Alex Vause

Biography A list of Alex's flashback episodes can be found here.

To Litchfield Alex is the daughter of Diane Vause and Lee Burley. Vause was raised by her mother alone, as her "rock star" father was unaware of her existence. Alex's mother worked four jobs to support the family; however, they still struggled financially, and Alex was bullied by her peers (particularly Jessica Wedge). Her mother tried to console her by telling her that her father was famous and that she could use that knowledge to stay strong in the face of suffering.

As Alex grew older, she tracked down her father and, to her dismay, discovered that he had become a degenerate drug addict whose life still revolved around his former glory. She befriended his drug dealer, Fakhri. He later became her contact in the drug cartel led by Kubra Balik. Alex then worked as a smuggler and trafficker for many years.

She later became interested in Piper Chapman after meeting her at a bar. At the time, Alex was living with her girlfriend Sylvia, but Alex eventually broke up with her and began dating Piper. Alex gradually got Piper involved in drug dealing while they traveled the world and lived in luxury. One day, Vause convinced Piper to smuggle cash through customs at an airport in Europe, a crime for which Piper is serving time. During her testimony, Vause specifically mentioned Piper, which led to her subsequent arrest. After Piper broke up with her, Vause began using heroin (Kubra soon sent her to rehab to help her kick the habit). She appears to have bouts of depression. She tells Nicky that she can no longer "cut through the swirling darkness in my brain to focus on anything," and Piper mentions that she took antidepressants when she went to prison, which she now replaces with black eyeliner.

Vause's mother died of an aneurysm during Vause and Chapman's relationship. Alex learns

Alexandra Pearl "Alex" Vause is a main character on the television series Orange Is the New Black. She was an inmate at Litchfield State Penitentiary and the "prison wife" of the main character Piper Chapman, as their marriage was not legally registered. In the seventh season, she was transferred to Ohio. She is portrayed by Laura Prepon.

Alex is based on Nora (whose real name is Catherine Cleary Walters)[1] from the memoir Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison.

Personality Alex Vause is a sarcastic, manipulative, and quick-witted girl. Although she interacts with other inmates, she keeps to herself emotionally, though she is not afraid to fight back if provoked. Alex is often seen with a book in her hands, as she loves to read. Alex is a good judge of character and has insight.

Both Alex and Piper betray each other for personal gain, despite their feelings. Alex relies on Piper as much as Piper relies on her, but she hides this behind a tough exterior and only occasionally shows weakness in front of close friends like Nicky. Alex has good survival skills, is highly intelligent, calm, and usually maintains a sense of humor when faced with problems.

Physical Appearance Alex Vause is a tall (5' 9" / 1.78 m), slender woman. In "Thirsty Bird", Piper incorrectly states that Alex is 5' 9" / 175 cm, and that she usually wears dark eyeliner and plucks her eyebrows. She wears thick-framed black glasses (Piper refers to them as "secretary glasses"). In flashbacks, she often wears dark lipstick. She has a love of tattoos and proudly shows them off. She has a salt shaker tattoo on her left shoulder, large red rose tattoos on her right shoulder, a tattoo on her right wrist, small tattoos on her left arm, a large tattoo on her right arm, a shooting star on her side, and a large tattoo on her thigh. She has long black hair that used to have blue streaks in it (as seen in flashbacks).