Elia was born in San Diego, CA, and raised in Tijuana, B.C. She attended La Preparatoria Federal Lázaro Cárdenas, and afterward trained at the department of Theatre and Dance of the University of California, San Diego. UCSD is recognized for its Theatre department and also has a partnership with the Tony Award winning La Jolla Playhouse.
After graduation she moved to Los Angeles, where she currently resides. She has appeared in numerous theatre productions, musicals, award-winning short films, national commercials, independent feature films, and tv shows. For her role in the film Echoes she received the Best Actress Award at the Nosotros American Latino Film Festival.
She has experience working in English, Spanish, and somewhere in between, and has also worked as a dialect coach and translator.
She has worked with the Latino Theater Company, Chalk Repertory Theatre, The National Theatre for Children, the Underground Theatre, and is a member of Kaiser Permanente's Care Actors as well as the UCLA School of Medicine's group of standardized patients.
While backpacking through Europe she wrote the melody and lyrics of most of her debut demo album entitled Black and White. Upon her return she finished composing it and recorded it with co-writer Rachael Lawrence on piano. The songs are now available on cdbaby and iTunes. She was also the lead singer of the rock/pop band Kissing Violet for a couple of years, working, performing, co-writing and doing lots of recording with partner David Vaughn. They recorded about 18 songs together.
As a dancer she worked with the troupe Layla and the Lotus Dancers, belly dancing professionally all over LA and Orange County. And performing the role of Consuelo in West Side Story was quite possibly the most fun she's ever had on stage.
She has continued to hone her craft at various well-known LA schools such as the Acting Studio at Edgemar (FKA the Larry Moss Studio,) The Groundlings and Kalmenson and Kalmenson, and with coaches Deb Aquila, John Hindman, Carole D'Andrea, Stuart K. Robinson, Melissa Skoff and Dee Cannon, to name a few.
January 2012 - Guest-Starred as sexy Cecilia on The Cleveland Show!
September 2011 - Performing the role of Sharon in Theatre of Note's production of Wonderlust, part of their 30th Anniversary Season
April 2011 - Performing the role of Katie in Chalk Rep's production of Ruth McKee's Hell Money at Agenda Loft
June 2010 - Appeared in The Vault Variety Show at the Los Angeles Theatre Center
May 2010 - Became a member ofTheatre of Note!
April 2010 - Began shooting the "Where's the Groom?" Mystery Project
January 2010 - Attended the Ovation Awards where Family Planning received the award for Best Production of a Play in an Intimate Theatre!
December 2009 - Appeared in the LMU thesis film Venganza
October 2009 - Received an Ovation Award Nomination (Featured Actress in a Play) for her role in Family Planning!
October 2009 - Elia played the lead in the short In the Wee Small Hours directed by USC M.F.A. candidate Kyle Frederick
October 2009 - Elia reprised her role as Jilly in Julia Edward's Family Planning, directed by Larissa Kokernot, for a one-night fundraiser for Chalk Rep
September 2009 - Went to Prince Edward Island, Canada, for inspiration.
August 2009 - Elia went to Seattle, WA, to perform with Kissing Violet at the Inno Sera Convention. Gothic Lolita Fashion was at full force!
July 2009 - Began shooting the feature On the Run as Celestina. Got a beautiful temporary sleeve on her left arm courtesy of Ink Addicts in San Pedro
June 2009 - Elia performed some of her original songs as the opening act for artist Antonio de Carlo's Bohemia a la TJ at La Cava Cetto
