Maria Sten is a Danish actress, writer, director and beauty pageant titleholder born and raised in Denmark with Danish, Swedish and Congolese roots.[1][2] She was crowned Miss Denmark Universe 2008 and represented her country at Miss Universe 2008.
Maria Sten | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 October 1989 |
| Other names | Maria Sten-Knudsen |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, filmmaker, writer |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title | Miss Denmark |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Major competition(s) |
|
Childhood
editSten was born in Copenhagen, Denmark to a Danish mother Nina Sten-Knudsen with Swedish heritage and a Congolese father. She has 8 siblings: one brother, four sisters, plus two step-sisters, plus one unrelated sister. She grew up with only one of the sisters, an older sister who was her mother’s only other child.[3] As a child, Sten often posed for her mother who was a professional artist[4][5][6] and, as a child, she also started doing theater in school; participating in a youth acting program at Scandinavian Theater School.[7] Her other childhood activities included horseback riding, gymnastics, kickboxing, track and field and playing the piano.[8] As she grew older, she grew taller and was convinced to try modeling. Sten moved to New York City in the United States when she was 18 years old to pursue a career in Performing Arts.[9]
Career
editSten competed in Miss Supertalent of the World 2011 and was placed in the top 7 women among 50 candidates.[10]
Writer
editIn February 2017, Sten's submission "The Courier" was announced as a finalist for the second annual television writing program from the ATX Television Festival and The Black List.[9] Later in 2017, Sten was selected for the 2017 Black List x WIF Episodic Lab.[11] Sten has also written two episodes of David E. Kelley's series Big Sky, and wrote, directed, and produced the short films Wild Things Run Free and When It Burns.[1][12] In 2018 Sten was named to the Tracking Board's Young & Hungry List, which showcases the top 100 new writers as voted on by Hollywood's most influential.[1]
Actor
editAs an actor, Sten played the lead role of Jillian Hope Hodgson in the fourth season of the television show Channel Zero: The Dream Door. She portrayed Liz Tremayne in the DC Universe television series Swamp Thing, which also starred Crystal Reed.[13]
Since 2022 she has starred as the character Frances Neagley in the Amazon Prime Video series Reacher.[14]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | I'm Good | Kia | Short film |
| 2015 | Straight Outta Compton | Girlfriend | Uncredited |
| 2015 | Mellow Peaches | Short film | |
| 2015 | The Comments | Woman in Pool | Short film |
| 2015 | Dream... | The Boss | Short film |
| 2016 | When It Burns | Kate | Short film; also Director, executive producer and writer |
| 2016 | Kessi Blue | Robin C. | Short film; also Line producer |
| 2017 | Wild Things Run Free | The Woman | Short film; also Director, producer and writer |
| 2017 | Book Trader | Cassandra | Short film |
| 2019 | Emmanuel and Me | Christina |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Doctors | Woman in Bedroom | Episode: "Secrets to Look & Feel Better Naked"; as Maria Sten-Knudsen |
| 2012 | Eros.Emmanuel and Me | Christina | Television mini-series |
| 2014 | Celebrity Crime Files | Angela Davis | Episode: "The Black Panthers" |
| 2014 | Out the Box | Maria | Episode: "These Hands" |
| 2018 | Channel Zero: The Dream Door | Jillian Hope Hodgson | Main role; 6 episodes |
| 2019 | Swamp Thing | Liz Tremayne | Main role; 10 episodes |
| 2021 | Big Sky | Writer; Episode: "The Wolves Are Always Out for Blood" | |
| 2022–present | Reacher | Frances Neagley | Main role; 12 episodes |
Web
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Persuasion | Terry | Main role; 9 episodes |
| 2022 | Narcissa | Andie | Main role; 8 episodes[15] |
Producer
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | In the Still of the Night | Short film |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Exclusive Interview with Maria Sten of 'Swamp Thing'". 5 July 2019.
- ^ "10 Things You Didn't Know about Maria Sten". 12 October 2020.
- ^ Sanogo, Linda (21 October 2013). "A Great Danes in The States – Maria Sten-Knudsen". wordpress.com. WordPress. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Ish. "Maria Sten's 8-Figure Net Worth Comes From Her Movies and TV Shows". glamour buff.com. Glamour Buff. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Sten-Knudsen, Nina. "Nina Sten-Knudson". Instagram.com. Instagram. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview: Maria Sten Chats Reacher, Creating Inclusive Stories, and More". Pop-culturalist.com. Pop Culturalist. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Maria Sten". listal.com. Listal. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ Bonnet, Alexandra. "Maria Sten From Amazon's Hit Series "REACHER"". Bellman.com. Bello. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ a b Wegmeister, Elizabeth. "Finalists Announced for ATX-Black List Second Annual TV Writing Program". Variety.com. Variety. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Tamrakar, Yunil (23 March 2022). "Maria Sten". biography host.com. Biography Host. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Halpern, Megan. "Meet the Alumni from our Fall 2017 Writers Labs". blackklist.com. The Black List. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "INTERVIEW WITH SERINDA SWAN, SHAUN SIPOS AND MARIA STEN". tvmeg.com. TVMEG. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "'Swamp Thing': Maria Sten to Co-Star as Liz Tremayne in DC Universe Series". 7 September 2018.
- ^ "'Reacher': Bruce McGill, Maria Sten, Hugh Thompson Join Alan Ritchson in Amazon Series". 19 May 2021.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas. "Glee' Star Dianna Agron & 'Reacher' Actress Maria Sten To Lead QCode Sci-Fi Podcast 'Narcissa". Deadline Hollywood. Deadline. Retrieved 15 January 2024.