Gianna Simone

Gianna Simone (born December 22, 1989) is an American actress, model, and producer. She has appeared in roles in the feature films Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), Mother's Day (2016), I Can Only Imagine (2018), Unbroken: Path to Redemption (2018), and several television series. Early life Simone is originally from Boston, Massachusetts and during her youth, lived in East Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Wilbraham. She was abused as a child and placed in Boston's foster care system at thirteen years old. Her father, Anthony Baxter, was unable to serve as her caretaker at the time, though Simone has since said that Baxter has been "a very positive influence" in her life and helped her make the decision to focus on acting. Around the time Simone entered the foster care system, she enrolled at a gym, where she met the owner Kathy DeMarco, who became her mentor. DeMarco introduced Simone to a small non-denominational Christian church and wanted to adopt the teenager, but died before doing so. Simone attended Boston Latin Academy. Around age sixteen she began pursuing a modeling career. Career Simone originally only wanted to focus on modeling, which she pursued despite opposition from agencies, and secured modeling work without agency representation for several years. She signed her first modeling contract with Boston's Maggie Inc. in 2009, and appeared in advertisements for the American Dental Association, Carolina Herrera, Elie Saab, Hasbro, New Balance, Reebok, and Vera Wang. In 2010, she appeared on the cover of Boston magazine at the age of 20, while living in Boston.