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Larisa Romanovna Oleynik (born June 7, 1981) is an American actress. She came to fame in the mid...

Larisa Romanovna Oleynik (born June 7, 1981) is an American actress. She came to fame in the mid-1990s, after starring in the title role of the popular television series, The Secret World of Alex Mack, and has also appeared in theatrical films, including The Baby-Sitters Club and 1999's 10 Things I Hate about You. Throughout the 2000s, she has mostly appeared in lower-budget films. During her period as a teen idol, Oleynik was described as "one of America's favorite 15-year-olds" and "the proverbial girl next door". Oleynik (pronounced O-le-nik) was born in Santa Clara County, California, the only child of Lorraine (née Allen), a former nurse, and Roman Oleynik, an anesthesiologist. Her father's side of the family is Ukrainian. Oleynik grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and began acting in a regional production of Les Misérables, after seeing an audition ad in a newspaper when she was eight years old. After appearing in the musical, she contacted an agent and began taking acting lessons. But despite the success in her role as Alex Mack, Oleynik decided to attend college. Oleynik attended Pinewood School and later Sarah Lawrence College, describing the latter as "the best