 Charlotte
Ross is no newcomer to the smallscreen. She has even been nominated for two
Emmy awards for her portrayal of Eve on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.
Unlike her character Hope, who struggles to find out what she really wants
to do, Charlotte decided to become an actress and a singer as a small child.
Born January
21 in Chicago, Illinois, Charlotte Ross grew up in the neighbonng suburb
of Winnetka. She's the oldest child of businessman Peter and administrator
Debbie, and has one brother.
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Charlotte
decided she wanted to be an actress and singer at the young age of four. "I've
always been dramatic," says Ross. "My mom always said, 'Charlotte, you're
being too dramatic.' It it was something where I loved playing different parts.
Especially when you're young, it's almost like an escape when you get to play
these different characters."
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Throughout
junior high school, Chalrotte appeared in different school musicals. "I think
I wanted to be a singer first," she explains. However, later on in high school
Charlotte fell in love with acting, but she studied singing, dancing, and
tap as well. Then Charlotte began training with professionals at Victory Garden
Theater in Chicago. She found an agent and started to appear in commercials.
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Sometimes,
she would even try out through the mail. "I would audition on videotape,"
explains Ross. "My agent would set it up and then send it to California or
New York."
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Charlotte
won her first professional acting role at age 16 in the feature "Touch And
Go." Her big break came in 1987 when she was cast as Eve on the popular soap
opera "Days Of Our Lives." Her vixenish character went through every concievable
trial and tribulation on the show, and won Charlotte two coveted Emmy nominations,
two years in a row.
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Charlotte
Ross played Eve for four years and then moved to prime-time tv. She was featured
in such shows as "Empty Nest," "Married....With Children," "Reasonable Doubts,"
and had a recurring role on "Drexel's Class." Charlotte also starred in the
made for TV movie "She Says She's Innocent."
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Winning
the role of Hope Linden on The Heights was especially exciting for Charlotte
because she's very comfortable with her character. Hope may be different from
Charlotte in some ways, but they are alike in many others. "Shes' my own age
and she loves music, which I do, too. She playes the acoustic guitar and the
reslationship with her father is very similar to mine," explains Ross. "Some
of the lines she says to her father on the show are like deja vu lines I've
said to my own father."
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The other
truly wonderful thing about her role on The Heights is Charlotte's opportunity
to combine her acting and musical talents. Charlotte, a clasically trained
vocalist, sings her own vocals on the show, and it is her guitar playing that
is heard in the background of many of the songs. Capitol Records is putting
together an album of The Heights' music, peformed by the cast members themselves.
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While
Charlotte will be heard singing and playing on the album, she hasn't written
any songs for the show yet. However, in her spare time - what little she has
- Charlotte is working on a solo album and co-writing many of the songs. She's
already recorded six tunes, and plans to complete the album in between filming.
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Which
does she like better, singing or acting? "It's a hard choice for me. I really
can't say," answers Charlotte. "So I'm just going to try to do both and hopefully
be taken seriously in both, which I know will be hard."
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When
she's not shooting her scenes or playing music, Charlotte enjoys the outdoors.
She likes to hike, ski and go horseback riding.
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Charlotte
pals around with Tasia Valensia most often and says there is no special guy
in her life at the moment. "It's kind of hard right now," explains Charlotte
who makes her home in Los Angeles but films The Heights in Vancouver, Canada.
But if she did have time for a boyfriend, Charlotte would go for a guy, "who's
confident, about himself and really loves to do what he does."
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Doesn't
sound like too tall of an order. Especially for someone who has it so together!
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