Danielle Bisutti

Acting career

Danielle Bisutti has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry with the diverse characters she has brought to life in film and television. In 2013, Bisutti received rave reviews for her role in top grossing, Sony Pictures’ and FilmDistrict film INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2. Released in theaters nationwide in September, Bisutti appeared as the ‘Mother of Parker Crane,’ and critics took notice; one saying ‘the performance of Danielle Bisutti as the younger version of the Bride in Black is a most elegant personification of evil.” In addition to this film, Bisutti also starred in Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s CURSE OF CHUCKY as “Barb,” and Michael Rosebaum’s indie comedy BACK IN THE DAY. On the television front, this year Bisutti guest starred and recurred on some of the biggest series on TV today, including “Anger Management” for FX, “Grey’s Anatomy” for ABC, and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” for CBS.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Bisutti attended California State University Fullerton, where she received a BA in Acting and Musical Theatre. While attending CSUF, she was nominated several times for “Best Actress” in the Irene Ryan Competition and took runner up at The Lincoln Center Theatre in NYC. Michael Butler (the original Broadway producer of Hair 1968) fell in love with Bisutti’s talent when he saw her performing the role of ‘Sheila’ in a California production of Hair and brought the cast to Chicago to perform at the Democratic National Convention along with a five-week run at The New Athenaeum Theatre. Bisutti’s other theatre credits include: ‘Reno Sweeny’ in Anything Goes, ‘Maggie’ in Boy’s Life, ‘Yelena’ in Uncle Vanya, ‘Victoria/Jane’ in Noël Coward’s Tonight at 8:30, ‘Fastranda’ in Pippin, and ‘Ophelia’ in Hamlet.

Bisutti has made her mark in television over the years, recurring on “Last Man Standing”, “Parks & Recreation”, “CSI Miami”, “Without a Trace”, “Raising the Bar” and “The O.C.”, while also appearing on “NCIS,” “Criminal Minds,” “Castle,” “Hot in Cleveland,” “90210,” “Private Practice,” “Body of Proof,” “Bones,” “Cold Case,” “Two and a Half Men,” and “Boston Legal,” to name a few. However, she may best known for her starring role as the uptight yet lovable fashion diva ‘Amanda Cantwell’ opposite Keke Palmer on the hit Nickelodeon series “True Jackson, VP” from 2008-2011.

While working in television, Bisutti has also made time for film projects, some of her credits are Lionsgate’s VENICE UNDERGROUND (Eric Mabius), First Look Home Entertainment’s THE NEIGHBOR (Matthew Modine), and Lionsgate’s No Greater Love. Bisutti recently co-produced the web-series “Hollywood Girl” and recurred on the series as ‘Pasha Maneer.’ She also recently secured a leading role in Harland William’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi web-series “The Australian,” scheduled to be released late November 2013.

Singing career

Bisutti spends time as a songwriter. Songs originally written by her such as "Venice Underground", "April Moon", and "In the Presence of" have been used in independent feature films. At the 2003 Los Angeles Music Awards, she won the award for "Best Female Singer-Songwriter". Also at this ceremony, her song "Glimmer" was nominated for "AAA Album of the Year" and her song, "In Passing" received Unanimous Choice Recipient Award for "Independent AC Single of the Year". In September 2004, Bisutti performed at the Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival, where "In Passing" was selected for the TVIFF's "Top Musical Artist Compilation CD" and Music Connection Magazine featured Bisutti in its 2004 "Hot 100 Unsigned Artists" list.

Personal life

Bisutti was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Diana (née Ferrare) and Richard Bisutti. Her father was a set decorator in both film and television for 20 years. Her mother's sister is model Cristina Ferrare. Bisutti is of Italian descent. In high school, she explored several opportunities to idealize her devotion for the entertainment business. She was involved in theatre, choir, dance, speech and debate, as well as athletic activities. She then attended California State University Fullerton, where she received a BA in Acting and Musical Theatre.