Characters

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  Maya Herrera

  Dania Ramirez

  Dania Ramirez stars in NBC's hit ensemble drama series "Heroes" as Maya Herrera, a young woman plagued by a threatening ability that has driven both her and her twin brother Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) from their home in the Dominican Republic to make the dangerous crossing to the United States in search of help. "Heroes" follows the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities.

   

  Ramirez has come a long way from her native Dominican Republic, where her dreams of acting began. She could recently be seen on the critically acclaimed HBO drama "The Sopranos." She also recently completed the independent film "Brooklyn to Manhattan" for director Jessy Terrero.

   

  Last summer, Ramirez appeared the third installment of the X-Men franchise "X-Men: The Last Stand," directed by Brett Ratner. She made her film debut in Spike Lee's "The Subway Stories," which led to two other of the writer/director's projects -- "25th Hour" and "She Hate Me." In the latter, she played the lead in a complicated love triangle involving a lesbian paralegal who wants to have a baby with her attorney girlfriend. Her other credits include the independent film "Cross Bronx," and she plays the love interest in the comedy "Fat Albert."

   

  Ramirez moved with her family to New York City when she was 10 years old. Always a performer, writing songs to sing with her sisters but eager for something more, she looked for ways to break into the entertainment business. After being discovered while working retail, she started modeling and taking acting classes. This led to some commercial work and eventually towards acting. Ramirez currently lives in Los Angeles. Her birthday is November 30.

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  Sylar

  Zachary Quinto

  Zachary Quinto stars in NBC's Emmy Award-nominated ensemble drama series, "Heroes" as Sylar, a manipulative serial killer dedicated to violently collecting the extraordinary talents of special people. Sylar's fate is unknown after being stabbed by Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) in New York. "Heroes" follows the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities.

   

  The Pittsburgh native has been acting since age 11, and jumped right into theater and launched his acting career. He starred in such shows as "Side Man," "Gross Indecency" (City Theatre Company), and "Oliver." Quinto has also been cast as Spock in J.J. Abrams' upcoming installment of "Star Trek."

   

  During high school, Quinto realized that acting was something more than a hobby. So he decided to further pursue his dream, and attended Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, and graduated as a true triple threat. Quinto was honored with the university's prestigious Gene Kelly Award for his role as the major general in "Pirates of Penzance."

   

  Acting since 2000, Quinto's first television job was "The Others" and he quickly gained gueststarring roles on "CSI," "Touched by an Angel," "Charmed," "Six Feet Under," "Crossing Jordan," and "Dragnet" among others. In addition, his film credits include "Down with Love," and "Psychic Murders." Most recently, Quinto had a recurring role on "24" and co-starred in Tori Spelling's sitcom, "So NoTORIous."

   

  Quinto currently resides in Los Angeles. He is learning how to play the banjo and is taking cooking classes. Quinto also enjoys hiking with his Irish Wolfhound/Airedale Terrier mix, Noah, and hanging out with his cat, Harold. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University. His birthday is June 2.

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  Ando Masahashi

  James Kyson Lee

  James Kyson Lee stars in NBC's Emmy Award-nominated ensemble drama series "Heroes" as Ando Masahashi, a quiet Tokyo executive who embarks on wild adventures with his timetraveling friend Hiro Nakamura. "Heroes" follows the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities.

   

  At his first television audition, Lee landed a guest-starring role on "J.A.G." He has since appeared on NBC's "Las Vegas," "The West Wing" and "Heist," as well as "Threat Matrix" and "All About the Andersons."

   

  Lee will star in four feature films in 2008, including the highly anticipated "Shutter," "Do Over" and "Sleeping Room Only," directed by David Boyle.

   

  Born in Seoul, South Korea, Lee moved with his family to New York City at the age of 10. He graduated from Bronx High School of Science and continued his education at Boston University and New England Institute of the Arts, where he studied communications. It was at New England where Lee enrolled in music, dance, and improvisation courses. Inspired by his newly discovered passion for performing, he sold his used car for $1,800 in the summer of 2001 and purchased a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. Lee began training as a jazz singer, and eventually made the transition from music to acting.

   

  A student of improvisation & sketch comedy at I.O. West and the Upright Citizens Brigade, Lee also enjoys playing basketball and the piano, as well as reading and watching documentaries. Lee currently resides in Los Angeles. His birthday is December 13.

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  Monica Dawson

  Dania Davis

  Dana Davis stars in NBC's Emmy nominated ensemble drama series "Heroes" as Monica, a young woman with newfound special abilities who would give up everything to help the people around her. "Heroes" follows the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities.

