Dawna Lee Heising is trained in Tang Soo Do martial arts. She is a former Miss Los Angeles Chinatown, Ms. US World, Ms. World, Ms. Universe, Miss San Francisco Universe, Miss Orange County Universe, Miss Orange County America, Miss California Hemisphere and Mrs. California United States, among many other titles. She was honored to be the Queen of the 2019 Hollywood Silver Screen Film Festival, the 2018 WIND International Film Festival Queen and the 2021 Kaiju International Film Festival Queen. Dawna studies acting with Matthew Arkin and Karole Foreman, and her martial arts KwanJangNim is Grand Master Rick St. Clair. She is a long-time member of SAG-AFTRA.
- IMDb mini biography by: Eye on Excellence PR

You’re often moving straight from sci-fi to horror to action, sometimes back-to-back. What do you do internally to “reset” between those worlds so each performance stays honest and distinct?

I start each project by reading the entire script and then I begin analyzing my character. I create a complete backstory and history for the character and then I begin memorizing my lines. I record my lines and listen to them while I am driving until the lines become second nature. By doing all these things, I can become the character as soon as I hear “Action!” on the set.

Every genre of film consists of characters, who all have singular traits. A trait is a specific quality of an individual. They can be inherited from parents (biological), learned through experiences and environment (behavioral), or used to define a person's ongoing patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (personality).

Many of your upcoming roles are women who project authority without apology. How do you personally define strength on screen?

There are many ways that strength on screen can be interpreted. It can refer to the role that you are playing. The character can be physically strong and intimidating and be trained in martial arts and weapons. The character can also be mentally formidable and make everyone around him or her fearful of retaliation or punishment. The character can also be evil enough to avoid confrontation because no one else has the strength to confront him or her. I enjoy playing strong authoritative figures who get what they want, and I also enjoy portraying strong evil characters because they are so different from the real me!

Strength on screen can also mean how believable the audience finds your character. Some of my favorite strong roles have been Penelope the Vampire Queen in Craig Railsback’s “Down and Out in Vampire Hills,” Esmeralda in William Lee’s “Black Mamba,” the Queen in Dustin Ferguson’s “Cobra Strike Force,” Ma Fletcher in Dustin Ferguson’s “Meathook Massacre” series of films, Madame An in “Evil Madame An,” Barbie in Dustin Ferguson’s “Nemesis 5” and “Nemesis 6,” and Athena 42.0 in Craig Railsback’s “The Job,”

What do you have planned for the future?

I am playing Shakira Slay in William Lee’s “Devils in the Details,” and socialite Morgan Wellington in Matt Wall’s vertical series “Black Star.” I will be playing diva actress Cynthia De Wilde in Greg Tally and Halle Capone’s audio series “Crimson Cowpokes of the Colorado”, Crystal Ball in Joseph Kelly’s “Clown Motel 4”, and a high priestess in Diana Carter’s “Witches and Warlocks”. I am also reprising the character of Nikki Taylor in Walter Hochbrueckner’s “Next Stop: Hell’s End” in the sequel to his multi-award-winning thriller “The Paradise Motel.” I will be playing a hitwoman duo with Joycelyne Lew in Gregory Hatanaka’s “No Regrets.” I will also be in Robert Amico’s “Inside the Butterfly Net.” I am also playing Dawna of the Darkness in Diana Carter and Steve Alexander’s “Monster On” and the nanny in Diana Carter’s “Don’t Look Back.”

I am currently starring in Craig Railsback’s “The Job” with Lejon Stewart. Craig wrote, directed, and edited this amazing sci-fi thriller. Dr. Renah Wolzinger created the original music and the AI special effects, and Dr. Heather Joseph-Witham came up with the original storyline. I am the executive producer, and the producers are Craig, Renah and Joseph Williamson. “The Job” has won many film festival awards for Best Short Film, Best Sci-fi Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Original Score. I am extremely proud of this amazing film!

The first annual DIVERSITY NEWS MAGAZINE AWARDS 2026 will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, 4800 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027. The Diversity News USA Queens for 2026 will be announced, and I am excited to be co-hosting this great event with Esteban Escobar!