Vanessa Parise is a multifaceted creative professional, excelling as a director, actor, and writer. She has been recognized as one of the "Ten Female Directors Breaking Stereotypes" by SheKnows, a testament to her innovative approach to storytelling.
Born into a large, extended, and multi-ethnic family, Parise drew inspiration from her upbringing for her film Kiss the Bride (2002). This early work showcased her ability to craft relatable characters and narratives.
After graduating from Harvard University magna cum laude in Biology, Parise was accepted into Harvard Medical School. However, she chose to pursue her passion for theatre instead, attending a summer program at Circle in the Square in New York City. She was subsequently invited to join their two-year theatre program, and took a deferment from Harvard Medical School to focus on her artistic endeavors.
During her time at Circle, Parise made a name for herself in the Off-Broadway theatre scene, earning critical acclaim for her performance in "Seascape". Upon graduating, she relocated to Hollywood, where she wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the short film Lo and Jo (1998),which garnered numerous awards and accolades.
Parise's feature film debut, Kiss the Bride, marked a significant milestone in her career. The film won several prestigious awards, including Best Actress for Parise at Cinequest, Best Feature Film for Parise at the Hamptons, Sarasota, and Rhode Island film festivals, and Best Actress and Best Score at the Monte Carlo and Torino film festivals, respectively.
In recent years, Parise has directed a range of projects, including Tim Kring's supernatural drama Beyond for Freeform, the Simone Biles biopic for Lifetime and NBC, and multiple episodes of Just Add Magic for Amazon and MC2 for Netflix. She has also directed the television movies Perfect High, #Popfan, Status Unknown, and the Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story.
Parise's talent and dedication have been recognized with several prestigious nominations and awards. She was selected for Fox's Global Diversity Initiative and received Leo nominations for her direction of Perfect High and #Popfan. Additionally, she was honored by Lifetime with their Broad Focus Top 5 Original Movies award.
