سيرة
Claire Juliana Lanay was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Vietnamese immigrant parents. Her father, initially a mathematics professor, served as a soldier in the Vietnam War before becoming a pastor after relocating to the United States. Her mother worked as a translator at the US Embassy in Saigon and later owned a beauty salon in Hawaii. Both parents have since retired after long careers in nursing and geriatric care.
Adaptation, transition, and navigating new environments have been integral to Claire’s life. After leaving Hawaii at a young age, she lived in various places including Hesston, Kansas; Eugene, Oregon; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; and Atlanta, Georgia.
Like many actors, artists, and wanderers, Claire has held numerous "survival jobs." These roles include hotel auditor, overnight security and medical alarm dispatcher, call center concierge, property management administrator, law firm receptionist, talent agency intern, Directors Guild of America residuals processor, strip club cashier, and auto parts delivery driver.
Reflecting on her journey, lessons learned, and future aspirations, Claire states: "Sacrifices have to be made, and sometimes you have to do some crazy things to get where you want to be. There’s nothing wrong with playing characters like the nail salon girl, massage parlor girl, or even the me-love-you-long-time girl. Stereotypes are based on generalizations and can be one-dimensional, limiting, or even demeaning. I’m thrilled to see roles portraying intelligent, articulate, strong, determined, badass, and ethnically diverse women becoming more common."
Claire has had recurring roles on TV series such as "The Resident" (FOX) and "Sistas" (BET). She appeared in two Ava DuVernay projects: "Naomi" (CW) and the mini-series "DMZ" (HBO Max), where she starred opposite Rosario Dawson.
