Who is Yara Martinez? Everything to know about the actress who once guest starred in Chicago P.D.

It has been a year since the Chicago P.D. viewers saw Yara Martinez as Gloria Perez. The Puerto Rican actor is known for other popular shows like Bull and Jane the Virgin. On the NBC procedural drama, Gloria’s plot took a complicated turn as her rapport with Torres ended and she chose to walk away. However, she ended up working for a drug cartel, which brought them back into each other’s orbit.

While Gloria had a hit put on her by her enemies, her connection with Torres hit the latter’s career negatively, as Deputy Chief Reid used it to his advantage. Later, Yara Martinez’s Gloria died in Torres’s arms after they fought to take down the cartel and save each other. This affected Torres badly. Currently, he is back on his duties as Voight has brought together the disbanded Intelligence Unit of Chicago P.D. in season 13.

Recently, Torres was seen on Chicago P.D. season 13, episode 2, where he tried to help track down a kidnapped family friend. The storyline highlighted racial and political issues behind some crimes as Voight’s team nabs the culprits but fails to save the victim’s life.

A glimpse at Yara Matinez’s career

Born in August 1979, Yara Martinez was raised in Miami. Under the influence of her grandniece, ballerina Alicia Alonso, Yara learnt ballet for ten years. She started her acting career in 2001 with guest roles in television shows, debuting with an episode of Sex and the City. She moved on to do a television movie, Mari Reynosa.

However, despite her striking looks, Yara Martinez continued to remain a background artist with short-term roles till she landed a supporting role in The Hitcher. While the movie was not received well, Martinez got the exposure her career needed.

Some of her notable projects include The Hitcher, Alpha House, The Tick, Deputy, Junction, Bull, True Detective, Jane the Virgin, Hollywood Heights, The Lying Game, Breakout Kings, Southland, The Unit, Vanished and many more.

Chicago P.D.: A look at Yara Martinez’s Gloria

Yara Martinez was introduced on the screen of Chicago P.D. in the show’s season 11, episode 4. Titled Escape, the episode saw Torres going undercover to investigate Rafael and his nexus. While on the job, Torres met Gloria, Rafael’s wife. Torres found Gloria skimming money from the kingpin to escape from her marital abuse.

Connecting instantly at an emotional level, Torres opened up to Gloria about his mother’s toxic relationship. Gradually, he helped transform Gloria into a confidential informant for the CPD. However, when they tried to take down Rafael, things went wrong, leaving Gloria’s nephew dead. As Torres took Gloria away to a safe spot to calm her down, they crossed the agent-P.I. boundary by kissing.

Chicago P.D. Season 11 episode 9, found the duo maintain their unacceptable affair as they continued their dangerous investigation. When Yara Martinez’s Gloria supposedly robbed Torres, the latter lied to protect her, blurring the legal lines. After Burgess discovered their affair, she warned Torres against crossing the line, although she did not report it.

However, when Torres and Rafael faced each other in a final showdown, the kingpin coerced Gloria into torturing Torres. Unable to endure it for long, Gloria shot Rafael, killing the drug lord. Torres protected herself again by admitting to having shot Rafael in self-defence. With this, Torres and Gloria separated on good terms to live their lives.

Chicago P.D. Season 12 episode 7 revealed that Gloria was working for a new drug cartel, leaving Torres horrified. While Cook was the undercover to bust the new cartel, Torres made his way into the operation as well. However, this time he was cornered and had to confess to having an affair with his P.I., who turned into a new drug dealer.

The next episode, titled Penance, saw Torres and Gloria facing each other again. While Torres tried to protect her, she claimed to have enough intel to bring down Torres. However, the cartel chief put a hit on Gloria, leaving her life in danger. As she fought the bad guys, she had Torres fighting alongside her.

In the ensuing fight, Yara Martinez’s Gloria took a bullet that was shot at Torres. After Torres killed the cartel members, he found Gloria injured from the gunshot. Internal haemorrhages led Gloria to cough up blood and die in Torres’s arms. Her parting line was, “We’re the same.” Deputy Chief Reid used all the intel on the Torres-Gloria affair and Voight’s attempts at cover-up to dismantle the team.

Chicago P.D. Season 13 has Voight back heading his team with Torres and Burgess in their posts, accompanied by a new recruit, Detective Imani. Catch the upcoming episode of the show on NBC every Wednesday.