Pamella D'Pella was born on August 22, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois
although she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Since the age of four, Pamella has always wanted to be a "movie star".
She would sit in the window, singing and reciting to passersby.
As a young child, she overheard a conversation between her mother and
her voice teacher telling her mother that she was tone deaf and would
never be able to carry a note, so between the ages of 9 through her
graduate school years; she avoided musicals or anything that required
singing.
She was a cheerleader from seventh grade through her college. While
cheering for the University of Cincinnati she went Professional.
Professionally cheering as a Ben-Gal for the Cincinnati Bengals for two
years. She broke barriers by becoming one of the first Black
cheerleaders at Mt. Healthy High School and with the Cincinnati
Bengals.
She was very active through her teenage years: she was an athlete, a
cheerleader, and, naturally, an actor! At the age of 16, she was
crowned Ms. NAACP and was the first Black "Cincinnati Junior Miss" she
went on with that title to win for her city, "Junior Miss Ohio Physical
Fitness", 2nd in talent, and 4th in the State. Not content with a
fourth place win, she went on to be crowned, "Miss Aerospace" and
"Miss. Hemisphere".
In high school, The International Thespian Society honored Pamella with
Certificates of Recognition for excellence of movement and
characterization and a Meritous award Participation in Theatre Arts for
her work as the Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz." This
was quite an honor for she started this journey with the school play,
"Peter Pan" whereas she auditioned for the dog but landed the lead. As
"Peter" she was so proud; she went around the school calling herself
"Peter Pam!" If acting was king then academics were queen and sports,
the royal court. Pamella won one of many college scholarships with the
national writing contest "What's Right about America."
She was a theatre major performing in show after show, She received
standing ovations for her work as the "The Dark Queen" in the "Snow
White" and great press reviews for her performance in David Mamet's
"Sexual Perversity in Chicago.
Pamella knew that she had to take her craft to a higher level; she left
Cincinnati to attend The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York
City. Pamella was awarded permission to live at the United States
International House, housing only available to post graduate
International students and Americans with high academic grades and
social achievements. In New York, studying was at a high concentration.
Acting at the Academy, dance at the Dance Theatre of Harlem and writing
at the Frank Silvera workshop.
