Biography

Maria Velletri is an actress, director & award-winning screenwriter who has worked in independent films, live and recorded kid’s shows, & original, award-winning Music Theatre productions. She can be seen in the lead role of Marissa Harrison in the feature film, TKG: The Kids of Grove directed by Damien Giglietta. In 2022 she wrote an original comedy horror short, The Meowling Of Apt. 6 which won her the Best Screenwriting Award at the OSC Film Festival. In 2020 she began her work as director, script editor and voice actor/puppeteer on the children's beat-boxing show, Rhythm Barnyard.

The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and Edith Cowan University was Maria’s stomping ground for three years whilst completing her Bachelor of Contemporary Arts with a double major in Contemporary Performance and Theatre Studies, which she completed in 2012 alongside her Cert II in Music Theatre at WAAPA. Since 2020 Maria has been training with US Dialogue Coach Kristy Sexton on her on-screen technique for both acting and writing.

In 2021 she played the role of the eccentric sister in the short mockumentary, Part-Time Serial Killer, and the far-away friend in the comedy short, Soufflé. In 2020, Maria adapted to lock-downs and restrictions and was involved in several film projects including her directorial debut for the comedy short, Stage Fright, the hopeless romantic lead in the short film Come Again, and the bubbly life-coach in the comedy pilot, Bulk Bill.

Born in Italy, Maria immigrated to Australia at three years old and since then has continued to travel and live in various places around the world. After graduating from university, she relocated to Vancouver, where she undertook on-camera training with Ben Ratner at Haven Studios. Alongside her training, she gained valuable experience working on various professional film and television sets. She then moved back to Australia and actively worked on her acting career there (expanding into screenwriting and directing) until 2025 when she and her husband moved the US to further pursue their creative work. Maria has been very fortunate to work with many talented and well-respected industry professionals from all over the world, and is always looking for new opportunities to grow as an artist.
- IMDb mini biography by: M.Velletri