Ariana Savalas

The youngest daughter of actor Telly Savalas and his wife Julie, Ariana Savalas is a singer/songwriter, dancer, and actress. Following the death of her father in 1994 when Ariana was seven, she and her family moved to her mother's home state of Minnesota, where Ariana studied at a convent high school to participate in its theater program. Her career as a pop singer got an early start when she recorded a song at a mobile karaoke station while on vacation in Austria in her teens. The song made its way to the label Startrax, for whom she recorded a single and an EP produced by European producer Jack White (not to be confused with the former White Stripes founder). This led to Savalas touring Europe and appearing on Austrian television. Following her tour, she was accepted into London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she studied acting and Shakespeare. Meanwhile, she taught herself piano and began writing songs inspired by Queen, David Bowie, and the Beatles as well as Frank Sinatra and other jazz and vocal pop stars from the '40s and '50s. After moving to Los Angeles, Savalas landed the lead role in the independent film Miriam, about holocaust survivor Miriam Shafer; her other acting credits include the film Akrasia and a role on the CBS drama Criminal Minds. During this time, she also pursued her music, performing as a jazz singer on the cabaret scene and recording her debut album, Kingdom, with producer Mark Portmann. Her debut single, Perfect Man, arrived in January 2012 and featured Grey's Anatomy's Eric Dane in its music video. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi