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.
At the time of her performance in Gun Hill Road, Santana lived at Green
Chimneys, a group home for LGBT youth in Manhattan. Being in Green
Chimneys drove her to become an activist for HIV & AIDS, Homeless
Youth, and Bullying. She was discovered by director Rashaad Ernesto
Green at the Queens Pride parade after he had difficulty finding the
right performer for the role.
She is of mixed Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage.
In addition to Gun Hill Road, Santana has also had supporting roles in
Eating Out 4: Drama Camp and Eating Out 5: The Open Weekend. In 2014
she went on to do short films such as Futurestates: The Living and
You're Dead To Me.