring, Freddie Prinze, Jr. that aired from October 5, 2005 to April 12, 2006. Freddie is inspired by Prinze Jr.'s real life, growing up in a house filled with women...

. She has been honored as a positive role model by the National Council of La Raza

National Council of La Raza

The National Council of La Raza is a non-profit and non-partisan advocacy group in the United States, focused on improving opportunities for Hispanics. It is sometimes confused with La Raza Unida...

, the Image Awards, the Association for the Advancement of Mexican-Americans, the Hispanic Women's Network of Texas and won a Golden Eagle Award

Golden Eagle Award

The Golden Eagle Award is an accolade by the Russian National Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences of Russia to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, directors, actors, and writers...

 for Old Gringo

Old Gringo

Old Gringo is a 1989 film directed by Luis Puenzo and co-written with Aída Bortnik, based on the novel Gringo Viejo by Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes.The film stars Jane Fonda, Gregory Peck, and Jimmy Smits....

 in 1989. Gago was cast in TNT's Southland

Southland (TV series)

Southland is an American drama series created by writer Ann Biderman and produced by Warner Bros. Television. It premiered on NBC on April 9, 2009...

. She will play the role of Detective II Josie Ochoa.

Personal life

She earned a Bachelor Degree in Theatre Arts from UCLA and attended the Lee Strasberg

Lee Strasberg

Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...

 Theatre and Film Institute

Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute

__notoc__The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute is an acting school located at 115 East 15th Street between Union Square East and Irving Place in the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, as well as at 7936 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California...

