Briela Santiago

**Briela Maria Dunworth** (née **Santiago**; born 17 April 1989) is a Hawaiian actress, model, and fashion designer. Santiago first came to prominence with her breakthrough role in the 2008 teen comedy *The Rich Kids of Honolulu*. She later acted in starring roles in the teen films *Swim Kingdom* (2008), *Money Mania* (2009), and *Dark Star* (2010), before embarking in more mature roles such as in *Chloe* (2014), *Mystique* (2015), and *Chameleon* (2015). Since 2016, she has starred in the Hawaii Ella series *Widow*.

Outside of film, Santiago is additionally an established fashion designer and fashion influencer. Her womenswear line *Briela* has been sold in stores throughout Hawaii since its launch in 2012. She opened the first *Briela* store in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu in 2017.

## Early life and education

Santiago was born in Kapolei to parents Joaquín and Pia Santiago (née *Corona*). Her father is a Californian emigrant from San Diego of Mexican-Californian origin, while her mother is Filipina-Hawaiian. Joaquín is an executive at a luxury resort on Oahu, while Pia is a costume designer for Hawaiian films, television series, and plays. Santiago was raised bilingually in Spanish and English, and identifies herself as a Latina. She has an elder brother Chad, born  (1987-09-12) 12 September 1987 (age 36).

Santiago attended public schooling in Kapolei, and graduated from Kapolei High School in 2007. She filmed *The Rich Kids of Honolulu* during her senior year, and thus had to use online classes and private tutors for the months that she was filming. In high school, Santiago was elected class president and was also active in a number of other extracurriculars including varsity cheerleading, yearbook committee, show choir, and art club. After completing high school, Santiago enrolled in the University of Hawaii – Manoa to study fine arts, but dropped out during her second semester due to her acting career.

## Career

Santiago began a professional modeling career in early-2006 at the age of 16. Through modeling, she was able to audition for roles in television and film. Her first serious audition was for the role of Leah Grey in *The Rich Kids of Honolulu*. She eventually was cast as the supporting character Candice Thomas. *The Rich Kids of Honolulu* became Santiago's breakout role, securing her the Hawaii Blu Award for Best Scene Stealer at the 2008 Hawaiian Blu Awards and making her a teen idol.

Following the success of *The Rich Kids of Honolulu*, Santiago landed a starring role in the widely successful teen drama *Swim Kingdom* (2009). The film received a nomination for Best Drama at the 2010 Hawaii Blu Awards, while Santiago was additionally nominated for Best Villain. She later starred in the teen films *Money Mania* (2009), *Dark Star* (2010), *Dusk* (2010), *The Kellys* (2011), and *Welcome to the Jungle* (2012). Santiago later began distancing herself from teen roles in favor of more mature films. She starred in the thriller *Chloe* (2014), and had supporting roles in the spy films *Mystique* (2015) and *Chameleon* (2015). She began starring in the Hawaii Ella drama series *Widow* in 2016.

In 2012, Santiago began her career as a fashion designer, launching the womenswear line *Briela*. She had been inspired to pursue a career in fashion due to her mother who works as a costume designer, and had previously considered studying fashion before her career as an actress. The luxury line became widely successful in Hawaii, and by 2014 was sold in a number of Hawaiian department stores. In 2017, she opened her first *Briela* store in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu. In 2018, the *Briela* stores expanded to Kapolei and Hilo.

## Personal life

Santiago holds dual citizenship to Hawaii and California, and additionally owns property in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu, West Hollywood, California, and San Diego, California. She is a Roman Catholic. Santiago has been in a relationship with Californian actor Peter Dunworth since 2011. They became engaged in February 2017, and later married on 16 June 2018.

## Filmography

*Main article: Briela Santiago filmography.*

## Awards and nominations

*Main article: Awards and nominations received by Briela Santiago.*