Linara Washington
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Linara Washington was born in the little town of Beaufort, SC to a
beautiful Brazilian woman and an American son of a preacher man. Her
mother spoke no English at the time, which has given Linara the added
benefit of being fluent in Portuguese. She is currently adding German
to her list of languages and is hoping to conquer French, Italian,
Japanese, and Hebrew.
Her time in South Carolina was brief, as the next sixteen years were
spent moving from college town to college town. All in all she has
lived in over 14 states and short stint in Brasil when she was still a
baby. During a three-year stop in St. Paul, Minnesota, Linara attended
The Blake School where she began to cultivate her love of acting. While
at Blake she had the pleasure of attending many shows at the famous
Guthrie Theatre (which coincidentally was located just one block from
the school) as well having participated in the Dudley Riggs
Improvisational Theater's enrichment program for high school aged
youth. Mighty Ducks 2 was filmed at the high schools skating rink and
it was no surprise to anyone that Linara made every effort possible to
be a part of the production. Though she was only an extra at the time
the experience definitely left its mark helping to spark the desire to
be in the movies.
An excellent math and science student, Linara initially decided to
pursue those interests rather than acting. The oldest of three girls,
her parents probably would have disowned her had she not pursued a more
"practical" course of study and been a proper role model for her
younger siblings. She was accepted at the prestigious University of
Chicago where started her courses as a Pre-med Biology major. But, as
with all things that are meant to be, she soon found herself taking a
number of writing classes and participating in the campus's theater
productions. One school year she actually directed two shows and
performed in five shows, taking on a role three days before opening
after another actress unexpectedly quit. Her beloved college mentors:
poet, Elizabeth Alexander and director/professor, Curt Columbus, were
so influential in her growth as an artist that she changed her major to
English, took her MCAT money and purchased headshots, and did not tell
her parents until graduation day that she was going to pursue acting.
Her parents, thankfully, did not kill her.
Linara's gutsy move proved to be the right one. She has had the
pleasure of working at a number of Chicago's most acclaimed theaters
including The Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Northlight, and the Tony Award
winning Victory Gardens. She has appeared in over 30 commercials
nationally and internationally. A supporting role as Keisha--the cute
and sassy receptionist-- in Barbershop 2 motivated her move to LA where
she has since enjoyed recurring roles on "American Dreams" and "E.R."
as well as a number of guest star spots including "Cold Case", "Close
To Home", and "Without A Trace." She most recently had the pleasure of
working with Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and acclaimed director
Marc Forster in the upcoming film "Stranger Than Fiction."
A perfectionist who enjoys getting involved in everything, when Linara
isn't on stage or screen she enjoys dancing-especially samba-cooking,
learning the guitar (a replacement for the 14 years of violin she gave
up earlier in life), painting, making jewelry, reading, and writing
among other things. She is currently working on two screenplays; one of
which is an adaptation of a stage play she wrote seven years ago on The
Hottentot Venus.
beautiful Brazilian woman and an American son of a preacher man. Her
mother spoke no English at the time, which has given Linara the added
benefit of being fluent in Portuguese. She is currently adding German
to her list of languages and is hoping to conquer French, Italian,
Japanese, and Hebrew.
Her time in South Carolina was brief, as the next sixteen years were
spent moving from college town to college town. All in all she has
lived in over 14 states and short stint in Brasil when she was still a
baby. During a three-year stop in St. Paul, Minnesota, Linara attended
The Blake School where she began to cultivate her love of acting. While
at Blake she had the pleasure of attending many shows at the famous
Guthrie Theatre (which coincidentally was located just one block from
the school) as well having participated in the Dudley Riggs
Improvisational Theater's enrichment program for high school aged
youth. Mighty Ducks 2 was filmed at the high schools skating rink and
it was no surprise to anyone that Linara made every effort possible to
be a part of the production. Though she was only an extra at the time
the experience definitely left its mark helping to spark the desire to
be in the movies.
An excellent math and science student, Linara initially decided to
pursue those interests rather than acting. The oldest of three girls,
her parents probably would have disowned her had she not pursued a more
"practical" course of study and been a proper role model for her
younger siblings. She was accepted at the prestigious University of
Chicago where started her courses as a Pre-med Biology major. But, as
with all things that are meant to be, she soon found herself taking a
number of writing classes and participating in the campus's theater
productions. One school year she actually directed two shows and
performed in five shows, taking on a role three days before opening
after another actress unexpectedly quit. Her beloved college mentors:
poet, Elizabeth Alexander and director/professor, Curt Columbus, were
so influential in her growth as an artist that she changed her major to
English, took her MCAT money and purchased headshots, and did not tell
her parents until graduation day that she was going to pursue acting.
Her parents, thankfully, did not kill her.
Linara's gutsy move proved to be the right one. She has had the
pleasure of working at a number of Chicago's most acclaimed theaters
including The Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Northlight, and the Tony Award
winning Victory Gardens. She has appeared in over 30 commercials
nationally and internationally. A supporting role as Keisha--the cute
and sassy receptionist-- in Barbershop 2 motivated her move to LA where
she has since enjoyed recurring roles on "American Dreams" and "E.R."
as well as a number of guest star spots including "Cold Case", "Close
To Home", and "Without A Trace." She most recently had the pleasure of
working with Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and acclaimed director
Marc Forster in the upcoming film "Stranger Than Fiction."
A perfectionist who enjoys getting involved in everything, when Linara
isn't on stage or screen she enjoys dancing-especially samba-cooking,
learning the guitar (a replacement for the 14 years of violin she gave
up earlier in life), painting, making jewelry, reading, and writing
among other things. She is currently working on two screenplays; one of
which is an adaptation of a stage play she wrote seven years ago on The
Hottentot Venus.