Stefanie DeLeo

Stefanie LeAnn DeLeo
DeLeo backstage in her 1960s costume for Curtain Call's 2011 production of Noel Coward's Waiting in the Wings
Born	(1982-04-22) April 22, 1982 (age 35) Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Author, Playwright, Actress, Director, Teacher
Known for	Worth a Thousand Words, Cry My Safari, Answer the Question, Iris, Jezebel's Apple
Home town	Ronkonkoma, New York, U.S.

Stefanie DeLeo (born April 22, 1982) is an American author and playwright known primarily for her published play on autism, Worth a Thousand Words published in 2010 through JAC NEED Publishers. She is also the author of Cry My Safari and the comedic play Answer the Question, Iris and a contributing author to an SAT Prep book. Additionally, she has been a guest blogger on Melibee Global, reflecting on her time abroad. Stefanie is also a returned Peace Corps Volunteer having lived and worked in South African town of Kuruman for two and a half years, where she is listed as a notable resident.

Stefanie was born in Portsmouth, Virginia at the Naval Medical Center. Because her father was in the Navy, she moved around a lot, living in four states by age 3. Her parents were both born and raised in New York City, which is where she spent the majority of her life. As a young girl, Stefanie found inspiration from George Orwell, Anne Frank, Bette Midler and in 1993 after watching the Nickelodeon sketch comedy show, Roundhouse, she became addicted to the stage. Stefanie's childhood idol, Jennifer Cihi who starred in Roundhouse, is who Stefanie credits as the reason she wanted to one day become an actress and author. In a 1994 fan letter (written when DeLeo was just 11 years old) she promised to dedicate her first book to Jennifer, which she did in fact do.

DeLeo graduated from Ronkonkoma Junior High School in 1997 (now Ronkonkoma Middle School) and Connetquot High School in 2000. A large mural of Long Island that DeLeo painted is still displayed in the school's lobby. DeLeo attended a local church in Central Islip, which gave her many performance opportunities.