Krista Stilley - BIO

A native of Charlotte, N.C., Krista is the daughter of a writer and an actress. Though Krista's acting endeavors began at age 10, her dream of a career, on stage or screen, actually goes back at least four years earlier. The idea of pursuing acting as a career was sealed by her eighth grade year, when she saw a production of "The Nutcracker" and then told her drama teacher that she wanted to "take people away."

Krista's first professional role was that of Sara Davidson in "Stranger on the Bus," loosely based on the story of secondary school integration in Charlotte in the 1970's. Krista achieved notice for playing a character that aged from 2nd grade to 26 in a production that tackled volatile topics, at a time when she was a senior in high school.

From there she moved on to get a liberal arts education at Marietta (Ohio) college, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, a minor in History and a certificate in Leadership. At Marietta, she had the opportunity to vastly increase her resume with such favorite roles as Maggie in "Cat on A Hot Tin Roof", which inspired a love of all things Tennessee Williams and Hedda in "Hedda Gabler," a role that enabled her to realize a four-year dream.

Krista took time off from school at age 19 to tour with a violence prevention, theatrical and educational production, co-sponsored by the Children's Theatre of Charlotte and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. Her role in this production and the opportunity to work with vulnerable children had a profound impact - showing her how theatre can positively impact day-to-day lives.

After graduating, Krista returned to Southern stages as the Governess in Henry James' "Turn of the Screw," receiving critical praise. At that point, Krista decided against heading to New York to pursue theatrical acting, which might have seemed an obvious choice. She chose instead to train in film acting and moved to Los Angeles in the fall of 2002.

Since then, Krista's has appeared in many film and television projects including Warner Brother's "Poseidon" remake, MTV's film "All You've Got," "The West Wing", and "American Dreams". She has had many additional roles in independent films like "Anonymity" and "Lovesick Blues." She has continued her love of theatrical work with the lead in Miss Julie, which ran in Hollywood in January 2004. As interesting opportunities present themselves, Krista also hits the runway and does print work.

In her spare time, Krista continues working with youth as she does a variety of jobs, under the umbrella of grant compliance, for a non-profit organization in Hollywood that serves at-risk and homeless youth. This organization in Hollywood, its employees and the youth it serves, are a large part of what has allowed Krista to call Los Angeles home. She also enjoys horseback riding, soccer, and cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers.


kristastilley.com