Dina was born the middle of three children and was raised in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, however she moved to Dix Hills, Long Island just before her last year of Junior High School. Surprisingly for a Hollywood actress, she comes from a completely normal and stable family. Her parents are still together (wow, does anyone remember what that's like anymore?), has two brothers, and her father owns an auto parts and repair shop in Queens and drives a Harley.
Her first experience in the Entertainment Industry came when she did some modeling from age nine to sixteen. Dina always wanted to become an actress but her parents didn't think that a wise career move; they wanted her to get a good education, so she went to college and graduated in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in business administration (and a minor in French). However, once having graduated, Dina decided that she really didn't want to go down the Business road and instead decided to make a career in a much safer and more stable line of work...acting!
She began her training at The Neighborhood Playhouse, in New York, where she studied Sanford Meisner's acting techniques with Ron Stetson for about three years. Other actors to receive such training are Sandra Bullock, Michael Douglas, Jeff Goldblum, Leslie Nielson, and Diane Keaton. To pay the bills during this period in her life, she did a series of femine hygiene commercials and apparently became quite proficient in explaining to large crowds the procedures associated with inserting...well...we won't go there. She currently resides in Los Angeles where she persues a career in acting.
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