Misti Traya
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Misti Traya (born September 23, 1981) is an American actress. She landed her first primetime series regular role playing 15-year-old Allison Reeves in The WB's comedy Living with Fran.
Traya was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She moved to Los Angeles at the age of 7, so her mother Kiersten Warren, could pursue an acting career. An avid writer, Traya completed her first book, "Pinkerton the Dog and the Cat Lucky," at the age of 6. The story chronicles the snacks and meals Pinkerton, Lucky and their owners, Jennifer and Tiffany, ate over the course of several days. Traya likens it to a 16-page menu. In fifth grade, Traya wrote a poem titled "L.A. Women," which tells the story of a rich Bel Air housewife who goes insane when her husband leaves her for a younger woman.
At the age of 11, Traya followed in her friends' footsteps and enrolled in ice skating lessons. Little did she know that her life would be consumed with training and competitions with little time for anything else. The enthusiastic reaction of her 8th grade World Cultures teacher to her portrayal of a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization sparked her love of performing. At the age of 14, Traya gave up ice skating to devote more time to school activities, such as becoming student body president of her prestigious all girls school, Marlborough, and writing opinion pieces and top ten lists for the school newspaper. Traya also participated in the drama program, playing Bella in Lost in Yonkers and Ophelia in Hamlet. She also wrote Curly Smoke, a play based on the life of Dorothy Parker. This work was eventually produced and performed in Marlborough's Black Box Theatre.
Traya attended Sarah Lawrence College where she enrolled in their acclaimed writing program. She studied creative and non-fiction writing, and graduated with a Liberal Arts Degree in 2003. Within a year of graduating, Traya was working behind-the-scenes on the independent film, Havoc, in which she received an on-camera role. Within weeks of her first actual audition, she landed recurring roles on Joan of Arcadia and Huff.
Traya recently completed two feature films, Dying for Dolly, a Lion's Gate film directed by Ron Underwood, starring Chazz Palminteri and Usher, as well as Material Girls, produced by Maverick Films, directed by Martha Coolidge, and starring Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff. She is currently working with visual artist Mario Garcia Torres on his six-minute film, One Minute To Act A Title: Kim Jong II Favorite Movies, intended to circulate in the contemporary art arena of museums and galleries.
Traya lives in Los Angeles, California, with her Pomeranian, Snacks. She enjoys writing, baking and making her own jam.
[edit] Roles
- Iris on the CBS show Joan of Arcadia
- Gail on the Showtime show Huff
- Allison Reeves on the WB show Living with Fran as Fran Reeves' teenage daughter.
- Maya in the movie In the Mix
- Martinique in the movie Material Girls, starring Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff
