Claire Juliana Lanay was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Both of her parents are Vietnamese immigrants. Claire's father was a mathematics professor before serving as a soldier in the Vietnam War and upon moving to the states, he became a pastor. Claire's mother was a translator at the US Embassy in Saigon before becoming a beauty salon owner when they made their way to Hawaii. Claire's parents have both since retired from a long career in nursing and geriatric care. Moving around became a typical thing for Claire's family. Leaving Hawaii at an early age, Claire has resided in different locales such as Heston, Kansas, Eugene, Oregon, Chicago, Illinois and has lived in Los Angeles, California since 2006.As is the case for many actors, Claire has had numerous job experiences under her belt which include working in several hotels, security and medical alarm dispatching, telephone customer service, market research, property management, administration at a law firm, interning at a talent agency as well as data entry for the Directors Guild of America.For some, an on-going state of flux during one's adolescence might be difficult to adapt to. These transitions, many as they are, have only helped Claire in her ability to take on different characters.Claire was encouraged to perform by an impressionable junior high school teacher, who was also of Asian descent. Claire made her way to Hollywood years later and has been building a solid career ever since. She has appeared in the short-lived Fox comedy, "Ben & Kate," performed minor physical stunts in the Fox TV pilot "Exit Strategy" directed by Antoine Fuqua and has been in a couple of comedy sketches for the late-night show "Conan." Claire has also had recurring roles on the daytime drama, "General Hospital" and its SoapNet spin-off, "General Hospital: Night Shift". Her first major on-screen role was as the lead in the indie horror/thriller "Lockout," directed by Ricardo Islas. Show less «