Maria Valentinova

Along the picturesque banks of the Danube River where Strauss and Mozart once frolicked, Maria Valentinova was born in 1979 into a family of devout Communists; her father, an officer in the local KGB, and her mother, a schoolteacher. Raised by her grandparents as her parents tended to affairs of the State, Maria was taught such fin-de-siecle delights as waltzing, oil painting, poetry and sculpture by her timeless and genteel elders, who also saw fit to educate young Maria in more ancient albeit practical pursuits, such as the study of the dexterous Chinese fighting discipline WuShu. Grounded in, and with a firm appreciation for the arts, a teen-aged Maria took to the streets in the town square of her beloved Rousse, and would perform impromptu skits with a fellow troupe of merrymakers and actors. Crowds grew and word spread quickly... Stints in the theater soon followed, and by the time she reached 17, Maria had two starring roles for Bulgarian State TV under her belt, 'Miss Marley' and 'The Phone Call' respectively. Feeling she needed to journey to America to expand her career, Maria enrolled in Lawrence Conservatory where she studied theater and dance. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maria broke both school policy and convention by becoming the first sophomore student to both direct and star in her own stage production of 'Dangerous Liaisons', complete with Christopher Hampton's blessing and amusement at the young star in waiting. Having successfully scandalized the small Midwestern town where Lawrence U. resides with the successful run of 'Liaisons', Maria moved west to Los Angeles where her meteoric rise is sure to delight both new and old fans alike.