Person Biography:
Mary Stein is an unselfconsciously amusing bundle of heart and brains. Her unconventional views and passion make it obvious why top directors are thrilled to add her creative spark to their projects.
Born in Marquette, Michigan, and reared in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mary attributes her desire to pursue a career in acting to her longtime idol and source of inspiration, British actress, Maggie Smith, and to her grandfather. She recalls the motivation she gained from her grandfather, an early vaudeville performer, as well as her father who as a boy, toured with him; a highly artistic mother, adept at weaving, sculpting, and painting, also gave rise to creative direction.
Mary wrote and starred in her first play at age five, an event which led to numerous performances thereafter. She then took dance lessons and eventually choreographed and staged dance numbers, adding tap, jazz, and modern dance to her repertoire.
Stein attended the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City with celebrity alumni Kevin Spacey, Val Kilmer, Thomas Gibson, and Bradley Whitford, after already receiving a BA from Marquette University. In regional theater, she has played such diverse roles as 'May' in 'Fool for Love' directed by Mark Masterson.
Rave reviews, unique talent, and an enthusiasm to explore different media, led Stein to Hollywood where she broke into television on a series of pilots as well as guest starred on such well-known TV shows as 'Glee' and 'Brooklyn Nine Nine'. Mary's feature film break came with the unforgettable role of 'Angela' in Orion Pictures 1996 sleeper hit Man of the Year. You may also recognize her from hundreds of commercials for everything from Pop Tarts to Toyota to most recently, commercials for Sprint & AAA.
Mary meditates & has been a practicing yogi for 30+ years. As an accomplished athlete, she enjoys long distance cycling, kayaking, horseback riding, and snow skiing. Stein has been a big sister to The Westside Kids and volunteered with LA-based charity 'Free Arts for Abused Kids'. She participated with 'Team in Training' and completed their training & triathlon to raise money for Leukemia Research. When Mary is not acting, she is a highly sought-after coach to actors & teaches workshops in On Camera Acting & Structured Visualization as a gateway to tapping your creativity and genius.
