Chiara D'Anna

Chiara D'Anna was a European actress who made waves in the film world after starring in the 2014 erotic drama "The Duke of Burgundy." Having grown up with a passion for performance, D'Anna decided to focus solely on her craft by attending Teatranza Artedrama acting school in Turin, Italy. She earned her acting degree from the school in 2004, then went on to earn a master's degree in theater from Royal Holloway University in London in 2005. Equipped with both acting degrees, D'Anna started performing in numerous plays in both London and Italy. Throughout the 2000s she either starred in over a dozen plays, including appearances in Shakespeare's "The Tempest" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream," as well as Samuel Beckett's magnum opus, "Waiting for Godot." Then in 2012 D'Anna received an opportunity to star in her very first movie. That film, "Berberian Sound Studio" (2012), was set in a horror movie studio in the 1970s, and was a critical hit upon its release. The film was helmed by second-time director, Peter Strickland, who cast D'Anna for a second time in his 2014 drama "The Duke of Burgundy." After premiering at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, "The Duke of Burgundy" received a wave of positive press, adding further luster to D'Anna's fledgling movie career.