Allison Hensel

Allison Hensel is the middle child of 5. Her father, Roger Ridpath, was an army sergeant and her mother, Patricia Ridpath, was a homemaker working periodically as a secretary. Ms. Hensel grew up traveling the world with her father, spending 4 years in Hokkaido, Japan and 6 years in Augsburg, Germany. She has also lived in several states, including Maryland, Missouri, Texas, Minnesota, and New Mexico. At the age of three, her artistic nature and propensity for languages became evident. Her parents encouraged her to explore her talents. She received recognition for her artwork in 1986 and has displayed her paintings and landscape photography in several local art shows. At the age of 12, Ms. Hensel discovered the comic styling of Carol Burnett. She knew that was what she wanted to do when she grew up. She worked on her character acting skills for several years, which culminated in the creation of "Myrtle, Sex Goddess of the Trailer Court" in November, 1998. In late 2004, she acquired her first film role, in a short film titled "Drive By". She acquired SAG eligibility with her performance of a bartender in a film production titled "Easier with Practice." Through appearances in feature films, short films, television productions, and commercials, Ms. Hensel explored a variety of opportunities in the film industry. In 2006, Ms. Hensel wrote her first feature screenplay titled "South of the Border", which was a finalist in the 2007 Beverly Hills Film festival script competition. She was sworn in as a member of IATSE Local 480 film crew union in November, 2006. She also signed on as Co-producer and Assistant Director for the film "Grave Mistake", in early 2007. After completion of production on "Grave Mistake", her attentions returned to the performance of "Myrtle" and the presentation of her stand-up routine. She has a BS degree in Biology from Winona State University. Her course of study included cell biology, physiology, microbiology, and other assorted science related fields. Ms. Hensel has worked on over 40 productions that include short films, feature films, TV commercials, TV series, and stage productions.