Napoleon Tavale

Born in American Samoa and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Napoleon's parents instilled in him the Samoan culture with music and dance at a very young age. The family created their own costumes, did their own make-up, and had original dance choreography that showcased performances all over the Twin Cities. Tavale speaks Samoan fluently. He was a print and runway model for Mall of America. Tavale landed a fun gig on a local Teen Television show called: "Whatever", where he was a reporter who did movie reviews, and interviewed celebrities like superstar wrestler and MN Gopher alumni, Brock Lesnar. Tavale enjoyed playing recreational sports like football and basketball. Today, he plays basketball wherever and whenever he can. Acting took place at Cretin-Derham Hall High School where he got involved in musical theatre productions and one-act plays. Tavale won a Talent Scholarship to Whittier College where he earned a BA in Theatre. After his BA, Tavale's professors encouraged him to audition for Acting Graduate programs through University Resident Theatre Association (URTA) He successfully auditioned for over 30 schools nationwide, had some great offers, and gladly ended up accepting a full ride scholarship to University of Virginia, where he proudly holds an MFA in Acting. Today, Tavale is a working actor in television, stage, and film. Simultaneously, he is the lead acting instructor for a College Film School in Los Angeles. (He/Him/His) (IG@NapoleonTavale)