Harmony Santana

Harmony Santana
NationalityAmerican
Occupationfilm actress
Known forGun Hill Road

Harmony Santana is an American film actress. She is most noted for her appearance in the 2011 film Gun Hill Road, for which she garnered an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and became the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a major acting award in the United States.[1] In addition to Gun Hill Road, Santana has also had supporting roles in Eating Out 4: Drama Camp, Eating Out 5: The Open Weekend, and the Susie Singer Carter-directed short film "My Mom and the Girl."

At the time of her performance in Gun Hill Road, Santana lived at Green Chimneys, a group home for LGBT youth in Manhattan.[2][3] She was discovered by director Rashaad Ernesto Green at the Queens Pride parade after he had difficulty finding the right performer for the role.[3] She is of mixed Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage.[4]

  1. ^ "Op-ed: 14 Reasons That Made 2011 Great for Trans People". The Advocate, December 28, 2011.
  2. ^ "FUTURES: Transgender Actress Harmony Santana Stuns in "Gun Hill Road". IndieWire, August 4, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "When They Play Women, It’s Not Just an Act". The New York Times, July 28, 2011.
  4. ^ "Will Transgender Actress Harmony Santana Be the Next Latina to Win an Oscar?". Latina, August 4, 2011.