Biography

Classically-trained New York actor, Shirley Roeca, has had many outstanding career successes from the very beginning. Her first professional play was offered to her during her initial year as a graduate student at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco (a 1st for A.C.T.) playing a lead role as the daughter of "Hecuba" with A.C.T.'s professional company opposite Academy Award Winners Olympia Dukakis and Viola Davis with which she earned her Equity card. The following year she was asked to join the American Conservatory Theater's company of professional actors.

At the completion of her contract, Shirley moved to Los Angeles where she booked her first SAG job earning her SAG card and was hired by the accomplished director, Andy Ackerman (Seinfeld, Wings, The New Adventures of Old Christine), for her first television credit on a prime time comedy working opposite Ted Danson. She was then invited to participate in the prestigious CBS Diversity Showcase where only 8 women and 10 men out of 3000 actors were invited to perform.

Roeca then moved to New York City with an impressive resume and began working with legendary agents Michael Hartig and Paul Hilepo. She is proud to have Paul as her manager to this day. Since moving to NYC, she has booked lead roles in theater (where she's been able to showcase both her dramatic and comedic chops being referred to as "clearly a clever and charismatic comic actress" by Backstage), as well as, recurring, and guest star roles on many prime time television and cable shows. Her first guest star role was offered to her by the outstanding Academy Award Winning film director, Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married), on a CBS pilot in which all of her scenes were opposite Patrick Wilson. She was also asked to participate in the prominent ABC Diversity Showcase in NYC which has led to work on many notable prime time shows.

Shirley lives in NYC, recently enjoyed being a recurring guest star on the Netflix hit show "Orange is the New Black" as "Vazquez", is an avid tennis player, and enjoys volunteering with Habitat for Humanity to build homes across the globe in such places as Mongolia and Asheville, NC.
- IMDb mini biography by: Shirley Roeca