Musetta Vander
- Actress
- Editor
A Dutch South African, Musetta Vander was raised without that most
basic of modern conveniences--television! Radio programming, childhood
books and weekend trips to the drive-in introduced her to the magical
world of movies. It was not until the mid-'70s that South Africa
finally got television, and the big black box in the family living room
"miraculously" sprang to life.
However, as the daughter of a ballet teacher, Musetta was no stranger
to the entertainment world and debuted on stage at the age of four. Her
childhood was filled with numerous dance performances including
"Giselle", "Coppelia", "The Student Prince" and "Showboat", and,
shortly after completing school, she qualified as a ballet teacher
herself.
After earning a BA in Communications and Psychology, she landed the
plum job as anchor host for an MTV-like television show in South
Africa. One day, a handsome visiting American, Jeff Celentano, spotted her on
television, made her his bride, and whisked her off to the very place
she had always dreamed of--Hollywood.
Shortly after her arrival, she became part of the very world she used
to host, appearing as the "dream girl" in more than 20 music videos for
such top recording artists as Rod Stewart, Amy Grant, Tina Turner, Elton John and Chris Isaak.
It was her critically acclaimed stage performance in the original South
African play "Soweto's Burning", about the trials of an interracial
friendship in that racially segregated country, that provided her
transition to the big screen. Musetta has since performed in numerous
feature films, including collaborating with her husband on Under the Hula Moon (1995) and
Gunshy (1998). She has also worked alongside such screen veterans as Kevin Kline,
Kenneth Branagh and Will Smith in Wild Wild West (1999), George Clooney and John Turturro in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and
John Hurt and Louis Gossett Jr. in Monolith (1993). She's also added a slew of television
credits to her arsenal, including guest appearances on the hit shows
Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Stargate SG-1 (1997) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997).
Recently Musetta made a return to the stage, combining both her dance
and acting background in an extremely successful adaptation of
Molière's "The Bourgeois Gentleman" at the Pasadena Civic
Auditorium.
basic of modern conveniences--television! Radio programming, childhood
books and weekend trips to the drive-in introduced her to the magical
world of movies. It was not until the mid-'70s that South Africa
finally got television, and the big black box in the family living room
"miraculously" sprang to life.
However, as the daughter of a ballet teacher, Musetta was no stranger
to the entertainment world and debuted on stage at the age of four. Her
childhood was filled with numerous dance performances including
"Giselle", "Coppelia", "The Student Prince" and "Showboat", and,
shortly after completing school, she qualified as a ballet teacher
herself.
After earning a BA in Communications and Psychology, she landed the
plum job as anchor host for an MTV-like television show in South
Africa. One day, a handsome visiting American, Jeff Celentano, spotted her on
television, made her his bride, and whisked her off to the very place
she had always dreamed of--Hollywood.
Shortly after her arrival, she became part of the very world she used
to host, appearing as the "dream girl" in more than 20 music videos for
such top recording artists as Rod Stewart, Amy Grant, Tina Turner, Elton John and Chris Isaak.
It was her critically acclaimed stage performance in the original South
African play "Soweto's Burning", about the trials of an interracial
friendship in that racially segregated country, that provided her
transition to the big screen. Musetta has since performed in numerous
feature films, including collaborating with her husband on Under the Hula Moon (1995) and
Gunshy (1998). She has also worked alongside such screen veterans as Kevin Kline,
Kenneth Branagh and Will Smith in Wild Wild West (1999), George Clooney and John Turturro in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and
John Hurt and Louis Gossett Jr. in Monolith (1993). She's also added a slew of television
credits to her arsenal, including guest appearances on the hit shows
Star Trek: Voyager (1995), Stargate SG-1 (1997) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997).
Recently Musetta made a return to the stage, combining both her dance
and acting background in an extremely successful adaptation of
Molière's "The Bourgeois Gentleman" at the Pasadena Civic
Auditorium.