Torres was discovered at age 17 while walking through the Plaza de Toa Alta in her hometown, and was subsequently invited to represent Toa Alta in the annual Miss Puerto Rico pageant. She won the pageant and the right to represent Puerto Rico in the 1993 Miss Universe pageant. In 1992 she participated in the Miss International pageant and became a semi-finalist. The same year, she earned second place at the Queen of the World contest.
Torres won the crown in the Miss Universe pageant held in Mexico City on May 21, 1993. Torres' victory in the pageant caused some controversy because of the claim that she was still a minor; however, Torres had actually turned 18 several months before the contest. Her victory also raised some eyebrows, as she did not top any of the pageant's segments. When Torres returned home to Puerto Rico, she was received with a massive parade.
During and after her reign as Miss Universe, she became an ambassador for UNICEF, traveling through Asia and Latin America in support of the organization. She created the Dayanara Torres Foundation which has provided scholarships to poor students in Puerto Rico and the Philippines. In 1994, she went to Manila to crown the new Miss Universe and during the ceremony, she sang "A Whole New World" as a duet with Peabo Bryson.
After the 1994 Miss Universe pageant, Torres landed several movie roles, made television appearances, and received offers to endorse products. She became a celebrity in the Philippines and lived in the country for five years. She also appeared in more than 10 movies, including Hataw Na, a film with Filipino actor and singer Gary Valenciano (who is half-Puerto Rican). During that time, she also filmed Linda Sara (1994), a Puerto Rican film directed by Jacobo Morales in which she was paired with fellow Puerto Rican singer, Chayanne. She also became a staple figure on Philippine television every Sunday on the show ASAP Mania, which gave her the title "Dancing Queen" because of her impressive dancing skills.
During her time in the Philippines, Torres learned to speak Tagalog, the main language of the country and she had a four-year relationship with Filipino actor Aga Muhlach. Muhlach is now married to Charlene Gonzalez, Miss Philippines-Universe 1994). Torres and Muhlach first met on the set of her first Philippine movie, Basta't Kasama Kita (As Long As I'm With You).
In 2006, Dayanara Torres endorsed the newly-opened luxury aesthetic surgery clinic, Beverly Hills 6750 in Makati, Philippines, appearing in a 30-second television spot.
Torres returned to Puerto Rico in 1998 and released her first and only album called Antifaz. It reached the top of Billboard charts in Latin America and the Philippines. She also starred in several theater productions on the island. That same year, a "Dayanara" doll was released and sold out in both Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
