Diane Guerrero is a Colombian-American actress best known for the role of Maritza Ramos on the Netflix web series "Orange is the New Black." Guerrero grew up in Boston and remained there after the rest of her family was deported to Colombia.

Guerrero was born in New Jersey to Colombian parents and raised in Boston. As the only American-born child in her family, she remained in America when the rest of her family was deported back to Colombia. Both of her parents and her older brother were deported to Colombia when she was 14. She was raised in the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods in Boston after being taken in by other Colombian families. She has had an interest in acting since a young age and took advantage of free opportunities in the neighborhood or at school. Then she attended Boston Arts Academy, which is a performing arts high school, where she was in the music department. Among her high school activities was singing with a jazz group, but she anticipated pursuing political science and communications in college.

Her first job after college was in a law office. At age 24, she decided to pursue a career in acting. In 2011, she moved to New York City and studied acting at the Susan Batson Studios where she met her manager Josh Taylor. Guerrero's life experience compels her to advocate for immigration reform and is an influence that she draws upon in her acting.

She auditioned for a role on "Devious Maids," but ended up with a role on "Orange is the New Black," where she plays a Bronx-bred character that is likely Puerto Rican. She has had a recurring role on "Are We There Yet?"

In 2014, she appeared in "Emoticon ;)," a comedy about a May–December romance in which her father is involved with a doctoral candidate. Her performance as Amanda ("Mandy") Nevins, an adopted teenage child, elicited positive criticism such as a description of a "well-drawn smaller moment" that was "beautifully rendered" according to Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter and a performance that "command sympathy" according to Inkoo Kang of the Los Angeles Times.

One of her upcoming roles is as an 1800s Cuban confederate spy, loosely based on the life of Loreta Janeta Velazquez, for Peter and John. She has been cast in The CW's upcoming series "Jane the Virgin" in a recurring role.