film
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...
actress
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
.
Early life and education
Stern's mother and stepfather are Nancy and Darrel Ziegler. She has a sister and a brother. She graduated from O'Fallon High School in 1985 and graduated from
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is a public university in Edwardsville, Illinois, United States. Located within the Metro East of Greater St. Louis, SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Ca ...
with a BS in Theatre Performance and Broadcast Communications (TV/Radio).
Career
Stern worked as a model with Elite Chicago. She was named one of nine finalists in Revlon's Most Unforgettable Women contest in 1990. In 1992–1993, competing as a spokesmodel, Stern won 10 shows and the semifinal round in Ed McMahon's ''Star Search '93''. In 1996, she moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, and within six months was appearing as Angela Collins on '' 413 Hope St.'', a dramatic television series about an urban teen crisis center, on the Fox network; and Allie Farrow on ''
Viper
Vipers are snakes in the family Viperidae, found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, New Zealand, Ireland, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipe ...
'', a
science-fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...
television series on the
UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, ...
broadcast network. From 2003 to 2004, Stern starred as Callista (Callie) Larkadia in ''Starhunter 2300'', a Canadian science-fiction television series, and scored a recurring role as Vanessa Lerner on the
soap opera
A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
''. Most recently, Stern appeared as Cat Ingerslev in a 2012 episode of the HBO television series ''True Blood''.
Stern built a seventeen-year television acting career which includes six pilots, three series regular gigs, over 30 guest star appearances and two films: The Fugitive and Original Gangstas. Currently, she is the COO of DE-CRUIT. Dawn was co-chair of the IDEA Committee for Shakespeare Theatre Association 2021-2023.
Personal life
She is married to Stephan Wolfert, Actor/Writer/Director, founder of DE-CRUIT.