Dayanara Torres (born Dayanara Torres Delgado onOctober 28, 1974 in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, and former Miss Universe. She is also known for being married to fellow Puerto Rican Marc Anthony before his relationship with Jennifer López.

When she was 17, she was approached while walking by her hometown and was invited to represent Toa Alta in the annual Miss Puerto Rico Pageant. Even though she had little experience in modeling she won it and went to represent Puerto Rico in the Miss Universe Pageant.

The pageant was celebrated in Mexico City in May 21, 1993 and Torres ended up winning the crown. Torres' victory in the pageant caused some controversy because it was claimed she was still a minor. However, Torres had turned 18 several months before the contest. Her victory did also cause some raised eyebrows as she did not win neither the preliminary round nor the semifinals. In this light, some pageant fans believed that the delegates from Colombia, Venezuela, and Australia should have placed higher given their leading scores during the above mentioned rounds. Despite all this, stunning Torres was received in Puerto Rico with a massive parade.

During and after her reign, she became an ambassador of UNICEF traveling through Asia and Latin America in support of the organization. She even created the Dayanara Torres Foundation which provided scholarships to poor students in Puerto Rico and the Philippines. In 1994 she went to Manila to crown the new Miss Universe. During the ceremony, she sang a duet with Peabo Bryson.

After the pageant, she received offers to host two shows in Philippines so she decided to stay. She lived there for four years becoming a huge celebrity in the country, even starring in more than 10 movies during that time, including a film with Filipino actor and singer Gary Valenciano called "Hataw Na." During that time, she also filmed Linda Sara, a Puerto Rican film directed by Jacobo Morales where she was paired with fellow Puerto Rican singer, Chayanne. The film was released in 1994.

During her time in Philippines, she had a relationship with Filipino cinema actor Aga Muhlach (he is now married to Charlene Gonzalez, Miss Philippines-Universe 1994). Torres also starred alongside Muhlach in her most famous Filipino film to date: Basta't Kasama Kita (Translation:As Long As I'm With You, Solo Si Estoy Contigo), a modern, Philippine take on the classic American film Roman Holiday. She also learned Tagalog, the main language of the country.

She returned to Puerto Rico in 1998 and released her first album (and the only, as of now) called Antifaz. It reached the top of the Billboard charts through Latin America and the Philippines. She also starred in several theatre productions in the island. That same year, a Dayanara doll was released and sold out in the island and in the Philippines.

In 2000, she met fellow Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony and got married on May 10. During this time, Torres retired from the public scenery and dedicated herself to her family. They had two sons together, Cristian (b. 2001) and Ryan (b. 2003). In 2002, the couple announced a separation, but reconciled, renewing their vows in Puerto Rico in December of that year in a massive ceremony. However, in June 2004 the couple finally divorced. Less than a week later, Anthony married the actress and singer Jennifer Lopez. At the end of 2005, she had a brief romance with actor Terrence Howard.

On September 1 of the same year, she debuted in an American soap opera, playing a small role in The Young and the Restless. The soap's management was impressed enough to express their desire to have her in further episodes.

On March 6, 2006, Torres had emergency surgery in New York, to correct an intestinal obstruction that was detected after she had felt pain during a flight from Los Angeles the day before.