   

  On television, Davis was a series regular on the critically acclaimed series "The Nine." She has also appeared in substantial guest star roles on hit series such as "CSI: Miami," "Cold Case," "Gilmore Girls" and a recurring role on "Boston Public" as Marie Ronning. Other television credits include recurring roles on "The O.C," "Point Pleasant" and "Veronica Mars;" guest star roles on "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Joan of Arcadia." An accomplished singer and musician, Davis's talents are showcased in Disney's all musical episode of "That's So Raven" playing Raven's archrival Jasmine, the Theater Queen.

   

  On film, Davis may be best known for her portrayal as Denise Gilmore in "Raise Your Voice," playing a young, underprivileged, violin virtuoso vying for a much needed scholarship against her roommate Terri Fletcher (Hilary Duff). She also graced the big screen alongside Samuel L. Jackson in "Coach Carter." She recently finished filming the lead in "Prom Night."

   

  In addition, Davis is a classically trained musician, studying the viola for well over a decade. She also sang in the children's choir as backup for Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack, and with Barbra Streisand in her "Timeless Tour" in Los Angeles.

   

  Born in the south and raised in the Midwest, Davis considers Davenport, Iowa to be her hometown.

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  H.R.G.

  Jack Coleman

  Jack Coleman stars in NBC's Emmy Award-nominated ensemble drama series "Heroes" as the mysterious H.R.G. - so named after his "Horned Rimmed Glasses." Seemingly an unassuming family man as Claire's (Hayden Panettiere) father, H.R.G. is also a man of mystery who has a special interest in people with special abilities. "Heroes" follows the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities.

   

  Coleman has performed on Broadway, off-Broadway, in film and on television. Series roles include "Dynasty," "Nightmare Café," "Oh Baby," and "Steven King's Kingdom Hospital." Recently, he has been featured on such programs as "Entourage," "Nip/Tuck," "Without a Trace" and "CSI Miami."

   

  Coleman has also appeared in regional theaters across the country, playing Danny Zuko in "Grease" from Long Island, New York, to Odessa, Texas (where his character in "Heroes" resides), and performing "Othello" and "Loves' Labours Lost" at the Globe of the Great Southwest.

   

  Coleman wrote, produced, and starred in a short film entitled "Studio City," an audience favorite at such film festivals as the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival and the New Orleans Media Experience. He has recently completed a screenplay entitled "Can't Help Falling," a comedic drama about a young man who falls in love with his uncle's fiancée.

   

  Coleman is a graduate of Duke University, the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut, and the Writers' Boot Camp in Santa Monica, California. His grandfather, Herbert Agar, won a Pulitzer Prize in history for "The People's Choice," about how Americans choose their president. Jack's sixth generation grandfather is Benjamin Franklin. His birthday is January 21.

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  Mohinder Suresh

  Sendhil Ramamurthy

  Sendhil Ramamurthy joins NBC's new ensemble drama series "Heroes" as Mohinder Suresh, a genetics professor at the University of Madras in India whose father's disappearance leads him to uncover a secret theory - there are people with extraordinary abilities living among us.

   

  Recently, Ramamurthy completed the feature film "Blind Guy Driving," directed by James Keach. His other film credits include "Thanks to Gravity" opposite Sean Astin, "Orient Express" and "Little India."

   

  On the small screen, he starred in the series "Ultimate Force," the television movie "My Sexiest Mistake" and the miniseries "In the Beginning."

   

  In London's West End, Ramamurthy starred in The Royal Shakespeare Company production of "A Servant to Two Masters," directed by Tim Supple. In addition, he commanded the stage in the New York premiere of Tom Stoppard's "Indian Ink" at the Soho Repertory Theatre and "East Is East," directed by Scott Elliott, at the Manhattan Theatre Club.

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  Claire Bennet

  Hayden Panettiere

  Hayden Panettiere stars in NBC's new ensemble drama series "Heroes" as Claire Bennet, a high school cheerleader in Odessa, Texas, who learns through trial-and-error that her flesh is indestructible.

   

  Most recently, Panettiere starred in the independent film "The Architect" opposite Anthony LaPaglia and Isabella Rosselini which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and "Mr. Gibb" for Kevin Spacey's company, Triggerstreet.

   

  Training rigorously and executing her own stunts, she dazzled audiences in her role as a competitive ice skater in "Ice Princess" and recorded "I Fly" for the film's soundtrack. Her spitfire characters in both "Joe Somebody" as Tim Allen's daughter and "Remember the Titans" with Denzel Washington helped to establish her as a unique talent.

   

  Panettiere starred in the Lifetime original movie "Lies My Mother Told Me" opposite Joely Richardson and in The Disney Channel's acclaimed "Tiger Cruise," based on the true events of September 11th.

   

  She is an ambassador, along with fellow ambassadors Nelson Mandela and Queen Noor, for the ICUN Wildlife Foundation, an organization that helps raise funds to support and save endangered species. As of late, she has joined forces with Pierce Brosnan to save the whales through the Whaleman Foundation. Panettiere lives in New York with her parents and younger brother. Her birthday is August 21.

