Beginning her classical dance training at age five and entertaining hotel guests on the Vegas strip by nine, Charisma displayed an early and uncanny ability to captivate an array of audiences. Little would she know, at age 28, she would find herself working on a critically-acclaimed cult classic reaching millions of devoted fans on a weekly basis.
Her story begins on July 23, 1970 in the ultra-hip city of Las Vegas, Nevada. Christened with a name fitting for her flashy birthplace, Charisma admits despising the “absolute curse” of a unique name lifted from an ill-conceived Avon perfume.
“When people first hear my name, because I’m an actress, I get the feeling they don’t believe it’s my real name or I must be attention-grabbing.”
In fact, she goes on to say the misconstructions regarding her name became so hard to deal with, “It took me until I was 13 to go by my real name.”
Despite the difficulties adjusting to her name, Charisma’s childhood mirrors that of any young girl, well, any girl without “active, outdoorsy brothers and…five wild, Harley-Davidson riding uncles!” Relocating as much as the Carpenter family did during her youth meant Charisma had to make determined choices and live life to the fullest when any new experience crossed her path, something she ascribes to that special flare Las Vegas can imprint on a young child.
