A native Californian, Mary Alexandra Stiefvater, was born in Chico and grew up in Stockton. She attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater. During her time at UCLA, Mary Alexandra spent a year studying French cinema and philosophy abroad in Paris at the Sorbonne Nouvelle and Le Centre Parisien d'Études Critiques. After graduating, she relocated to England to do her post-graduate training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She works as a producer, actress, model and writer. Poetry and photography are two of her passions.