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  Hiro Nakamura

  Masi Oka

  Masi Oka stars in NBC's new ensemble drama series "Heroes" as Hiro Nakamura, a Tokyo nonconformist computer/anime enthusiast who develops a way to pierce the space-time continuum and move back in time through sheer will power.

   

  No stranger to television, Oka has had recurring roles on NBC's "Scrubs" as Franklyn and "Luis" as Deng Wu.

   

  His feature-film credits include memorable roles in "Along Came Polly," "Austin Powers in Goldmember" and "House of the Dead 2: Dead Aim."

   

  With a background in improvisation, Oka has performed on the stages of Second City, ImprovOlympics, The Groundlings, and TheatreSports.

   

  After graduating from Brown University with degrees in mathematics and computer science and a theatre arts minor, Oka pursued an acting career while taking his first job at George Lucas' Oscar-winning special effects house Industrial Light & Magic. Today, despite his successful career as an actor, he continues to provide ILM with technology for groundbreaking effects for more than 30 films.

   

  Oka was born in Tokyo, Japan, and moved to Los Angeles at age six, where he currently resides. He is fluent in Japanese and proficient in Spanish. His hobbies include Kendo (Japanese sword fighting), playing video games, watching and writing romantic comedies, playing the piano, and singing. His birthday is December 27.

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  Niki Sanders

  Ali Larter

  Larter starred in the successful first and second installments of the "Final Destination" franchise and opposite Reese Witherspoon in the hit film "Legally Blonde." In addition, Larter enjoyed a successful run on the New York stage in "The Vagina Monologues."

   

  Making her feature film debut in the blockbuster hit "Varsity Blues," Larter includes among her credits "A Lot Like Love," "American Outlaws" starring opposite Colin Farrell, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" for writer/director/actor Kevin Smith, "The House on Haunted Hill," a remake of the original Vincent Price horror classic with Taye Diggs and Geoffrey Rush, and "Drive Me Crazy."

   

  Larter will soon star opposite Milla Jovovich in "Resident Evil 3: Extinction" as Claire Redfield, a new character to the film series who appears in the video game "Resident Evil 2." Larter's other film credits include the independent film "Crazy" and the soon-to-be released "Marigold."

   

  A native of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Larter began modeling at the age of thirteen and traveled the world before moving to New York, where she currently resides. Her birthday is February 28.

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  Matt Parkman

  Greg Grunberg

  Grunberg is best known as the lovable Eric Weiss on "Alias," where he spent four seasons thwarting the menacing plans of the world's most dubious villains. Audiences first fell in love with Grunberg when he starred as Sean in four seasons on "Felicity." He has appeared in multiple episode arcs on "NYPD Blue" and "Melrose Place".

   

  In addition to his small screen success, Grunberg has emerged as a thriving film actor. His feature film credits include "Mission: Impossible 3," directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Tom Cruise, "Malibu's Most Wanted," "Ladykillers," "Hollow Man," "Austin Powers: Goldmember," "The Muse," "BASEketball," "Trigger Effect" and "Dinner & Driving."

   

  Before his rise to fame, he worked for noted film producers Dino de Laurentiis and Joel Silver and co-wrote and voiced the lead character in a computer-animated pilot for HBO. Recently, he has also helped develop and starred in a few pilots, including "The Catch" with creator/executive producer J.J. Abrams and "Grand Union" for NBC.

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  Nathan Petrelli

  Adrian Pasdar

  On the small screen, Pasdar starred for two seasons on both "Judging Amy" and "Mysterious Ways." He also held starring roles on "Profit" and Dick Wolf's "Feds." He recently recurred on the hit series "Desperate Housewives" as David Bradley, as well as on "Touched by an Angel" as Edward Tanner.

   

  Pasdar began his career in "Top Gun" when he was cast as Chipper alongside Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards and Val Kilmer. Since then, he has starred in films such as "Secondhand Lions" with Michael Caine and Robert Duvall, Brian De Palma's "Carlito's Way," opposite Al Pacino and Sean Penn, "Solarbabies" with Jami Gertz, Jason Patric and Lukas Haas, "Streets of Gold" with Wesley Snipes, "Near Dark" directed by Kathryn Bigelow and "Vital Signs," starring Diane Lane.

   

  Behind the scenes, Pasdar has written and directed a short film titled "Beyond Belief" and directed the feature film "Cement," starring Chris Penn and Sherilyn Fenn. Before becoming an actor, he excelled in football and attended the University of Florida on a football scholarship. After suffering an injury, he turned to acting and eventually studied at the famed Lee Strasberg Theater Institute.

   

  He was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, but grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia. Pasdar currently resides in Los Angeles and New York with his wife, Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, and their two children. His birthday is April 30.

