Born and raised on the North Shore of Chicago, Katie Cleary is an only child who was raised by her mother. Cleary's strength, confidence, and drive came from her mom's hard work, love, and determination as a parent. Cleary says if it wasn't for her mother's love and strength, she would never have the ambition to do what she is doing today.

Ever since Cleary was a young girl, she dreamed of becoming an actress in Hollywood. After years of balancing high school and modeling in Chicago, she entered a liberal arts college in Wisconsin with a track scholarship. She finished college with a business and marketing degree while working as a model part time.

Cleary has always been very independent and driven to accomplish her goals and dreams in life. In the summer of 2004, after graduation, she took a real estate position in Chicago. In the interim, she enrolled in acting classes and worked on a few movie sets while going to auditions. This was a very busy and enlightening time; she juggled all these activities as her knowledge of the film industry grew exponentially.

One of her many accomplishments was bringing together ten humane societies and organizing a fundraiser, by herself, which raised a huge amount of money to help support animal rescue and abuse centers. Cleary's passion has always been to help rescue animals that have been abused or unwanted and she often visits sanctuaries and volunteers her services. Her goal is to one day start her own rescue center for unwanted and abused exotic and domestic animals.

You may recognize Cleary from season one of the hit television show "America's Next Top Model." Recently, she worked on such movies as "The Break Up" and the "Lake House," which were filmed in Chicago. She has also hosted shows on the TV Guide Channel including "Ripe Live," and co-hosted the show "Get Out," appearing on HDTV. Recently, Katie appeared on Larry King Live and talked about her life before and after "Deal or No Deal" and how it all got started. Be on the lookout for her national commercial for Chandon Champagne coming out in September '07.

Questionnaire

1. Are there particular qualities you like in a contestant?
The qualities I like in a contestant are when they have a lot of energy and an outgoing personality. I love when the contestants are different and interesting and have a story to tell of how much they need to win the million, and what they will do with it if they win. Also, when the contestant is so excited to just be on the show and meet Howie that they totally forget about the game! I love when the contestants know about the girls and incorporate us into when they choose our cases; it makes the show so much more fun and interesting!

2. Do you have a favorite contestant, and who was it?
Gary Riotto because he had a great personality and his energy was contagious. He was the most exciting and unique contestant we've had.

3. How tough is it to stand in place for the entire taping? Is there something like martial arts training for long-term smiling?
It is pretty tough to stand in place for a long period of time; especially for the whole show because our feet start to throb and you feel like you need to move around to get the feeling back in your toes. There isn't any training for long-term smiling and if there was I would have taken classes! You just have to think about all the great food and drinks you will be devouring when you get off stage! That's right! We eat! A lot!

4. What was your most embarrassing moment on the show?
My most embarrassing moment of the show was when I started clapping when I had the million in my case, at the angle I was at, I thought it was 100,000. What can you do?

5. What would you like to be doing next in your career?
The next step in my career is focusing on my acting and either landing a TV series or starring in my own film!

6. What do you like doing most with your free time?
I love keeping active and in shape by going hiking on the weekends and running and working out when I can. The beach is a must on the weekends to get away and relax with a group of friends for a game of volleyball. I love food, so trying new restaurants and lounges with friends is something I love to do on my time off. I am huge animal lover so when ever I get the chance to volunteer or do anything to help animals I am doing it! I also want to start my own rescue center for abused and unwanted animals!

7. What one person, besides your parents, has had the most influence on your life? Why?
The one person besides my parents that had the most influence in my life would have to be my grandfather, he was always there for me when I was younger helping to raise me and be the father figure that I needed, he accomplished so much in his life, from being a soldier in World War II, owning his own construction company, inventing new gadgets, and making his own wine, he has taught me that you can do anything in life if you put your mind to it! Go after your dreams! He will always be my inspiration and I will always remember him!

Jane Goodall is also another one of my inspirations because of her love for animals and efforts for preserving nature and wildlife, which she has dedicated her life to protecting animals and the great apes.

8. Where are you from originally? (If not from Los Angeles) What brought you to Los Angeles?
I was born and raised in Chicago and moved to L.A. three years ago to pursue my dream of acting!

9. What has been a particularly memorable experience in your life, something that really stood out?
One of the most memorable experiences in my life was graduating college after four years of studying hard for all those accounting classes and earning my bachelor's degree in business and marketing.

10. Now for the important questions: what was your favorite television show when you were ten?
My favorite TV show when I was 10 was "He-man and She-ra," "Family Ties," and of course "The Cosby Show!"