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Amanda Strawn was born to Amanda Ambrose, a jazz singer and pianist, and Buffy Strawn, a tailor, in Los Angeles, California. She began singing before she entered kindergarten. As the youngest of five siblings, she discovered a unique way to assert herself and stand out as a result. A career in singing came to her as naturally and effortlessly as the act of blinking or breathing. Aside from having served as protegee to Harry Belafonte, during the '50s, Amanda's mother was also a true patron of the arts, as was Buffy. It was certainly not an uncommon occurrence to find at her father's atelier, where he confected his designs, the most brilliant of creative and intellectual minds like Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Miriam Mekeba, and Maxine Zawinul. Amanda's first professional foray into the entertainment industry came about when she joined two of her brothers as backup singer for her mother at the inauguration of the Prince Edward Island Confederation Centre Of Arts; a main venue in Canada's maritime region. She and her family lead a rather nomadic lifestyle as most of her youth was spent living in New York and several other states in America. At age twelve, she proved to be a rather momentous year for the gifted young singer who swapped babysitting services for an acoustic guitar; which she taught herself to play that very summer on the steps of The New York City Public Library. She also opted to exchange babysitting services for a professional photo session-her first. Unbeknownst to her family and true to her independent disposition, she decided to take the photos to the leading modeling agency for African-Americans in New York. Amanda was committed to the agency's coveted roster without hesitation. Her scintillating but short-lived modeling career included a stint as the face of Clairol Cosmetics' Shampoo In A Can. At the time, this was certainly quite the feat for a young model "of a darker persuasion". She was also featured in a spread in the New York Times. For several years she toured off-and-on with her mother gracing the stage at prime venues such as the Los Angeles Coliseum and the legendary Aquarius Theatre. She especially enjoyed getting to travel to exotic destinations like Morocco, Portugal and Spain. A chance encounter with a handsome French-Canadian, whom she met on Hollywood Boulevard on her way to join the Navy- would lead to a whirlwind romance, a twenty year marriage and the birth of a darling baby boy. She had followed her husband to beautiful Montreal, his hometown and the city she still calls home. On a dare, a friend set in motion a series of events that would serendipitously lead her to a stellar acting career by coaxing her to audition for an established theatre company. She landed the role and was consequently bitten by the acting bug. Amanda would go on to perform in over twenty films, a slew of T.V. shows (including "Are You Afraid Of The Dark", "A Divas Christmas Carol", "Caillou", etc.), and television commercials. She remains a staple on the Canadian theatre scene and has graced the stage in a variety of plays-everything from musicals to comedies and dramatic pieces. She has also done plenty of voice overs work. Amanda Strawn has recently decided to shift her focus over to her music career and is presently writing new material for her forthcoming CD. She is also preparing for her impending live show featuring original songs with a couple of covers thrown in for good measure. Described as "the Sybil of music" due to the plethora of colorful personalities which she artfully invokes on stage. Amanda does not sweat, she oozes soul and sensuality from her every pore.
