Elaine Mani Lee was born and raised in Bay Area, California where she greatly enjoyed playing sports, performing in the school choir and orchestra, and directing classmates on stage. At 17, she packed up her life into her Honda, and moved to Los Angeles to study at UCLA. She graduated with a BA in Psychology.
She ventured into advertising, but creativity was always calling. An a-ha moment came at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, where she put up a mirror and saw life is too short for regrets. She quit her job, and took courses in music and dance. She landed at a music studio, working the front desk during the day and performing her poetry and music at open mics at night.
CFB Casting, a tenant at the studio, brought Lee in for an audition. She quickly transitioned to film/tv, cast as Fan Dancer in Joss Whedon's film Serenity. She trained in classical theatre at A Noise Within, and continues to study film/tv acting, most influenced by Meisner and Viola Spolin improv. Lee has worked several roles on various shows, including The Mentalist, iCarly and Book Club (hulu). Her most recent credits include Hot In Cleveland, Code Black and Rush Hour. She's also appeared in the feature films Dear Lemon Lima and Behaving Badly.
Lee enjoys dance, tennis and meditation. She speaks Cantonese Chinese and a bit of Mandarin, and is an avid sports fan.
