Lisa Ray facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lisa Ray
The headshots of Lisa Ray's twitter
Born	(1972-04-04) 4 April 1972 (age 53) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actress model
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Jason Dehni ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2

Lisa Rani Ray (born on April 4, 1972) is a Canadian actress and model. She started her modeling career in India in the early 1990s. She worked with famous Indian brands like Bombay Dyeing and Lakmé.

Lisa Ray made her acting debut in 1994 in the film Hanste Khelte. She is known for choosing roles in movies that deal with important topics. Some of her notable films include Water (2005) and The World Unseen.

In 2009, Lisa Ray was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. This is a type of blood cancer that currently has no cure. She started a blog called The Yellow Diaries to share her experiences with cancer. Her writings have been published in many major magazines and newspapers. Lisa Ray actively supports stem-cell therapy and has helped raise money and awareness for cancer research.

Since 2011, Lisa Ray has hosted a popular travel show on Discovery Channel India. She also hosted and judged Top Chef Canada on Food Network. In 2016, she started an Instagram account where she shares her poetry.

Early Life and Education

Lisa Ray was born in Toronto, Canada. Her father was Indian Bengali Hindu, and her mother was Polish Catholic. She grew up in Etobicoke, a suburb of Toronto. She spoke Polish with her grandmother. She also watched movies with her father, who loved films. As a child, she spent some time in Calcutta, India.

Lisa Ray was a very good student. She finished five years of high school in just four years. She attended three different high schools: Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, Richview Collegiate Institute, and Silverthorn Collegiate Institute.

Modeling and Acting Career

Starting Her Career: 1991–2000

Lisa Ray's modeling career began when she was on a family vacation in India. She was still a teenager. She appeared in an advertisement for Bombay Dyeing. This ad, where she wore a black swimsuit, brought her public attention.

Later, she met Maureen Wadia, who was the editor of Gladrags magazine. Lisa Ray appeared on the cover of Gladrags in a swimsuit. This made her very famous across India. She later said that many good things in her career happened by chance.

When the Gladrags cover came out, Lisa Ray was back in Toronto. She was planning to start university. However, her plans changed after a serious car accident. Her mother was injured and needed a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Lisa Ray returned to India. She became one of the country's first supermodels. She became the face of brands like Lakmé and Bombay Dyeing. She has often noted how professional success and personal challenges have happened together in her life.

As a top model, Lisa Ray also worked with global brands. These included L’Oréal, MasterCard, De Beers, and Rado. A poll by Times of India named her the "ninth most beautiful woman of the millennium." She was the only model in the top ten. She also co-hosted a TV show called Star Biz on Star Movies. She appeared in a music video for Afreen Afreen, a song by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Acting Success: 2001–2009

Lisa Ray being interviewed on The Hour

Lisa Ray turned down many acting roles before making her Indian film debut in 2001. This was in the Hindi film Kasoor. Her voice was dubbed by another actress, Divya Dutta, because Lisa could not speak Hindi well at the time. Still, her acting received good reviews.

Her work in Kasoor caught the attention of director Deepa Mehta. Mehta cast her in the romantic film Bollywood/Hollywood in 2002. Lisa Ray then decided she wanted to act more seriously. She moved to London to study acting. She attended several schools, including the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA). She graduated in 2004 with a degree in acting.

While studying, she tried not to accept film offers. But Deepa Mehta called her again. She offered Lisa the main role of Kalyani in her film Water. This film was released in 2005. It received great reviews around the world. Famous film critic Roger Ebert praised it.

Since then, Lisa Ray has worked in films from Canada, Europe, and the United States. She played a farm girl in All Hat and a teacher in A Stone's Throw. In 2007, she starred in The World Unseen. In 2008, she acted with Sheetal Sheth in I Can't Think Straight. This romantic comedy won awards at many film festivals.

After graduating, Lisa Ray lived in Milan, Paris, and New York from 2004 to 2008. She returned to Toronto in late 2008 after her mother passed away. In 2007, she filmed Kill Kill Faster Faster, a crime film. She also appeared in an episode of the TV series Psych in 2009. She was in the superhero film Defendor with Woody Harrelson. Also in 2009, she starred in the comedy Cooking with Stella.

At the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, Lisa Ray shared that she had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

Recent Work and Health Journey: 2010s to Present

In December 2009, Lisa Ray received a stem cell transplant to treat her cancer. In April 2010, she announced that she was cancer-free because of the transplant. She gave an honest interview about her cancer journey. She appeared on the cover of The Man magazine in 2010.

In 2010, Lisa Ray was in a documentary about cancer called 1 a Minute. This film featured other cancer survivors like Olivia Newton-John and Melissa Etheridge. On July 5, 2010, she hosted a lunch for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip during their visit to Toronto.

In 2011, Lisa Ray acted in a play called Taj with Kabir Bedi. The play combined poetry, music, and Indian dance. That same year, she appeared in the film Patch Town. She also had a role in an episode of the TV series Murdoch Mysteries.

She presented awards at the 2011 IIFA Awards in Toronto. She also co-presented the 2011 Giller Prize with singer Nelly Furtado. Also in 2011, Lisa Ray hosted Oh My Gold, a travel series on TLC India.

In 2012, Lisa Ray began hosting season two of Top Chef Canada. This was a very popular cooking show on Food Network Canada. She continued to host the show for several seasons.

In 2016, Lisa Ray starred in Veerappan. She also had an important role in Dobaara (2017). This was a Bollywood version of the horror film Oculus.

Since 2019, Lisa Ray has been part of the cast of the Amazon Prime Video web series Four More Shots Please!. The show has been very successful. It has aired for three seasons, with the latest season released in 2022.

Personal Life and Family

On June 23, 2009, Lisa Ray was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. This is a rare cancer that affects white blood cells. In April 2010, she announced she was cancer-free after a special transplant using her own stem cells. However, multiple myeloma is a disease that cannot be fully cured, so she continues to manage her health.

In February 2012, Lisa Ray announced her engagement to Jason Dehni, a management consultant. They were married on October 20, 2012, in California's Napa Valley.

In September 2018, Lisa Ray shared that she and her husband became parents to twin daughters in June 2018. They welcomed their daughters through surrogacy.

Filmography

Films Lisa Ray Has Appeared In

Television Shows Lisa Ray Has Been In

Helping Others: Philanthropy

Lisa Ray is also known for her work helping others. She has supported many causes and campaigns:

• 2009: Participated in the 5K Your Way Walk/Run for cancer awareness.
• 2009, 2010, 2012: Supported Plan Canada's 'Because I Am A Girl' campaign. This campaign helps girls around the world.
• 2010: Was part of "1 a Minute," a project to inspire women facing cancer.
• 2010: Supported Estee Lauder's Breast Cancer Awareness campaign.
• 2011: Led the 'Make Myeloma Matter' media campaign.
• 2011: Supported Artbound, which helps Free The Children.
• 2011: Participated in the GIRL 20 SUMMIT.
• 2012: Supported BE FAIR 2 RARE, a campaign for rare diseases.
• 2012: Took part in Wellspring Cancer 'Graduate' Fashion show.
• 2012: Supported "Rhythm and Soul"-THE SPARK GALA 2012, to help children reach their potential.
• 2012: Participated in the Run or Walk, MM5K.
• 2012: Became an Ambassador for the Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign in Canada. This campaign encourages people to donate hair for wigs for cancer patients.

See also

In Spanish: Lisa Ray para niños

• List of Canadian actors
• List of Indian film actresses