Maria Tran is a Las Vegas–based actor, award-winning filmmaker, and martial artist whose career spans stage, screen, and international action cinema. With more than 15 years of experience across film, television, and theatre, she combines creative excellence with a commitment to community impact.She starred as a series co-lead in the Paramount+ crime drama Last King of the Cross (10 x 1-hour episodes), opposite Tim Roth, and is the creator and lead of the Echo 8 Trilogy—one of Australia’s largest independent, community-driven action film projects.Maria has been recognised as a TEDx Speaker (We Need to Embrace Conflict, 2017), one of the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians (2019), and a Finalist at the Western Sydney Women Awards (2022). She is also the founder of Phoenix Eye Films, a female-led production company operating in both Australia and the US, dedicated to empowering underrepresented voices through storytelling.Currently serving as a Sundance Collab Community Leader (2025–26) with the Sundance Institute, Maria mentors emerging actors and creatives, championing resilience, authenticity, and career longevity. Alongside her screen career, she also works as a game show host for Family Feud at MGM in Las Vegas.With a background in fight action choreography and a Bachelor of Psychology, Maria brings a unique perspective to her coaching. At The Actor’s Academy, she trains actors in screen performance, on-camera presence, action for film, and practical filmmaking skills, preparing them for the realities of the industry. She has lectured at the Australian Film, Radio and Television School, Western Sydney University, and Sydney Film School, and has facilitated workshops in Los Angeles.As a coach, Maria fuses professional screen experience, martial arts discipline, and teaching expertise to empower the next generation of performers and filmmakers.
