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Tara Killian
Tara Killian
Tara Killian
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Tara Killian (born June 21, 1977) is an American film and television actress. She held the national title "GuyRex's Miss Teen" in 1994 (Part of the Miss World America franchise). Tara attended Irmo High School in Columbia, SC and earned a B.A. in Music from the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC.[1][2]

Filmography

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Trivia

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  • Killian was accepted to medical school, but decided to pursue an acting career instead.

References

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Tara Killian

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Tara Killian is an American actress known for her roles in films such as American Pie Presents: Band Camp, Shallow Ground, and Slaughter Studios, as well as guest appearances on television series including Dawson's Creek, Ghost Whisperer, and Without a Trace. Born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, Killian displayed early talents in the performing arts, beginning dance lessons at age two and participating in community theater, dance, and voice training throughout her childhood. She earned a B.A. in Music from the College of Charleston on a full academic and music scholarship, and was pre-accepted to medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina before deferring that path after booking a co-star role on Dawson's Creek during her senior year of college. This experience led her to move to New York City and pursue acting professionally, later training at the Beverly Hills Playhouse under Milton Katselas. Killian, who was crowned Miss United States Teen, has built a career spanning independent films and episodic television, often in horror and comedy genres. She has continued to appear in projects into the 2020s, including a role in the series Found. She resides in Burbank, California, with her husband Blaise Fitzgerald and their two children.

Early life and education

Childhood and family background

Tara Killian was born on June 21, 1977, in Columbia, South Carolina, where she was raised. Her mother, Gayle, was a science teacher with a passion for visual art, while her father, Frank, worked as a soil and water conservationist and maintained a semi-professional career as a violist. She has a brother, Drew, who became a computer scientist based in Washington, D.C. From a young age, Killian displayed remarkable determination and diverse interests. She began dance lessons at age 2 and learned to read at age 3. Growing up torn between pursuing medicine and the performing arts, she earned the nickname "Doc Hollywood" from family and friends due to these dual passions, with both parents supporting her exploration of each path. Her early years involved extensive participation in the arts within her community. Killian engaged in community theatre, continued dance lessons, and took voice lessons, laying the foundation for her creative development before her later formal studies.

Academic and musical training

Tara Killian attended Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the College of Charleston on a full academic and music scholarship. After her sophomore year, she was pre-accepted to the Medical University of South Carolina medical school at age 19. She deferred her medical school admission for two years to pursue acting instead. Her musical training focused on Italian aria studies with instructors including Mimi Lerner, Stephen Bryant, Benton Hess, Priscilla Baskerville, and Shirlee Emmons. During her senior year at the College of Charleston, she had her first acting experience.

Beauty pageants

Miss United States Teen title

Tara Killian was crowned Miss United States Teen in 1994, earning the national title through the pageant organized by GuyRex Productions under the Miss World America franchise. The victory marked an early public achievement for Killian, showcasing her poise, presentation skills, and stage presence during her teenage years. This pageant success complemented her childhood and adolescent pursuits in dance, which began at age 2, as well as her voice training and participation in community theatre activities. The title provided a platform for her to gain recognition in performance-oriented endeavors prior to her later transition into professional acting.

Acting career

Transition to professional acting

Tara Killian transitioned to professional acting during her senior year of college when she landed her first professional co-star role on the WB television series Dawson's Creek in 1998. This opportunity prompted her to defer her admission to medical school and relocate to New York City to pursue acting full-time. She continued her acting education with prominent instructors, studying under Milton Katselas at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, where she trained with teachers including Jeffrey Tambor and Richard Lawson. She also pursued on-camera acting training at the Eric Loeb Studio and musical theatre training with Robert Ivey, Deanna McBroom, and Oscar Kosarin. Killian stands at 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) tall and is a member of SAG/AFTRA.

Theatre work

Tara Killian's theatre work encompasses lead roles in a variety of stage productions, primarily in New York City and South Carolina. Her credits reflect experience in both dramatic plays and musicals, spanning classic works and contemporary pieces. In New York City, she performed lead roles in Arms and the Man at Producers Club Theatre, Butterflies Are Free at Theatre 22, and Murder at Café Noir with New York Dinner Theatre. In South Carolina, her stage appearances include lead roles in The Imaginary Invalid and Anouilh’s Antigone at Emmett Robinson Theatre, A Grand Night for Singing at Piccolo Spoleto Festival USA, West Side Story at Robert Ivey Theatre, A Chorus Line at Simons Center for the Arts, Little Women at Town Theatre, and A Christmas Carol at Town Theatre. Her theatre roots trace back to community theatre experiences during childhood in Columbia, South Carolina.

Film roles

Tara Killian has appeared in a variety of independent feature films, direct-to-video releases, and shorts, with a concentration of credits in horror, thriller, and comedy genres during the early to mid-2000s. Her film debut came with an uncredited role as Girl in Classroom in the horror sequel The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999). She followed this with her first lead role as Portia in the horror-comedy Slaughter Studios (2002). Killian earned notice for her supporting performance as Amy Underhill in the supernatural horror film Shallow Ground (2004). She appeared in the short film Everything That I Am (2003) as Rich woman and the short We All Fall Down (2005) as Amanda. Her most prominent film role was the supporting part of Patti in the direct-to-video comedy American Pie Presents: Band Camp (2005), part of the popular American Pie franchise. She continued with supporting roles including Mary Christian in the comedy Mr. Fix It (2006). Later in the decade, Killian took the lead as Karen in the thriller Strangers Online (2009). These projects represent the core of her known feature film work, often in independent productions.

Television appearances

Tara Killian has made several guest appearances in episodic television, typically in single-episode roles across different networks. She debuted on television with a guest role as a girl/contestant in an episode of Dawson's Creek in 1998. This appearance marked her initial entry into scripted television. Her subsequent credits include playing Tara in an episode of Spy TV in 2001, Paula in Without a Trace in 2002, and Shannon in America's Most Wanted in 2002. After a period of fewer appearances, she played Young Anne in an episode of Ghost Whisperer in 2009. Her most recent known television credit is a guest role as a Female Cop in an episode of Found in 2024. She also starred as the lead in the unaired pilot for Extras on Comedy Central. Killian's television work has predominantly featured one-episode guest spots on networks including The WB, NBC, FOX, and CBS.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Tara Killian is married to Blaise Fitzgerald, and the couple has two children.

Later years

Her acting career has featured sparse activity since the mid-2000s, with no major projects documented between her 2009 credits and a return in 2024. Killian's most recent verified role came in the NBC series Found, where she appeared as a Female Cop in the episode "Missing While Haunted," which aired on November 21, 2024. Public information about her professional or personal endeavors remains limited in recent years, with few interviews or updates available beyond her family life.
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