Biographie
Lorayn DeLuca was born on Long Island, NY into a big Italian family. Her Sicilian father, Sal, built an in ground pool in their backyard. Desi Arnaz looking Sal, never put down his cigar, literally threw her in the pool as soon as she could walk and yelled swim! It was either that or sink; Lorayn chose to swim learning to keep her head above water by the grace of God ever since. Mom, Marge, was an artist who kept everything going. Marge, with her fire red Lucy hair, always had her homemade pizza, watermelon, and orange kool aid handy. She loved that as long as there was music, food, and family, the Christmas lights on our fence would stay on all year round because we could always make a party and help others forget their troubles for a while. This is where DeLuca grew her buoyant attitude, sense of humor, loyalty, and connection.
It is also where Lorayn learned to make people laugh through storytelling and entertaining them. Her family went to the Lodge upstate where Dad put her on the table and told her to sing-dance! Her cousin, Joe, arranged the set stage and played the piano, her two sisters fixed Lorayn's hair, makeup, wardrobe and they put on shows. Lorayn was the straight A student, perfect quiet little girl doll who could make miracles happen.
When this perfect girl decided she wanted to go to college, Dad said it would be a waste of time because she was too pretty, too dumb and would get married and have kids anyway. No support from family. After taking care of her sick Mom who passed on, Lorayn took jobs as a meat wrapper, shoe model, paralegal, waiter, and a house manager for a producer's estate. When the chauffeur had a day off, she filled in to drive her boss in the white Rolls Royce to his meeting in Manhattan. DeLuca had researched where her mentors like Pacino went to school and set up an appointment to meet Anna Strasberg at Lee's Theatre in Union Square. She pulled up in that car wearing a black and white chauffeur's uniform and walked out with a work study scholarship to start her dream to become an actor. After years working Off Broadway Theatre, TV, and even making it to the Cannes Film Festival where several of her films were shown, the Universe had other plans.
Lorayn passed government tests and took a full time job at the NYPD as police training instructor. In order to pay for her city apartment, she needed a better paycheck. She used to go to college sitting in at her friend's class. The professor took her aside and asked why doesn't she register for her own classes. DeLuca told her that she was too dumb. She told Lorayn that she had an incredible outlook on the world and could help others with her resiliency. This sparked Lorayn's thirst for knowledge and sense of giving back, so the professor mentored her through a series of scholarship applications. Lorayn was awarded the competitive NYC Mayors Scholarship. She went on top of her class receiving a Master of Science in Organization Development and succeeded in completing her other dream working as Director of Human Resources for the NYC Department of Education.
Through these imperfect life adventures, curious lessons and more, Lorayn finds herself back on her quest to do what's always been in her heart and resume her acting, writing, and producing career. It's either love or fear; Lorayn chooses love. When she is not reading scripts or on set, Lorayn loves photographing nature with her rescue Yorkie, Bridget, and partner by her side.