 on a scholarship. She has a teenage son.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Other notes
1983	The Man with Two Brains The Man with Two Brains The Man with Two Brains is a 1983 American science fiction comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin and Kathleen Turner....	Nurse #1
1983	Under Fire Under Fire (film) Under Fire is a 1983 political film set during the last days of the Somoza regime in 1979 Nicaragua. It stars Nick Nolte, Gene Hackman and Joanna Cassidy. The story is fictional, but was inspired by actual events, namely the murder of ABC reporter Bill Stewart by Somoza forces...	Miss Panama
1984	Irreconcilable Differences Irreconcilable differences The concept of irreconcilable differences provides a possible ground for divorce in a number of jurisdictions.In Australian family law with no-fault divorce it is the sole ground, adequate proof being that the estranged couple have been separated more than 12 months.In the United States it can be...	Tracy
1987	Innerspace Innerspace Innerspace is a 1987 science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. The film was inspired by the classic 1966 science fiction film Fantastic Voyage. It stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Robert Picardo and...	Lab Technician
1987	Best Seller Best Seller Best Seller is a 1987 film written by Larry Cohen, directed by John Flynn and starring Brian Dennehy and James Woods. The plot concerns a career hitman, played by Woods, who wants to turn his life story into a book, to be written by Dennehy's character, a veteran police officer turned...	Woman in Laundry
1987	No Man's Land No Man's Land (1987 film) No Man's Land is a 1987 film directed by Peter Werner and starring D. B. Sweeney, Charlie Sheen and Randy Quaid. Brad Pitt made his acting debut in this film as an uncredited extra.-Plot:...	Tory Bracey
1989	Valentino Returns	Uncredited
1989	Old Gringo Old Gringo Old Gringo is a 1989 film directed by Luis Puenzo and co-written with Aída Bortnik, based on the novel Gringo Viejo by Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes.The film stars Jane Fonda, Gregory Peck, and Jimmy Smits....	La Garduna
1990	Death Merchants	Uncredited
1993	Blood In Blood Out Blood in Blood out Blood In Blood Out is a 1993 crime-drama film directed by Taylor Hackford. It follows the intertwining lives of the three Chicano relatives, Miklo , Cruz and Paco from 1972 to the mid 1980s...	Lupe
1995	My Family My Family (film) My Family is an American drama film directed by Gregory Nava and written by Nava and Anna Thomas. The motion picture stars Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos, Esai Morales, and others. It also features Jennifer Lopez in her second film role....	Maria
1995	The Tie That Binds The Tie That Binds (1995 film) The Tie That Binds is a 1995 thriller film, and the directing debut of screenwriter Wesley Strick. The film stars Daryl Hannah, Keith Carradine, Vincent Spano, Moira Kelly and Julia Devin...	Maggie Hass
1999	The Prodigal Daughter	Rosa Cortez
2000	Road Dogz	Ana Carrasco
2000	Along for the Ride	Maria
2000	Nurse Betty Nurse Betty Nurse Betty is a 2000 American comedy film directed by Neil LaBute starring Renée Zellweger as a sweet Kansas waitress who undergoes a nervous breakdown after witnessing her husband's murder, and starts obsessively pursuing her favorite soap actor....	Mercedes
2003	Two Harbors	Margarita	Short film
2005	Coach Carter Coach Carter Coach Carter is a 2005 American film directed by Thomas Carter. It is based on a true story, in which Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his MVP and undefeated team due to poor academic results....	President Martinez
2005	Meet Me in Miami Meet Me in Miami Meet Me in Miami is a 2006 New Zealand film directed by Eric Hannah and Iren Koster and starring Carlos Ponce and Tara Leniston. The film received positive reviews despite its limited release.- Plot :...	Josephina
2005	The Needs of Kim Stanley	Herself	Documentary film Documentary film Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
2009	B-Girl B-Girl (film) B-Girl is a 2009 dance film written and directed by Emily Dell and starring Julie Urich, Missy Yager, Wesley Jonathan, Drew Sidora, Aimee Garcia, James Martinez and based on director Emily Dell's 2004 short film of the same name.-Plot:...	Crescencia	Dance film Dance film Dance Film is the creation of choreography that exists only in the medium of film/video. At its best, DanceFilm uses filming and editing techniques to create twists in the plotline, multiple layers of reality, and emotional/psychological depth....
2010	Gallowwalker Gallowwalker Gallowwalker is an horror western film directed by Andrew Goth and starring Wesley Snipes, Riley Smith and Tanit Phoenix. Co-stars include wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. Shooting has been completed, but the release date is still unknown.- Plot :...	Mistress
2011	The Obama Effect	Dede Santiago	In production
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	A Gun in the House	Juanita Romero	Television movie Television movie A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
1982	CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...	Rosa	Episode: "A Threat of War"
1983	Women of San Quentin	Gloria	Television movie
1984	The Lonely Guy The Lonely Guy The Lonely Guy is a 1984 romantic comedy film, directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Steve Martin. The screenplay was written by Neil Simon, based on the book The Lonely Guy's Book of Life by Bruce Jay Friedman....	Seven Deadly Sins
1984	Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988...	Mrs. Garcia	Episode: "Partners"
1984–1986	Knots Landing Knots Landing Knots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...	Maria	Recurring character Recurring character A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in an episode, sometimes being the main focus...
1984–1986	Hill Street Blues Hill Street Blues Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...	Reporter #2/First Reporter Newscaster	Episodes: "The Other Side of Oneness", "Come and Get It", "Suitcase", and "I Come on My Knees"