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  Simone Deveaux

  Tawny Cypress

  Tawny Cypress stars as Simone Deveaux, Isaac's (Santiago Cabrera) beautiful girlfriend who enables his heroin addiction and whose wealthy father is dying.

   

  Cypress has recurred in a variety of primetime and daytime series, including "Third Watch," "Jonny Zero," "100 Centre Street," "All My Children" and "Guiding Light."

   

  In addition, Cypress has appeared on stage in productions of "Drowning in Euphoria," "The Session," "The Tempest" and "Amadeus." She studied at Boston University, Westminster Choir College and Mason Gross at Rutger  University. She currently resides in New York City. Her birthday is August 8.

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  Micah Sanders

  Noah Gray-Cabey

  Ten-year-old Noah Gray-Cabey joins NBC's new ensemble drama series "Heroes" as Micah Sanders, a young genius whose mother is an online stripper and whose father is serving life in prison.

   

  Gray-Cabey was a series regular on ABC's "My Wife & Kids," playing the precocious Franklin. Recently, he guest-starred on "Grey's Anatomy" and "Ghost Whisperer." He also has a supporting role in M. Night Shyamalan's highly anticipated film "Lady in the Water."

   

  A trained classical pianist by the age of three, Gray-Cabey is the youngest person ever to perform at the Sydney Opera Hall. In 2001, he participated in fundraising concerts to benefit AIDS orphanages. After the events of September 11th, Gray-Cabey, with the help of his father, Shawn, and his mother, Whitney, organized a concert in Portland, Maine, to raise money for Afghan children who were displaced by the Taliban's civil unrest. As a result, "48 Hours" did a piece on Gray-Cabey's altruistic natur e and piano talents.

   

  Gray-Cabey is determined to use his talents to make a real influence in the world. He has formed a foundation called "Action in Music" that broadens the horizons of inner city children by bringing them to Africa to visit AIDS victims. His birthday is November 16.

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  Isaac Mendez

  Santiago Cabrera

  Before becoming an actor, Cabrera originally planned on becoming a soccer player. He played soccer for three years on college scholarships in Chile and played semi-pro in London.

   

  While training for three years at the Drama Centre London, Cabrera starred in numerous productions, including "The Last Days of Don Juan," "The Strangeness of Others" and "Britannicus." After graduating, his first role was "Montano" in Shakespeare's "Othello" at the Northampton Theatre Royal and in London at The Greenwich Theatre.

   

  Cabrera's career break-through came when he was cast in the lead role of "Octavius" in ABC's "Empire." He will next be seen on screen starring opposite Brittany Murphy in "Love and Other Disasters," as well as "Haven" opposite Orlando Bloom. The actor recently completed filming "Goal! 2: Living the Dream" and will star in the lead role in "Goal 3."

   

  Cabrera grew up in London, Romania, Toronto and Madrid. Although he considers Santiago, Chile, his hometown, he currently splits his time between London and Los Angeles. In addition to his native Spanish language, he is fluent in English, French and Italian.

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  D.L.Hawkins

  Leonard Roberts

  Roberts is well known to television audiences for his role as Forrest Gates in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." He starred in NBC's miniseries "The '60s," BET telefilms' "Walking on Sunshine" and "Masquerade," and Starz!'s "Joe and the Max" as boxer Joe Louis for director Steve James.

   

  Roberts launched his film career in Chicago, appearing in small roles in "Love Jones" and Bill Duke's gangster epic "Hoodlum," before co-starring opposite Denzel Washington in Spike Lee's "He Got Game." In the acclaimed film "Drumline," he portrayed Sean, a rival high school marching band leader, opposite Nick Cannon.

   

  Roberts began acting on stage in the Windy City, appearing in numerous productions with several of the city's renowned theatre companies, including the Steppenwolf Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, the Shakespeare Repertory Theatre and the Northlight and Bailiwick Theatres.

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  Peter Petrelli

  Milo Ventimilglia

  Ventimiglia recently starred in Tom Fontana's series "The Bedford Diaries," which focused on a group of college students in a human sexuality class. He quickly garnered attention when he joined the casts of two critically-acclaimed television dramas: "Gilmore Girls" as the quiet and complicated Jess and NBC's "American Dreams" as a 1960s war radical. He was also a recurring character on David E. Kelley's drama "Boston Public."

   

  Segueing effortlessly between the big and small screen, Ventimiglia's passion for the art of acting keeps him drawn to both stud io and independent features. He recently completed work on the sixth installment of the "Rocky" series, playing Sylvester Stallone's son in "Rocky Balboa." His other film credits include the Disney film "Stay Alive," the Wes Craven/Kevin Williamson thriller "Cursed," the indie film "Dirty Deeds," "Sheer Bliss" and "Massholes." Additionally, he starred in the short films "Nice Guys Finish Last" and "Must Be the Music," which debuted at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews.