Maria Menounos Biography

Name : Maria Menounos
Birthdate : June 8th, 1978
Birthplace : Medford, Massachusetts, USA
Profession : Model
Claim to fame : as Entertainment Tonight correspondent

>>>Maria has the face of a movie star, but she has the heart of a movie producer. And she's following her heart.

In her early 20s, at an age when many young women are taking their first steps into acting, this Massachusetts pageant standout has already produced a feature film. It's a musical fantasy titled "George's Auto," and the Boston Phoenix called it a "Gen-X Wizard of Oz." It was written and directed by former MTV head writer Kevin Indigaro.

Ms. Menounos knows what it's like to be in the spotlight. She was Massachusetts' Perfect Teen 1995, finishing as third runner-up to America's Perfect Teen, and she was Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 1996. She has also modeled extensively, appeared in commercials, worked as a news anchor at a college TV station and hosted her own radio program in two languages (Greek and English).

But the challenge and the involvement of producing have become her first love. She worked on a syndicated TV series, to be shown on PBS, about short films around the world. She was the host as well as the producer.

Ms. Menounos is not leaving the pageant world behind . She was first runner-up to Miss Massachusetts USA 2000, and she's would try for the 2001 title. She would like to win the Miss USA crown because of the opportunities it would give her in Hollywood.

The Miss USA system has been known to turn women into movie stars, so she had better be careful. She said she's willing to take her chances.

Maria Menounos Maria Menounos is in her first season with the #1 news magazine in syndication, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, produced by Paramount Domestic Television. She joined the world's most-watched entertainment news show on April 30, 2002 as a correspondent, reporting on film, television, music and fashion.

Prior to ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, Menounos traveled the world as an international correspondent for Channel One News, the #1 news source for America's teen students. A journalist for their 10-minute weekday broadcast, she reported to more than eight million students on a variety of timely topics. Menounos interviewed President George W. Bush, covered the 2001 earthquake in El Salvador and reported on the AIDS epidemic in South Africa, among other major stories.

The Medford, MA native began her career with Channel One during her senior year at Boston's Emerson College. While at Emerson, she wrote, produced and broadcast news segments for WERS-FM, one of the largest college radio stations in the country. She also co-hosted and produced a weekly talk show for local radio station WNRB-AM.

Menounos is also philanthropically involved. After witnessing substandard living conditions while reporting for Channel One in South Africa, she formed Take Action Hollywood! The charity is dedicated to raising social awareness by producing feature films that tackle issues and foster support from the entertainment industry.