1984–1987	Dallas Dallas (TV series) Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...	Nurse/Henrietta	Episodes: "Killer at Large", "Battle Lines", "If at First You Don‘t Succeed", "Jamie", "Revenge of the Nerd", "The Ten Percent Solution", and "Some Good, Some Bad"
1985	Hunter	Police Dispatcher	Episode: "The Shooter"
1985	Falcon Crest Falcon Crest Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced....	Clinic Doctor	Episode: "The Trial"
1985	Trapper John, M.D. Trapper John, M.D. Trapper John, M.D. is an American television medical drama and spin-off of the film MASH, concerning a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986....	Tahoe Nurse	Episode: "All the King‘s Horses…"
1986	Shattered Spirits Shattered Spirits Shattered Spirits is a 1986 movie starring Martin Sheen. Sheen plays an alcoholic father who loses his family....	Mavis	Television movie
1986	Simon & Simon Simon & Simon Simon & Simon is an American detective television series starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker.-History:The original 1978 pilot called Pirate's Key was set in Florida...	Mrs. Cabrillo	Episode: "For the People"
1986	Remington Steele Remington Steele Remington Steele is an American television series, co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from 1982 to 1987. The series blended the genres of romantic...	Maria	Episode: "Steele at Your Service"
1987	Out on a Limb	Maria	Television movie
1987	Our House	Sergeant Gutierrez	Episode: "The Best Intentions"
1987	Convicted: A Mother‘s Story	Angie	Television movie
1987	Stingray Stingray (NBC TV series) Stingray is an NBC television series produced by Stephen J. Cannell that ran from 1985 to 1987. It stars Nick Mancuso, who plays the mysterious character known only as Ray, whose trademark is a black 1965 Corvette Sting Ray.-Plot:...	Linda	Episode: "The Neniwa"
1987	Max Headroom Max Headroom (TV series) Max Headroom is a British-produced American science fiction television series by Chrysalis/Lakeside Productions that aired in the United States on ABC from March 1987 to May 1988. The series was based on the Channel 4 British TV pilot Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future...	Uncredited	Episode: "Body Banks"
1987	The Bronx Zoo The Bronx Zoo (TV series) The Bronx Zoo is a 1987 NBC drama series directed by Allan Arkush and Paul Lynch. It lasted two seasons before cancellation.-Plot:Benjamin Harris High School is set in the impoverished, unruly inner-city Bronx. Principal Joe Danzig does his best to maintain optimism, while dealing with the lack of...	Mrs. Molina	Episode: "It‘s Hard to be a Saint in the City"
1987	General Hospital General Hospital General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....	Connie Stevens	Recurring character
1988	MacGyver MacGyver MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...	Capt. Santina	Episode: "On a Wing and a Prayer"
1989	Freddy's Nightmares Freddy's Nightmares Freddy's Nightmares is an American horror anthology series, which aired in syndication from October 1988 until March 1990. A spin-off from the Nightmare on Elm Street series, each story was introduced by Freddy Krueger...	Susan Brandes	Episode: "Deadline"
1990	Sweet 15 Sweet 15 Sweet 15 is a 1990 American made-for-television family drama film about a fourteen year old girl whose dreams of having a perfect quinceanera are suddenly halted when she realizes that her family is not in the United States legally....	Inez	Television movie
1990	Unspeakable Acts	Uncredited	Television movie
1990	Alien Nation	Detective Beatrice Zapeda	Recurring character
1990	DEA	Teresa Robles	Recurring character
1991	Quantum Leap	Margarita Lorrea Tearsa Theresa LaRea	Episode: "Last Dance Before an Execution - May 12, 1971"
1991	The Hit Man	Uncredited	Television movie
1993	Bakersfield P.D. Bakersfield P.D. Bakersfield P.D. was a short-lived American television comedy series that aired on the Fox network in 1993-94.The show was based in the police department of the city of Bakersfield, California. It was shot with naturalistic lighting and without a laugh track...	Carmelina	Episode: "The Bust"
1994	Nowhere to Hide	Kate	Television movie
1994	Alien Nation: Dark Horizon Alien Nation: Dark Horizon Alien Nation was a television show from the Fox Network which lasted a single season, ending in 1990 with a cliffhanger series finale. Dark Horizon was written to be the season opener for the second season, but when the series was unexpectedly canceled and looked like it might never return to...	Detective Beatrice Zapeda	Television movie
1994	Because Mommy Works	Dr. Rita Hernandez	Television movie
1994	Alien Nation: Body and Soul Alien Nation: Body and Soul Alien Nation was a television show from the Fox Network which lasted a single season. Alien Nation: Body and Soul was the second television movie produced to continue the story after the premature cancellation of the popular series. It follows the television series format of two parallel...	Detective Beatrice Zapeda	Television movie
1995	Chicago Hope Chicago Hope Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...	Elena Hayes	Episode: "From Soup to Nuts"
1996	Dangerous Minds Dangerous Minds (TV series) Dangerous Minds is an American drama television series that aired on ABC network between September 1996 and March 1997. The series is based on the motion picture film, Dangerous Minds...	Amanda Bardales	Main character
1996	Alien Nation: Millennium Alien Nation: Millennium Alien Nation was a television show from the Fox Network which lasted a single season. Alien Nation: Millennium was the third television movie produced to continue the story after the premature cancellation of the popular series...	Detective Beatrice Zapeda	Television movie
1996	JAG JAG (TV series) JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...	Sergeant Gonzalez	Episode: "Boot", Performed: "The Marine's Hymn"
1996	Grand Avenue	Anna	Television movie
1997	Promised Land	Rena	Episode: "The Outrage"
