Holland Roden - Film & Theater Personalities, Timeline and Childhood

Ever wondered how science and acting is interrelated? Well it is not for most of us, but the same cannot be said for Holland Roden, the sensational actress of the ‘Teen Wolf’ fame. When Roden moved to LA from Dallas, all that she knew was that she wanted to become a cardiothoracic surgeon. But as they say, destiny finds its way and so it did for Roden as well. Since an early age, she had the knack for acting and entertaining. As a child, she amused her family with her ‘Queen of England’ antics. Soon, she enrolled herself in theatre camps and acting classes. But Roden never gave up on her education and studies. Despite being her first love, acting always played the second fiddle in her life until when she moved to LA.

Things changed for good when Roden seriously gave acting a second thought as a career option. Within two months of hiring herself an agent, Roden received her first big break, a recurring role on HBO's ‘12 Miles of Bad Road’ playing Bronwyn. However, Roden learned the unpredictability of show business early in her life. Despite being a promising show, ‘12 Miles of Bad Road’ was cancelled before it could premiere. She tasted the high of finding a breakthrough and the low of not being able to realize it in her debut venture itself. But not the one to be heartbroken, she persevered and went on to get guest starring appearances on shows such as ‘The Event’, ‘Cold Case’, ‘Community’ and ‘Criminal Minds’.

In 2009, Holland Roden bagged the lead role in the cult classic franchise ‘Bring It On: Fight to the Finish’. It was a direct-to-video film. Taking her success story forward, in 2011, Roden found herself in a lead role for the MTV teen supernatural drama ‘Teen Wolf’. In it, she capped the role of Lydia Martin, a popular, intelligent girl at Beacon Hills High School who eventually discovers that she possesses the supernatural abilities of a banshee. The show became very popular and went on to become MTV Network’s most successful scripted series. The show brought Roden recognition and fame and made her a household name to reckon with. In her years as Lydia Martin, Roden took time out to star in guest roles for popular television series including ABC's ‘Grey's Anatomy’, ‘Fashion Police’ and so on. She also starred in a lead role in an independent horror flick ‘House of Dust’.

Holland Roden was born on October 7, 1986 in Dallas, Texas. She has three siblings. An art enthusiast, since an early age, Roden was fascinated by the ‘Queen of England’. By the time, she turned six she would often put on one-woman plays for her family, imitating her favourite royal. However, though the love for art and acting was deep and embedded, Roden knew that education was equally important (coming from a medical family). After graduating from Hockaday School, an all-girls private school, she attended UCLA, majoring in molecular biology. While continuing her studies, Roden did not give up on her love for performing arts and enrolled herself in theatre camps as well as acting classes. This further ignited her passion.

Interestingly, it was the love for science that brought Roden to Los Angeles. She spent three and a half years in pre-medical education with an aim to become a cardiothoracic surgeon but fate had something else in store for her and before she knew it, her career in acting jumpstarted. With busy schedules and professional commitments, it became increasingly impossible for Roden to continue with her full-time education in science. As such, she made a tough call and switched majors to Women’s Studies, a field that she found fascinating. Today, Roden holds a degree in Women’s Studies from UCLA. Amidst acting and studies, Roden has been a music enthusiast and loves exploring the field of music.