Actor / Director Profile

Daniella Evangelista entered the world of acting when she was only four years old. Of Italian family background, and raised in Vancouver, BC, Daniella is the elder of two daughters. Her father, a machinist, taught Daniella to play soccer, and how to hunt and fish. Daniella's maternal grandmother taught her how to cook and sew, and her mother initiated her into the business of modeling and acting.Her early work in television commercials and modeling included national campaigns for "Benetton" and worldwide exposure through Japanese calendars and other promotions. She was also profiled on the front of the popular Italian teen magazine, "Bambini". Her first appearance in a television series was when she was five years old, in "Lies From Lotus Land". She played opposite Michael J. Fox as the bratty kid next door. Before the age of ten, she had filmed up to 20 commercials. In addition, she modeled for fashion catalogs in her spare time and was proficient in dance. She also acted on a regular basis in school drama productions.Shortly after her first film (Disturbing Behavior (1998)), Daniella landed roles in numerous TV movies including a small part in Brothers' Destiny (1995) (TV) starring Danny Aiello and Mickey Rooney. Her first American feature film was Warner Bros.'s The Amazing Panda Adventure (1995) working opposite Ryan Slater, Christian Slater's brother. Daniella has also worked on several independent films across the genre. At thirteen, Daniella opted to take some time off from acting to concentrate on school work. In the late 90s, she was approached by 20th Century Fox to read for a role in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), although the part was eventually given to Natalie Portman. More recently, Daniella has appeared in the feature films Cabin by the Lake (2000) (TV) and its sequel, Ripper (2001), Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell (2001) (V) and The Mangler 2 (2002) (V). With her "scream queen" title firmly established, Daniella took a change of direction and landed the role of "Tracey" in the Canadian television hit series, "Edgemont" (2000), which is now filming its fourth season. She also provides the voice of "Kana" in the popular Japanese anime, "Hamtaro" (2002); and will soon be seen in the Tom Arnold movie After School Special (2002), and in Elijah Wood's Try Seventeen (2002) which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.