Stephanie Andujar, nicknamed StephA, is an American actress, director, producer, writer, singer, dancer and songwriter. She is known for her comedic and dramatic roles. Starring in the Academy Award-winning film Precious (2009), Pariah (2011), See Girl Run (2012), Babygirl (2013), A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014), and the film Marjorie Prime (2017). Her television career includes CBS's Blue Bloods (2018), NBC's Law & Order: SVU (2007), nurse drama Mercy (2010), and Blindspot (2015). Andujar received praise for her performance in Orange is the New Black Season 2 (2014) as young Miss Rosa. Stephanie also starred in theatre performances from The Wiz, The Crucible, and The Good Woman of Setzuan.
Early life and education Andujar's father, Hector Andujar, was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and her mother Carmen Andujar (of Puerto Rican descent) is an NYPD School Safety Agent, born in Chelsea, New York. She has an older sister Melanie Andujar and a younger brother Hector Andujar Jr. Her family first resided in Harlem, then to Queens, finally settling back to the neighborhood in Manhattan. While being raised in Chelsea-Elliot Houses housing projects, Andujar started acting at the age of 12, when her parents enrolled her at a Beacon after-school arts program. At 13, she landed the part of the Scarecrow in the musical The Wiz. While performing in The Wiz a talent manager noticed her and signed her up immediately. Her drama teacher Derrick Tyes pushed for her to audition for drama schools. She was then accepted at Talent Unlimited High School where she performed in more than 10 drama productions.
She obtained her Business Degree (2009) at Pace University in New York City.
Career In 2007, while attending Pace University, Stephanie auditioned for a role in Law & Order: SVU and booked her first role as Latrice Munez. She then auditioned for Push, which was being turned into a film directed by Lee Daniels. That story became the 2009 film Precious, and Andujar was cast as former heroin addict Rita Romero. She also played young Miss Rosa in Orange is the New Black Season 2. Hillary Busis of Entertainment Weekly raved about her performance and stated, "Stephanie Andujar, who plays Young Rosa, is mesmerizing, and I want her to star in a prequel spinoff called Portrait of the Prisoner as a Young Bank Robber."
In 2016, Stephanie formed Andujar Productions with her family and produced a comedy web series "StephA: One Woman Show", playing over 10 characters. The show is based on Stephanie's life growing up in New York City and currently has 5 seasons.
Acting Credits
Film Year Title Role Notes 2008 Awilda and a Bee Jillian Short 2009 Precious Rita Romero 2011 Pariah Pier girl 2012 See Girl Run Alicia 2013 Babygirl Awilda 2014 A Walk Among the Tombstones Cashier 2017 Marjorie Prime Julie 2025 Love in Storytown Blanca
Television Year Title Role Notes 2007 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Latrice Munez Episode: "Fight" 2010 Mercy Deanna 2 episodes 2014 Orange Is the New Black Young Rosa 2 episodes 2015 Blindspot Isabella DeChirico Episode: "Eight Slim Grins" 2016–2020 StephA: One Woman Show Various 33 episodes 2018 Blue Bloods Molly Chavez 2 episodes 2024 Heavy Hitters Clara 2 episodes
Stage Year Title Role(s) Venue1998 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Fenris Ulf, Maugrim Beacon Theatre, New York City1999 The Wiz Scarecrow (Oz) Beacon Theatre, New York City2000 The Good Woman of Setzuan Shen Teh/ Shui TaTalent Unlimited High School, New York City2001 A Midsummer Night's Dream DemetriusTalent Unlimited High School, New York City2002 The Crucible Tituba Talent Unlimited High School, New York City2002 Everyman (15th-century play) Father/Waitress/Beauty Talent Unlimited High School, New York City2003 Tripitica's Puppet Box Tripitica Talent Unlimited High School, New York City 2004 The Bookbag MaudeCollective:Unconscious, New York City 2005 History of the Word FeliceCarolina Theatre of Greensboro, North Carolina2024 Apron Strings: The Ties that Bind Grace, Raquel, Dolores, Natasha, MariaAMT Theater, Off-Broadway, New York City2025 Orientation The Authority, Leonor Gonzalez Gural Theater, Off-Broadway, New York City 2025 The Rubber Band Company Ann American Theatre of Actors, Off-Broadway, New York City
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2009 8th Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards Best Ensemble Precious 30th Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best Cast
References
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