Elisabetta Canalis Biography

Name : Elisabetta Canalis

Date of Birth: September 12, 1978

Birth Place: Sassari, Italy

Height : 5' 7" (1.70 m) 

Occupation : Actress   

                    

Elisabetta Canalis was born on September 12, 1978, in Sassari, Italy. The daughter of a radiologist and a literature teacher, Elisabetta’s early years were generally spent engaged in the everyday pursuits one expects of a little girl. That she would one day become a renowned actress and model certainly never crossed her mind or the minds of those close to her. Instead, she focused on her various pastimes, including swimming, dancing and horseback riding (Elisabetta is actually an accomplished rider, having participated in several horse shows during her adolescence).

By the time she graduated high school, Elisabetta decided that the time was right for her to leave home. She enrolled at a prestigious university in Milan, where she began studying foreign languages. It was in Milan that Elisabetta began exploring the possibility of becoming an actress, and started the slow and arduous process of auditioning for as many projects as she could find.

She stars with striscia la notizia on Canale 5 from 1999 to 2002 and became sexy icon with max calendar 2003. Canalis had minor roles in the films Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo  and Virgin Territory. She was also a velina in the television show Striscia la notizia. In 2007, she hosted the annual music festival, Festivalbar. In 2009, she co-hosted the Italian version of Total Request Live. 

In 2010, she played a recurring character in season 3 of the TNT series Leverage. For DT Magazine she is in the World's Top 50 Sexiest Woman 2011 and number 7 according to Maxim. 

She appeared on June 2011 on Spanish version of Vogue and on September 2011 like cover girl for Arabian version of Harper's Bazaar. Canalis appeared on the 13th season of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Valentin Chmerkovskiy (brother of seasoned professional Maksim Chmerkovskiy) for his first season as a professional. She was the second to be eliminated on 27 September 2011, despite having a high score with her Quickstep dance.