Stefi was born and raised in Bulgaria by her parents, Bulgarian
Figure-skating Champion Maria Vulkova, and Mathematics Professor
Veselin Georchev. Stefi changed her name to Stephanie Cheeva when she
came to LA in 1996. She had to learn how to speak English, before she
could join and graduate from the Joanne Baron & D.W. Brown school of
acting.
Stephanie Cheeva/McNeal produced and acted in the action thriller Black
Cobra - a Lionsgate/Shoreline release in 2012. She is also producing
the feature films Angel City, Major, Mr. Sinclair, and Quickfire 3D, as
well as the film Pure. She is a Co-Founder and
Vise President of Love Never Fails World Charity - a non-profit
organization committed to the abolishment of Child-Sex Trafficking.
In 2003, Stephanie was inducted into the International Martial Arts
Hall Of Fame. She was also presented with the Chinese Martial Arts
Academy Award from the Hawaiian International Martial Arts Society, and
was awarded Female Action Star of the Year. Currently holder of a Fifth
Degree Black Belt, by her late teens Stephanie had won 21 gold medals
and competed all over the world.
In 1996, Stephanie came to Los Angeles and two years later, graduated
from the "Joanne Baron & D.W. Brown" school of acting. Her acting and
action skills provided her with the opportunities to be a part of film
and TV shows such as: The Ultimate Game, Martial Law, Nash Bridges,
VIP, Crossing Jordan, Exorcism, Longshot, Last Call, Miss Congeniality
2, Shallow Ground, The Last Eve, Tequila Express, as well as several
national commercials and numerous video-games: Pirates: The Legend of
Black Kat, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Rise to Honor, Spawn: Armageddon,
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Resident Evil to name a few.