1997	Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy was the fifth and final television movie produced to continue the story of the prematurely canceled television series Alien Nation. The plot introduces the idea that among the Tenctonese slaves, there was a resistance movement called the Udara who were implanted...	Detective Beatrice Zapeda	Television movie
1999	The X-Files The X-Files The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...	Dr. Katrina Cabrera	Episode: "S.R. 819"
1999	Becker Becker (TV series) Becker is an American television sitcom that ran from 1998 to 2004 on CBS. Set in the New York City borough of The Bronx, the show starred Ted Danson as John Becker, a misanthropic doctor who operates a small practice and is constantly annoyed by his patients, co-workers, friends, and practically...	Mrs. Cruz	Episode: "Activate Your Choices"
1999	The Pretender The Pretender (TV series) The Pretender is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series starred Michael T. Weiss as Jarod, a genius and former child prodigy with "the ability to become anyone he wants to be," i.e., to flawlessly impersonate anyone in virtually any line of work...	Warden Anita Esparza	Episode: "Countdown"
1999	Popular Popular (TV series) Popular is an American teenage comedy-drama on The WB Television Network in the United States, created by Ryan Murphy and Gina Matthews, starring Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope as two teenage girls that reside on polar opposite sides of the popularity spectrum at their high school, but are forced to...	Mrs. Esposito	Episode: "Windstruck"
2000	Any Day Now	Uncredited	Episode: "Hey, Ugly!"
2000	The Others The Others (TV series) The Others is an American TV series created by John Brancato and Michael Ferris, and produced by Delusional Films, NBC and DreamWorks Television. It ran for 13 40-minute episodes from February 5, 2000 to June 10, 2000, airing on NBC in the US, Five in the UK and Nine in Australia...	Gloria Munoz	Episode: "Unnamed"
2000	Ally McBeal Ally McBeal Ally McBeal is an American legal comedy-drama series which aired on the Fox network from 1997 to 2002. The series was created by David E. Kelley, who also served as the executive producer, along with Bill D'Elia...	Dr. Lisa Pontes	Episode: "Prime Suspect"
2000	The Invisible Man The Invisible Man (2000 TV series) The Invisible Man is a Sci-Fi American television series starring Vincent Ventresca, Paul Ben-Victor, Eddie Jones, Shannon Kenny and Michael McCafferty...	Mr. White	Episode: "Separation Anxiety"
2000	The Princess and the Barrio Boy	Mrs. Torres	Television movie
2001	The Cross	Mary, Mother of Jesus	Television Christian film Christian film The Christian film industry is an umbrella term for films containing a Christian -themed message or moral, produced by openly Christian filmmakers to a Christian audience....
2001	Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family is an American television series which ran from March 5, 2000 to March 24, 2001 on the USA Network.-Premise:...	Ana Martel	Episode: "Viva Zapatos"
2001	The Division The Division The Division is an American Lifetime Television original series about a team of women police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. The series premiered on January 7, 2001 and ended on June 28, 2004 after 88 episodes.-Synopsis:...	Mrs. Garcia, Rachel’s Mother	Episode: "Mothers and Daughters"
2001	The Nightmare Room The Nightmare Room The Nightmare Room is an American children's anthology horror series that aired on Kids' WB. The series was based on the short-lived book series The Nightmare Room children's books created by Goosebumps author, R.L. Stine. The Nightmare Room originally aired from August 31, 2001, to March 16, 2002,...	Mrs. Hanover	Episode: "School Spirit"
2001	Family Law Family Law (TV series) Family Law is a television drama starring Kathleen Quinlan as divorced lawyer Lynn Holt, who attempted to start her own law firm after her lawyer husband took all their old clients...	Uncredited	Episode: "Against All Odds"
2001	The West Wing	Bernice Collette, OMB	Episode: "The Indians in the Lobby"
2002	Crossing Jordan Crossing Jordan Crossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001 to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Medical Examiner's Office...	Mrs. Vega	Episode: "Blood Relatives"
2002	American Family American Family: Journey of Dreams American Family: Journey of Dreams is a PBS series created by Gregory Nava that follows the lives of a Latino family in Los Angeles.This was the first broadcast television drama series featuring a predominantly Latino cast...	Uncredited	Episode: "The Sewing Machine"
2002	24 24 (TV series) 24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...	Principal	Episode: "10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m."
2002–2003	The Agency	Anaya	Recurring character
2003	Boston Public Boston Public Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place...	Angela Sanchez	Episode: "Chapter Sixty-Eight"
2004	Alias Alias (TV series) Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...	Erin	Episode: "Taken"
2005	Without a Trace Without a Trace Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...	Warden Hilary Gutierrez	Episode: "Penitence"
2005	Medical Investigation Medical Investigation Medical Investigation was an American medical drama television series that began September 9, 2004, on NBC. It ran for 20 one-hour episodes before being cancelled in 2005...	Uncredited	Episode: "Mission La Roca: Part 2"
2005	Lost Lost (TV series) Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...	Agent Alyssa Cole	Episode: "The Greater Good"
2005	The Closer The Closer The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...	Delia Lopez	Episode: "Standards and Practices"
2005–2006	Freddie Freddie Freddie is a television sitcom created by, and starring, Freddie Prinze, Jr. that aired from October 5, 2005 to April 12, 2006. Freddie is inspired by Prinze Jr.'s real life, growing up in a house filled with women...	Grandma	Main character
2011–Present	Southland Southland (TV series) Southland is an American drama series created by writer Ann Biderman and produced by Warner Bros. Television. It premiered on NBC on April 9, 2009...	Detective II Josie Ochoa	Recurring character

External links