Maria Sten (born 29 October 1989) is a Danish actress, writer, director and beauty pageant titleholder born and raised in Denmark with Danish, Swedish and Congolese roots.[1][2] She was crowned Miss Denmark Universe 2008 and represented her country at Miss Universe 2008. She portrays Frances Neagley in the Prime Video action series Reacher (2022).
Childhood
Sten was born in Copenhagen, Denmark to Danish painter Nina Sten-Knudsen with Swedish heritage and a Congolese father. She has eight siblings: one brother, four sisters, two step-sisters and one unrelated sister. She grew up with only one of the sisters, an older sister who was her mother’s only other child.[3]
As a child, Sten often posed for her mother's art[4][5][6] and, as a child, she also started doing theater in school; participating in a youth acting program at Scandinavian Theater School.[7] Her other childhood activities included horseback riding, gymnastics, kickboxing, track and field and playing the piano.[8]
As she grew older, she grew taller and was convinced to try modeling. Sten moved to New York City in the United States when she was 18 years old to pursue a career in Performing Arts.[9]
Career
Sten competed in Miss Supertalent of the World 2011 and was placed in the top seven women among 50 candidates.[10]
Writer
In February 2017, Sten's submission "The Courier" was announced as a finalist for the second annual television writing program from the ATX Television Festival and The Black List.[9] Later in 2017, Sten was selected for the 2017 Black List x WIF Episodic Lab.[11] Sten has also written two episodes of David E. Kelley's series Big Sky, and wrote, directed, and produced the short films Wild Things Run Free and When It Burns.[1][12] In 2018 Sten was named to the Tracking Board's Young & Hungry List, which showcases the top 100 new writers as voted on by Hollywood's most influential.[1]
Actor
As an actor, Sten played the lead role of Jillian Hope Hodgson in the fourth season of the television show Channel Zero: The Dream Door. She portrayed Liz Tremayne in the DC Universe television series Swamp Thing, which also starred Crystal Reed.[13]
Since 2022, she has starred as the character Frances Neagley in the Amazon Prime Video series Reacher.[14]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | I'm Good | Kia | Short film |
| 2015 | Straight Outta Compton | Girlfriend | Uncredited |
| Mellow Peaches | Short film | ||
| The Comments | Woman in Pool | Short film | |
| Dream... | The Boss | Short film | |
| 2016 | When It Burns | Kate | Short film; also Director, executive producer and writer |
| Kessi Blue | Robin C. | Short film; also Line producer | |
| 2017 | Wild Things Run Free | The Woman | Short film; also Director, producer and writer |
| Book Trader | Cassandra | Short film | |
| 2019 | Emmanuel and Me | Christina |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Doctors | Woman in Bedroom | Episode: "Secrets to Look & Feel Better Naked"; as Maria Sten-Knudsen |
| Eros.Emmanuel and Me | Christina | Television mini-series | |
| 2014 | Celebrity Crime Files | Angela Davis | Episode: "The Black Panthers" |
| Out the Box | Maria | Episode: "These Hands" | |
| 2018 | Channel Zero: The Dream Door | Jillian Hope Hodgson | Main role; 6 episodes |
| 2019 | Swamp Thing | Liz Tremayne | Main role; 10 episodes |
| 2021 | Big Sky | — | Writer; Episode: "The Wolves Are Always Out for Blood" |
| 2022–present | Reacher | Frances Neagley | Main role; 12 episodes |
| TBA | Neagley | Frances Neagley | Filming[15] |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Persuasion | Terry | Main role; 9 episodes |
| 2022 | Narcissa | Andie | Main role; 8 episodes[16] |
Producer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | In the Still of the Night | Short film |
References
- ^ a b c "Exclusive Interview with Maria Sten of 'Swamp Thing'". 5 July 2019.
- ^ "10 Things You Didn't Know about Maria Sten". 12 October 2020.
- ^ Sanogo, Linda (21 October 2013). "A Great Danes in The States – Maria Sten-Knudsen". wordpress.com. WordPress. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Ish. "Maria Sten's 8-Figure Net Worth Comes From Her Movies and TV Shows". glamour buff.com. Glamour Buff. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Sten-Knudsen, Nina. "Nina Sten-Knudson". Instagram.com. Instagram. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview: Maria Sten Chats Reacher, Creating Inclusive Stories, and More". Pop-culturalist.com. Pop Culturalist. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Maria Sten". listal.com. Listal. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ Bonnet, Alexandra. "Maria Sten From Amazon's Hit Series "REACHER"". Bellman.com. Bello. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ a b Wegmeister, Elizabeth. "Finalists Announced for ATX-Black List Second Annual TV Writing Program". Variety.com. Variety. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Tamrakar, Yunil (23 March 2022). "Maria Sten". biography host.com. Biography Host. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ Halpern, Megan. "Meet the Alumni from our Fall 2017 Writers Labs". blackklist.com. The Black List. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "INTERVIEW WITH SERINDA SWAN, SHAUN SIPOS AND MARIA STEN". tvmeg.com. TVMEG. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "'Swamp Thing': Maria Sten to Co-Star as Liz Tremayne in DC Universe Series". 7 September 2018.
- ^ "'Reacher': Bruce McGill, Maria Sten, Hugh Thompson Join Alan Ritchson in Amazon Series". 19 May 2021.
- ^ "NEAGLEY Season One Starts Filming in Toronto". Hollywood North Buzz. 18 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas. "Glee' Star Dianna Agron & 'Reacher' Actress Maria Sten To Lead QCode Sci-Fi Podcast 'Narcissa". Deadline Hollywood. Deadline. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
External links
- Maria Sten on Instagram
- Maria Sten at IMDb