Daphne Rubin-Vega

Daphne Rubin-Vega (née Vega) is a renowned American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter, heavily recognized for her role as Mimi Marquez in the 1996 Broadway musical Rent, and as Lucy in Jack Goes Boating in 2007. She was also a standout in the TV series Smash in 2012 and Katy Keene in 2020. Rubin-Vega took it a notch higher when she portrayed salon owner Daniela in the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights in 2021. In 2024, she provided the voice for Carmilla Carmine in the adult animated series, Hazbin Hotel.

Born in Panama City, she moved to the United States when she was just two, with her mother Daphine Corina, a nurse, and José Mercedes Vega, a carpenter. Her mother passed away when she was 10. Rubio-Vega's theater days kick-started at the New LAByrinth Theater Company and with William Esper Studio and she would go on to perform with the comedy group, El Barrio USA. Notably, she wasn’t a major fan of musical theater until she auditioned and landed the role in the Broadway musical Rent. Her role in Rent even earned her the Theatre World Award in 1996, and she later got two Tony Award nominations.

Rubin-Vegas notable performances continue to extend within the film circuit where she starred in major productions including the 1999 film Flawless, Rent, Sex and the City and the film adaptation of Jack Goes Boating. In 2018, she reprised her role as Beatriz in Miss You Like Hell at The Public Theater. Alongside her acting career, Rubin-Vega also had a successful music tenure, starting as the lead singer for the Latin girl group Pajama Party and later ventured on as a solo artist, topping music charts with hits like 'I found it', 'Rocketman', and her full-length album of originals, 'Redemption Songs.'