Julia Stiles was born on 28th March 1981 in New York City, New York, USA, She was raised by her father, John O'Hara, a businessman and educator, and her mother, Judith, a potter. When she was 11 years old, Stiles was prescient enough to write a letter to a stage director convincing him to hire her for an avant-garde production, leading to performing with the La MaMa Theatre Company in New York.She offered a strong supporting performance as Phoebe, a young girl coping with an abusive home in the Oprah Winfrey-produced "Before Women Had Wings" (ABC, 1997). While her character was peripheral, she made the most of the part as the ambivalent older sister of an innocent and trusting girl (Tina Majorino), both of whom suffer at the hands of their mother (Ellen Barkin).She made it seem as if none of the Bard's work could be modernized without her participation after she was cast as Desi in "O" (2001), a retelling of "Othello" set in a prep school, and starring Mekhi Phifer and Josh Hartnett. Filmed in 1999 but not released theatrically until 2001, thanks to its theme of teen violence and the rash of real-life incidents, "O" was somewhat lost in the shuffle despite its powerful storytelling and strong performances.She next turned to the small screen for a 10-episode guest starring stint, playing the new love interest of everyone's favorite serial killer (Michael C. Hall) on the popular "Dexter" (Showtime, 2006- ). Hailed by critics, her performance earned the young actress a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in late 2010.
