Stella was born in Toronto, Canada, to parents Saverio Francesco Torres, an employee of Massey Ferguson, and Carmela De'Leonardis, a homemaker, who immigrated to Canada from Italy and married in 1958. She has an older brother, Frank, and a younger sister, MJ. Stella attended school in Brantford, Ontario, Toronto, and briefly in Italy, where she lived for a short period.
In Toronto, Stella studied at Weist Barron School of Television and also attended Barbizon Modeling School, where she participated in several beauty pageants, including winning the Miss Italian title in Brantford, Ontario. This achievement made headlines when her picture and trophy were stolen from the lodge and never recovered.
Stella worked on a few plays, and it was her last play in Toronto, where she played Ala in "Tango," that she decided to leave for Los Angeles. She moved to LA in 1989 and has been married to actor James Farentino since 1994. Stella is extremely proud of becoming a US citizen in 2000.
Stella is known for her role in the Italian Mazda commercial that aired years ago, where she speaks only in Italian while arguing with her husband outside a house. She has also worked with actor Robert Hays, playing his girlfriend in the film "Alex in Wonder" (2001). Her favorite role would be to play Serafina in "The Rose Tattoo."
In her free time, Stella enjoys cooking, playing the piano, painting, ceramics, and most of all, spending time with her dog, an English Cocker named Amadeo, whom she affectionately refers to as her son and the love of her life.
