Claire Stansfield

Stansfield was born in London, England to an English father and German mother. She was brought up for most of her youth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and despite having a British passport she considers herself a Canadian. As a teen she worked as a model in Canada and the UK before turning to acting. She studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London before moving to Hollywood.

Besides her role as Alti in Xena: Warrior Princess, Stansfield's other roles include Sid in two episodes of the cult TV series Twin Peaks, one episode of Frasier as Kristina, and the eponymous "The Jersey Devil" in an episode of The X-Files. She also appeared in one episode of the 1990s TV series The Flash as the humanoid android A.L.P.H.A. and guest-starred in an episode of Cybill. In 1998, she starred opposite Dolph Lundgren in the Angolan set film, Sweepers. The film was shot and partly produced in South Africa. She co-starred as one of the antagonists in the 1994 action thriller film Drop Zone with Wesley Snipes.

Stansfield directed The Lovely Leave in 1999, based on the short story of the same name by Dorothy Parker.

Stansfield founded C&C California, a clothing line specialising in 1970s-style T-shirts, in partnership with Cheyann Benedict in 2002. C&C was acquired by Liz Claiborne in 2005.