Stephanie Lemelin : Thorne
Date Of Birth: June 29th, 1979 Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Stephanie Lemelin was born outside Philadelphia, and her family moved several times – from New Jersey to Atlanta to Canada and finally, Massachusetts – due to her father’s job as an NHL goalie. By the time Stephanie entered sixth grade, she’d been to five schools – definitely the building blocks for a future career in acting. She had at least four accents down (including her paternal family’s Quebecois accent) and was learning just how to fit (or not) in many different social situations. Always a fan of the stage, she performed in countless school plays and local community theaters. Her favorite role was Wendy in “Peter Pan.” Eventually, she signed with The Cameo Kids Agency in Boston and was soon starring in numerous commercials and industrial films.
During her last two years of high school, Stephanie served as her Class Co-President. Next, she pursued a B.A. in Communications (with a minor in English) at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania. She joined the editing staff of a women’s literary magazine, furthering her love for creative writing, while also studying the business/production side of the entertainment industry. During the summers back in Boston, Stephanie interned at her childhood talent agency as the assistant to the director. She also studied abroad her junior year at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia — simultaneously interning for Network 9 as both a production assistant and in the editing bay. When she graduated college, she felt ready to take on the formidable and majestic town of Los Angeles.
Almost immediately after arriving in L.A., Stephanie began working as an actor. Her first TV
break was a guest starring role on the series, “Undeclared.” Next came the independent film, “Raising Flagg,” with Oscar Award-winning actor Alan Arkin, as well as the Sci Fi Channel movie, “Anonymous Rex.” She also guest starred on “Malcolm in the Middle, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Run of the House,” “The Mullets” and “Out of Practice.”
In early 2006, Stephanie produced her first movie with her fiancé, martial artist A.J. Draven (also the star of the film). Directed by Tom Shell, “The Thirst: Beginnings” is currently being distributed by Artist View Entertainment and was accepted into the 2007 San Francisco independent horror film festival, Another Hole in the Head. She also starred in the independent film, “Limbo Lounge,” written and directed by Tom Pankratz. With her uniquely raspy and highly animated voice, Stephanie recently began doing voice-over commercials. She hopes to soon be the voice of many beloved cartoon characters on both TV and film.
Off-screen, Stephanie is a big advocate of community service, steadily volunteering since 2002 with the Los Angeles-based group, Free Arts for Abused Children. In 2004, Stephanie also began writing children’s books with a group therapy project called Camp MakeBelieve Kids, based out of Nevada. She was asked to join the board of the BECK Foundation in early 2007, and her work there continues to grow. She hopes soon that the CMB Kids books are published and can help kids everywhere. In May 2006, Stephanie went to New Orleans to volunteer with Emergency Communities in St. Bernard’s Parish. The experience was as inspiring as it was depressing, and she encourages everyone to support the citizens who are still experiencing the nightmare of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. While in Louisiana, she rescued a dog she named Stanley (for the NHL Stanley Cup – because he’s a champion). Today, Stan lives happily in L.A. along with his big brother, Brucely (another rescue, from the L.A. pound), with Stephanie & A.J. The dogs are looking forward to when their parents finally tie the knot this summer in New Hampshire.
