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Marc Valera was a transfer to LMU from the George Washington University. Having already graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Marc was eager to begin his life in the Los Angeles area. LMU was high on his list of schools, but the presence of Professor "Dame" Judith Royer is what made the difference. Marc had had the pleasure of working with her at the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival prior to deciding on his collegiate home. Above all, it was Dame Judith's kindness, brilliance, and reputation that put LMU at the top of the list. Upon arriving, Marc immediately jumped into the theater scene, performing in many productions with the Del Rey Players as well as the Department. In fact, one of Marc's fondest memories of LMU, was performing in Dame Judith's production of Whose Life is It Anyway? To his delight, for many years after that final LMU play, Lions came up to him on the street around town remembering him as "that guy in the bed for the whole play who made everyone cry."
Not long after graduation in 1998, Marc was cast (thanks to the referral of fellow alum, Greg Reiner) in his first professional play, Julius Caesar. Soon thereafter he was cast in his first television role, opposite Dick Van Dyke. Over the years Marc has been privileged to work with some of most talented actors in the industry including, Felicity Huffman, Chris Cooper, Ted Danson, Ben Kingsley, Frances McDormand, and LMU's brilliant Linda Cardellini. You may catch Marc's work on commercials, television, film, and stage. Some of Marc's most satisfying professional work is an annual benefit for breast cancer, Snapshots. It began more than ten years ago when fellow alumna, Allison Fox, asked Marc to act opposite her in a play she had written. The all-original evening of theatre has grown into an event that attracts some of the best writers and actors in Hollywood. Snapshots continues today through the hard work of many, including alumni Nicki Georgi and Gloria Calderon Kellett. Marc is so grateful for LMU - his life and career were shaped immeasurably by his time there. That gratitude is what inspires him to return to campus, as he has for years, to help teach and coach the next generation of LMU actors.