Sandra Hess Biography

Swiss actress Sandra Hess made her first big impression on the acting community when she played the large role of Sonya in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. She increased her acting credentials, however, by a recurring role on Pensacola: Wings of Gold, for which she is still best known.

Sandra Hess was born March 27, 1968 in Zurich, Switzerland. She obtained her initial education from her local high school, after which she enrolled in the University of Zurich. Always establishing lofty goals for herself, Hess intended to study law. She knew after a short time, however, that law was not in line with her true passions.

Hess had started modeling and filming commercials when she was only fifteen, and she figured that her brief work in front of the camera could translate into bigger acting gigs. To that end, Hess packed up her belongings and moved to the United States. She came completely alone.

Before long, Hess had established her life in Los Angeles, and she knew it was time to pursue her acting endeavors. The first order of business was to begin studying her craft, which she did through various acting classes.

She made her onscreen debut in 1992 with the Les Mayfield comedy Encino Man. Appearing as a cavewoman, she shared the screen with Sean Astin, Brendan Fraser, Pauly Shore, and Robin Tunney.

For the next five years, Hess worked sporadically on film and television. Although she had many one-time appearances, she failed to land a recurring gig on a television series during this time.

Despite getting a somewhat slow start in the business, Hess managed to land a high profile role in 1997. In this year, she took on the lead role as Sonya Blade in the video game to big screen adaptation of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. She appeared with Robin Shou, James Remar, Musetta Vander, Talisa Soto, and others.

The following year, Hess once again found herself associated with a critical flop when she took a role in Nick Fury: Agent of Shield. Co-leads included David Hasselhoff and Lisa Rinna, neither of whom is known for his or her revered film work.

Later in 1998, however, Hess finally received the career boost that she needed by joining the cast of Pensacola: Wings of Gold. She was with the show until its conclusion in 2000. A series regular, she shared billing with Bobby Hosea, Michael Trucco, Barbara Niven, James Brolin, and Kenny Johnson.

Once the series came to an end, Hess was back to her old ways, making frequent but short lived appearances on various television shows. She is most noted during this time for her work on 18 Wheels of Justice, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation opposite William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger, as well as The Young and the Restless with Darcy Rose Byrnes, Davetta Sherwood, and others.

Most recently, she has appeared in The World According to Barnes in 2007, and she also accepted a short stay with Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service with leads Mark Harmon, Cote de Pablo, and Pauley Perrette.

In her personal life, she lives with her boyfriend, Michael Trucco, in Los Angeles. She enjoys walking, hiking, yoga, and time with her dog Gracie, a stray that she rescued several years back.