Kris Orticello

Riveting performances and a natural charisma have secured Kris Orticello as one of the most outstanding Canadian actors to catapult into the US market. She has been featured in US Weekly Magazine, FOX News, ABC News, NBC News, along with many other publications for her performances. Born in Toronto, Canada, she was named Christina Maria Orticello at birth. Her mother, Marlene, holds a management position in finance, and her father, Anthony, owns a company offering high-end custom architectural woodwork and installation. She is the first of four children, with two brothers and a sister. To date, she has a total of five nieces and nephews. Kris was a proud fur mama to Tiam-O, her toy poodle-bishon frise cross, Jan 07 2011- August 19 2020. She was raised Roman Catholic, and identifies herself as a Christian. Kris began her acting and modeling career at the age of 7, although her ultimate passion was singing. Her greatest musical influence was her papa, who sang and played guitar. In 2005, Kris suffered a serious car accident shortly before attending the Grammy Awards. Following her injuries, she came to the realization that she could no longer execute her dance performances while on stage. This ultimately led her back to acting and hosting, where she could thrive without the same physical demands. Kris has been trained by some of the most prominent acting teachers in North America, including Lee Strasberg Institute, and Gregory Berger-Sobeck, who teaches drama at Yale University. She has also studied with Marki Costello, Hollywood's premier host coach and Jules Fitzsimmons, Canada's leading host casting director. Kris has hosted television shows and live events, including the ISU World Cup. Compelled by her strong Christian faith and love of animals, Kris has refused several roles that required her to carry out blasphemy, nudity, and eating meat. Kris holds certificates from Harvard University for both contract law and humanitarian response to conflict and disaster, as well as a certificate from George Brown College for medical terminology. She is currently studying psychology online through Yale University. Kris loves to cook and complete home renovations. Growing up in an Italian-Canadian family, food was the cornerstone of all family gatherings. Many of her family members are tradespeople, and her nonno imparted a hands-on approach to learning how to renovate. Kris has a passion for real estate investment, and consistently upgrades her education with specialized coaching and seminars. Sparked by her modeling experience and a penchant for perfectionism, Kris wanted more insight on how to create the perfect image. Through this process, she developed a desire to learn photography and an eventual passion for the art. Additionally, Kris has written and directed for both film and television. Kris has appeared in various film and television roles, first breaking through on Canadian television as a regular dancer on Much Music's Electric Circus. She was then hired regularly to model for various brands on The Shopping Channel and later QVC. She has been cast in television commercials and hired as a brand ambassador. Her most notable recent lead roles aired nationally in the United States: US Weekly's Famous Feuds and Broke and Famous.