Ricki Noel Lander

Early life and education

Lander grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a child, she was active in dance, musical theater, and acting. When she was fifteen, she moved to Los Angeles, California and trained with the Los Angeles Classical Ballet and later toured Japan as a dancer. She graduated cum laude with Honors while attending on Academic and Artistic scholarships from Florida International University in Miami with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications. She later studied at Mike Nichols' New Actor's Workshop in New York City and at Uta Hagen’s HB Studio also in New York City.

Filmography

She has appeared in the television shows CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Ugly Betty, Dirt ,The Class and Prison Break. In 2011, she played a goblin in disguise as a faerie in the fourth season opener of the HBO series True Blood alongside Anna Paquin. She completed an episode of CBS series Unforgettable and guest starred on the season 5 opener of Blue Bloods. In 2008, she was in the blockbuster movie Iron Man alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard. Later in 2008, she starred as the lead character in The Harsh Life of Veronica Lambert (also known as 5 Nights in Hollywood) with Ed O'Ross, Bart Johnson, and Elena Satine. In 2013, she appeared in Farrelly Brothers Comedy Movie 43, where she was cast in the segment 'Truth or Dare' playing the nurse to Halle Berry's character. Her most recent role was in Ant-Man (film) with Paul Rudd.

She works as correspondent for the exploration series The Travel Detective alongside travel guru Peter Greenberg. In 2014 she served as a correspondent and producer on the PBS documentary Israel: The Royal Tour, filming and narrating behind-the-scenes footage with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and First Lady Sara Netanyahu.

Fashion career

While pursuing her acting career, Lander spent several years under contract with Ford Models, shooting for a variety of brands and publications.

After attending several college and professional sporting events, Ricki noticed a gap in the market for the more contemporary, stylish female fan. She brought the idea to Fanatics, where they also recognized the need, and struck a deal to create a collection of casual and chic fan gear called Let Loose by RNL. Starting in January 2014, sports e-commerce conglomerate Fanatics and FansEdge [1] began retailing a collection of women's fangear for College, MLB, NHL, NBA, and NFL designed by Lander called Let Loose By RNL.

Philanthropy

Combining her love for the arts and community, she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the New York City Ballet and the Board of Trustees for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. In 2016 she co-chaired the New York City Ballet Fall Fashion Gala along with fellow hosts Sarah Jessica Parker and Daisy Maeda.

Personal life

Lander is dating the American billionaire and business magnate Robert Kraft, the chairman and CEO of The Kraft Group, who's approximately 39 years older than she is. In July 2012, Kraft assisted Lander in creating an audition video for a role in The Internship, a Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson film. Kraft later apologized for the video.