Kristin Bauer van Straten is an American film and television actress, perhaps best known for her roles as vampire Pamela Swynford De Beaufort on the HBO television series True Blood, Jerry's girlfriend Gillian on Seinfeld, and as sorceress Maleficent in the ABC series Once Upon a Time.

Biography

Van Straten was born in Racine, Wisconsin. During childhood, she played sports, rode horses, and shot guns. She graduated from The Prairie School in Racine.
Van Straten studied fine arts at Washington University in St. Louis as well as in Boston and New York (Parsons The New School for Design) in her youth, but decided to become an actress and moved to Los Angeles, where she has been living since she began acting in 1994. She continues to draw and paint. Her works include commissioned portraits. Van Straten carries out conservation work to improve the treatment of animals. She lives with many rescued animals at her home in Los Angeles. She is of German descent.