Carlotta Sofia Montanari is an Italian-American actress born in Rimini, Italy. Raised in Riccione, a seaside city of northern Italy, she made her professional artistic debut at an early age acting and hosting for major national networks and appearing in commercials and films. As a child, she originally wanted to work with animals, possibly a veterinarian or professional horseback rider and trainer. She has carried her passion for animals and horses into her adulthood and it remains one of the biggest pleasures of her life. Due to the separation of her parents Carlotta, along with her brother, spent much of her childhood at her family's countryside home with her grandparents, where she was surrounded by animals and developed a deep connection and respect for animals and nature. Growing up she considered becoming a filmmaker, given her passion for the big screen, old movies and filming, but later she studied and graduated with a Master of Visual Arts at The Federico Fellini Institute. Thereafter, she studied journalism and communication sciences to broaden her skill base, but Carlotta was still searching for her calling until she was invited to join an intensive acting seminar based on the methods of Konstantin Stanislavski and Lee Strasberg. This form of creative expression was an immediate connection, and she felt that acting would be her lifetime companion and a healing playground. The desire to work professionally and measure herself further as an actor inspired her to move to Rome to train in theatre full time. In Rome, Carlotta worked also as a television host and writer. Driven by her aspiration to work with the masters of the acting craft, Carlotta left Rome for Los Angeles to further her career. Shortly after earning her first acting role, she was invited to the prestigious The Actors Studio moderated by Hollywood legends and mentors Martin Landau, Salome Jens, Mark Rydell and Lou Antonio. She also worked with teachers such as Penny Allen and Allan Miller. As a versatile actress, Carlotta has acted in several Hollywood feature films and TV shows. She also has appeared in television and print commercials, and her artistic work includes voice over and dubbing. Carlotta is a compassionate animal rights advocate and philanthropist, including helping the less fortunate in her community, WWF, leukemia and MS research, and associations against domestic abuse. She is an active volunteer and supporter of several dog and horse rescue organizations in Southern California.