Daphne Zuniga is an American actress best known for her role as Jo Reynolds on the Fox primetime soap opera Melrose Place. She also portrayed Victoria Davis on the CW teen drama One Tree Hill and played Princess Vespa in Mel Brooks' 1987 film Spaceballs.
Born in San Francisco, California, Zuniga is the daughter of Joaquin Alberto Zúñiga Mazariegos, a Guatemalan-born philosophy professor who taught at California State University, East Bay, and Agnes A. Janawicz, a Unitarian minister of Finnish and Polish descent. Her passion for acting began in high school, where she actively participated in school plays.
As a teenager, she enrolled in the Young Conservatory program at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Following her parents' divorce, she moved with her sister from Berkeley to Reading, Vermont. She graduated from Woodstock Union High School in 1980 and later studied theater arts at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Daphne Zuniga began her acting career in the early 1980s. She made her film debut in 1983 with the movie The Dorm That Dripped Blood and continued to take on roles in both film and television. She gained widespread popularity through her work in Melrose Place, which aired from 1992 to 1996. Her portrayal of a strong yet vulnerable artist contributed significantly to the show's success.
Other notable television roles include her part in One Tree Hill, where she played a high-powered fashion executive. Over the years, Zuniga has appeared in numerous film and TV projects, carving a niche as a versatile and charismatic actress.
In 2004, Zuniga experienced mercury poisoning, which she attributed to consuming fish—particularly sushi—multiple times a week. She reportedly developed symptoms such as mild depression, skin rashes, memory issues, headaches, and emotional distress. After receiving medical attention and being diagnosed in an emergency room, she ceased eating fish.
Her personal health scare led to increased involvement in environmental causes. In 2009, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation by then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The organization focuses on promoting sustainable development along the Los Angeles River, an initiative Zuniga openly supports.
| Birth Date: | 28 Oct, 1962 |
| Age: | 57 yrs |
| Occupations: | Television actor Actor Film actor Stage actor |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | San Francisco |
| Gender: | Female |
| Description: | American actress |
| Twitter Id: | DaphneZuniga |
| Net Worth 2021: | 3 million |
