Gina Torres was born April 25, 1969 in New York City, New York and is the youngest of three children in a Cuban-American family. Aside from being an actress, Torres is a mezzo-soprano opera and jazz vocalist whose career began onstage, in plays and musicals. She came to prominence upon landing the lead role in the TV movie, M.A.N.T.I.S., which formed her fruitful partnership with Renaissance Pictures, leading to two of her most notable roles, as Nebula on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Hel on Cleopatra 2525. In 2001, she won the ALMA Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Syndicated Drama for her work on Cleopatra 2525. She has also starred in Joss Whedon's
Firefly and the series,
Standoff , as well as appearing in the recurring role as the villainous Anna Espinosa, on the spy drama,
Alias . Torres is married to Lawrence Fishburne, with whom she co-starred in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.
Zoe Washburne, played by Gina Torres on Firefly, is Captain Malcolm Reynolds' long-trusted ally. She served under him in the independence war and the two of them have a strong and timeless bond together. Strong, stoic, competent and loyal, Zoe is Mal's choice of partner for getting things done and she has never let her captain down. She is married to Serenity pilot, Hoban “Wash” Washburne, who feels a strong jealousy over his wife's friendship with their captain.
(Photo courtesy of FOX)