Vanessa Lunnon was born in Michigan to an African (Mogadishu, Somalia) born to a mother who is of Italian and Somali descent and raised in Arvada, Colorado. She has German, Irish, English, French, and Native American (Black Foot) ancestry.
Vanessa graduated and served as the company director of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. In addition to her career as a classically trained theater actress Model Vanessa Lunnon Vanessa has also appeared as a model in magazines across the U.S. and Europe. Her exotic beauty has been described as having an international appeal. The Los Angeles Times voted Vanessa as one of the Top Five Actresses, Best New Talent.
Background Story of Vanessa Lunnon
I have always had a big head of hair since I was a kid. She is my “Her”.
My curly hair is big, wild, untamed, and naturally curly.
On the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, I grew up in a predominantly Caucasian suburb. I didn’t know anyone with this hairstyle. My mother, however, was the exception.
Thisjourney of “The Taming of the Her” seemed to be a lonely one.
When I was a child, my mother blew dry her hair and therefore mine; she cut her hair short, and therefore mine; she advised me to comb it when curly, only to create a massive frizzy mess.
This struggle was a real struggle (no pun intended) – at least that’s what I thought.
Vanessa Lunnon’s Career
Vanessa appears in the fashion magazine Image as the spokesperson for Weldon’s Fine Diamond Jewelry in Dublin, Ireland. She will appear in Jordan Scott’s new film Cracks, which will be released in theaters later this year. Archangel, a short film featuring Vanessa as one of the seven Archangels, is also due to be completed soon. Vanessa performed live on stage in two productions in Los Angeles recently.
She played Arlene in Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Getting Out. As portrayed in this gripping performance, a complex young woman recently released from Kentucky state prison was looking to start over free of her troubled past. In addition, she performed in the World Premiere of the new documentary-style comedy American Grind in which she originated the role of Darcy, a reformed pot-smoking bohemian searching for her place in the world. It has been described as ‘electric’ how she performed in this groundbreaking piece.
Vanessa Lunnon’s Mother – Hair
For you to understand my hair story, let me tell you a little bit about my mother.
As a child, my mother was born in Mogadishu, Somalia to a nomadic caregiver, a dula (my grandmother), and an Italian soldier (my grandfather). Italian was her first language growing up in a Catholic colony.
My mother was raised by nuns for the most part as a child. Her father died when she was very young, so her mother was forced to work while supporting three children for long periods of time.
The first memories my mother has are of being mistreated by the nuns, specifically being punished by them by having her long and luscious locks tugged, pulled, and dragged.
From the beginning, her relationship with her hair seemed doomed.
While backpacking in Europe after college, my American (U.S.) born father met my mother in London, and, as they say, the rest is history. Eventually, they got married and moved to Colorado, where my father was born and raised, and they had two children, a boy, and a girl. It was I who was the girl.
I inherited my mother’s light skin and my father’s height as well as my mother’s curly hair and curves.Growing up, my mother tried to blow dry my hair straight all the time. It took her hours.