Michelle Paress

Michelle Hernandez Paress is a Puerto Rican American actress, singer, and dancer born and raised in New York City. Her mother is Afro-Puerto Rican. Her father was of Taino/Arawak Indigenous and European descent. She began performing at the age of eight singing and tap dancing in various community theaters and talent shows throughout New York City. She attended Julia Richman High School and majored in drama in the Talent Unlimited program, where she performed lead and supporting roles in musicals and contemporary and classical plays. After graduating, Michelle continued her acting and dance studies at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, HB Studios, The Acting Studio, Larry Moss Studios, Upright Citizens Brigade, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. Michelle has appeared on stage at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, in NYC and The Kennedy Center, in Washington, DC. Her television and film credits include Lotto Land, Turnipseed, Hawthorne on TNT and the role of reporter Alma Gutierrez on the critically acclaimed HBO drama series The Wire.