Amanda Moon Ray is an actress, writer, & alternative fashion model known for her eccentric personal style, as well as her dedication to animal rights and philanthropy.
Amanda Moon Ray was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1989. It was clear that she would be a performer from a very young age. Even as a toddler, she was already performing in various choir & theatre groups. At age four, Amanda began training as a gymnast and dancer. Just two levels away from an Olympic-level ranking, Amanda sustained serious injuries to her back while practicing a stunt on the uneven bars called a "giant". She cracked her L-3 vertebra and was put in a back brace for over a year. However, Amanda continued training through her injuries, eventually winning several state championships on both the balance beam & the floor exercise.
In school, Amanda excelled in the arts but was limited due to Mississippi's lacking educational system. At age five, she was placed in a program for children with high IQs called "Venture". This program allowed Amanda to choose her areas of study, so she focused on the history of theatre, astronomy, painting, & creative writing. Together with some of her classmates, Amanda organized a small theatre group which toured the United States performing self-written conceptual plays for a series of competitions called "The Odyssey of the Mind".
Amanda left her home town in 2010 and moved to Austin, Texas to peruse a career in film. In an attempt to get free head-shots to boost her acting career, Amanda began modeling on a trade basis under the name Moon. She chose this name because of her dual love of astrophysicist, Carl Sagan, and the 1992 Japanese anime series "Sailor Moon".
For several years, Amanda Moon Ray was the creative director of the world-famous film library, I Luv Video, (famous for its celebrity patrons, cult movie archive, & its campy hand-written sticker reviews). Through I Luv Video, "Moon" organized local screenings for independent filmmakers, some of which were so successful that they gained unsolicited mentions in periodicals such as the Austin American Statesman & the Austin Chronicle.
Because of her knowledge of & interest in film, "Moon" began volunteering on local sets, doing everything from FX makeup to stunts to wardrobe styling to production assistant work. Over time, "Moon" found herself in front of the camera & began taking small roles in various music videos, commercials, short films, webisodes, print-campaigns, & eventually feature-length movies.
