Biografia
Lara was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, to parents who were second-generation Ukrainian. She trained in ballet, tap, and jazz, making her professional stage debut at age nine in Ross Petty's Panto, Cinderella, and later appeared in Aladdin and Jack and the Beanstalk. A talented athlete, Lara was also a competitive figure skater throughout most of her high school years.
She studied biochemistry at the prestigious McGill University, initially aiming for a medical career. Lara continued her science studies at the University of Toronto, where she also began taking drama classes with Kurt Reiss, Marianne McIssac, and Carol Rosenfield.
Her passion for the arts grew, leading her to New York City to study at the H.B. Studio with renowned instructors, followed by Meisner training at The Actors Studio.
Returning to Toronto, Lara earned television credits including guest roles on Relic Hunter, Earth Final Conflict, Missing, and Haven. More recently, she appeared in the Netflix mini-series Painkiller.
Her extensive film work includes lead roles in A Dark Truth opposite Andy Garcia, Hearts of War with Nina Dobrev, and King of Sorrow alongside Kim Coates, for which she won Best Actress at the AOF Film Festival in Los Angeles. Her first producer credit was the 2013 comedy Hit It, where she also earned a Best Actress nomination at the AOF Film Festival.
Other film credits include Death Warrior directed by Bill Corcoran, One Eyed King directed by Bobby Moresco, Darkness Falling starring Jason Priestley, Mercy starring Ellen Barkin, Merlin - The Magic Begins, and Electra, ranked #33 in Maxim Magazine’s top 100 B movies of all time.
Lara has also maintained a strong presence in theatre, notably playing 'Countess Dracula' in The Annex Theatre’s production of Dracula, which became a cult favorite, and portraying Dianna in the farce Lend Me a Tenor at the Muskoka Festival.
She wrote and starred in the inspirational family film Ice Girls, featuring Natasha Henstridge and Elvis Stojko.
Her directorial debut, Viaticum—a short film based on a story by acclaimed novelist Maureen Jennings—enjoyed a successful festival run, winning multiple awards.
Recently, Lara co-wrote and starred in the horror film Pray for Me. She also completed a lead role in the comedy Superdicks alongside Michael Ironside, Kim Coates, and Marie Avgeropoulos.
Currently, Lara is finishing her lead role in the feature film Key to Freedom and is eager to begin production on her next screenplay, Caregiver.
