full name simone lea thayer occupation actress, producer, director date of birth 10 october 1975 / 42 hometown montreal, quebec residence los angeles, california status unattached

Born in Los Angeles to a successful talent agent and a successful romance novelist, Diana Lynne Marzec entered the world with a silver spoon in her mouth and a nearly foolproof path to stardom. It was difficult not to develop a fascination with her father's industry, and when, at six years old, she moved to New York City with her mother and sister following her parents' divorce, her infatuation with performing only grew. Though performing initially manifested itself in putting on made up plays and reenacting music videos for home movies, Diana soon began taking acting, singing, and dance lessons and participating in youth theater.

At age 11, Diana started going to local open casting calls and booking small gigs like commercials and guest starring roles on television. At that point, other child actors were certain that they'd found what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives. Despite her love of acting, Diana wasn't quite as sure. Auditioning for things was more a fun experiment for her at that point, an excuse to get out of school and see herself on TV. But then, in the beginning of 2008, she was cast in a musical by Jason Robert Brown. With a cast and band made up entirely of teenagers, 13 was an experience unlike any other. After a couple of months of performances in Connecticut, the show opened on Broadway in the fall. The second Diana stood on stage and opened her mouth to sing her first note, she knew this was bigger than a fun experiment.

After 13 closed in early 2009, Diana continued auditioning, this time with arguably more fervor. Later that year, she joined the cast of Victorious, a new Nickelodeon sitcom following the students of the fictional Hollywood Arts High School. Not unlike herself, her character was an aspiring actress and singer. The show became a hit for the network, with soundtracks, music videos, video games, and a slew of merchandise released. With the show's popularity came a rise in fans, and Diana suddenly amassed an increasingly large number of mostly tween followers on social media. She may not have been an A-list star or anywhere close to it, but she certainly felt more famous than ever.

Unfortunately for her, Victorious was unceremoniously canceled in August of 2012, shortly after they'd filmed what, unbeknownst to Diana, would be the last season. Without a proper send off, she felt confused and wary about what the sudden loss of stability meant for her career at first. She'd been on the same show for three years, one that allowed her to stretch her talents in ways that other shows likely wouldn't. However, it was also a show geared toward a younger audience, and she'd kept too many things to herself for those three years because of it. As instructed, she approached everything she did cautiously. She watched her mouth for swearing, she kept social media photos of herself partying on tight lock, and she shied away from talking about dating and sex. But without the show, the network wouldn't be on her back anymore, and she threw herself at that opportunity at full speed.

Or she tried to, anyway. Though she wanted to shed her Nickelodeon image as quickly as possible, her manager advised against it and instead urged her to take it slowly. She obliged, slipping foul language and evidence of debauchery back into her routine here and there. She also sought out smaller roles or indie projects to ease into the world of more mature cinema (Palo Alto, Neighbors) while still taking on tween-appropriate things (Vampire Academy, Sam & Cat). Eventually, she got to the point of doing a fully nude sex scene on True Detective. The series was huge, both in terms of pop culture and critical success, and though her part was tiny, she knew that was the direction she wanted to continue heading in.

In late 2014, Diana landed the lead role in The Girlfriend Experience. As her character was an escort and Steven Soderbergh was involved, it was easily her most mature, most high profile project to date. The show premiered to critical acclaim, earned her a Golden Globe nomination, and had many of her fans arguing about whether or not she'd alienated her fanbase. With her recent works under her belt, as well as some tabloid exposure through being romantically linked with other celebrities, a growing reputation of promiscuity and partying, and a tendency to wear revealing clothing, her old Nickelodeon image was barely recognizable and only continues to get distorted.