What is the name of the actress who plays Maria LaGuerta?

The actress who plays Maria LaGuerta in Dexter is Lauren Vélez.

Vélez portrays LaGuerta as a determined and politically savvy police officer in Miami Metro Homicide. LaGuerta begins the original series as a lieutenant and superior to Dexter Morgan and Debra Morgan, later becoming captain. Her ambition, investigative instincts, and complicated relationships with colleagues make her an important figure throughout the show’s first seven seasons.

Lauren Vélez was already an established television actress before joining Dexter. She was known for playing Detective Nina Moreno on New York Undercover and Dr. Gloria Nathan on the HBO prison drama Oz. She also appeared in films including I Like It Like That and City Hall.

A common mix-up is confusing Vélez with Julie Benz, who plays Rita Bennett, or Jennifer Carpenter, who plays Debra Morgan. LaGuerta’s role was recast for the prequel Dexter: Original Sin, where a younger version of the character is played by Christina Milian; Vélez remains the actress most closely associated with LaGuerta in the original series.