Janae Palmer Cruz is a SAG-AFTRA genre film actor working throughout the East Coast, including New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. She is drawn to fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and psychologically driven storytelling, bringing emotional depth, versatility, and grounded presence to film, television, and commercial work.
 

Raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Janae discovered her love for performing at the age of thirteen, launching an early and dedicated pursuit of acting. She earned dual degrees in Theatre and Dance from Messiah College and further refined her craft internationally at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland, where she deepened her approach to character-driven storytelling.
 

Janae’s credits reflect her versatility across studio, television, and independent film. She has worked as the full-time stand-in and photo double for Natalie Portman on Apple TV’s Lady in the Lake, and as a stand-in for Shira Haas (Triumph), Kate Mara (Friendship), and Stephanie Nur (Lioness). Her film work includes Lionsgate’s Where the Scary Things Are, The Special, and They Watch, with television appearances on True Terror with Robert Englund (Travel Channel), Murder in the Family (Reelz), and Cold Hearted (Investigation Discovery).
 

Expanding her work behind the camera, Janae wrote and directed her first short film, Tempted, a psychological thriller currently in post-production, further reflecting her commitment to dark, character-driven storytelling.

For Janae, storytelling is about connection: between people, worlds, and ideas both on screen and beyond.