Biography
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and raised in Texas, Stacy Cunningham discovered her passion for acting early in childhood. Her family was always involved in performing arts: her sister sang, her father played guitar, her younger brother rapped, and Stacy delivered monologues.
Though her father is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, he is also an exceptional bluegrass flat-picker, known mainly within their family from performances in a small studio above their garage. Stacy regards her mother as the ultimate homemaker—a skilled chef and registered nurse—who chose to focus on being a full-time mother and housewife rather than working outside the home.
During her youth, Stacy acted in numerous theater classics such as "Annie," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," with the Backdoor Theater in Texas becoming her second home. She was very active, taking dance classes, playing piano and drums, and participating in soccer and swimming, even holding the Texas state title for backstroke. Throughout, she never imagined a life without acting.
Her family relocated to Los Angeles while she was still in high school, where she discovered Cal Arts. She appreciated its concentrated focus on art, free from distractions like sororities and sports, finding a sense of purity in the environment. After high school, her family moved to Georgia, but Stacy stayed for a year, working as a busser, performing in theater, and living spiritedly. She soon auditioned for Cal Arts, was accepted, and had an extraordinary experience there—only 6 out of 27 acting students graduated, and Stacy was among them.
Following graduation, Stacy immersed herself in theater productions. During tech week for one show, she was cast in her first feature film, "Ghost of Spoon River" (2000), filmed in Peoria, Illinois. She then starred in "The Reckoning" (2002), marking her first lead role in a film.
Her filmography includes numerous titles such as Paramount Pictures' "Carrots for Hare" and independent films like "Ripple Effect" (2006), "Before Turning the Gun" (2006), "The Reckoning" (2003), "The Custodian" (1993), and more recently, "A New Finish."
On television, Stacy held a series regular role in the comedy "As Seen on TV" (2005) alongside George Wendt and Jonelle Allen, as well as appearing in the comedy "Video Master Dating" (2006). Her diverse stage work features classics like "The Tempest," "Salome," and "Uncle Vanya," as well as productions of "Hurly Burly" and "Cabaret," among many others.
In her free time, Stacy continues performing in theater and studying with remarkable teachers, including Alan Vint, who remains one of her greatest influences.
