Urassaya Sperbund

Urassaya Sperbund (Thai: อุรัสยา เสปอร์บันด์; born March 18, 1993) also known as Yaya is a Thai-born actress and model of Norwegian and Thai descent.

Urassaya Sperbund was born March 18, 1993, in Pattaya, Thailand. She is the youngest child of Sigurd Sperbund and Urai Sperbund. She has an older sister named Catreeya Sperbund. She is fluent in Thai, English and Norwegian. She also speaks French and Spanish. Urassaya started modeling from a young age before branching out into acting in her teenage years. She is half Thai and half Norwegian.

Education

Urassaya attended Regents International School Pattaya for primary and secondary education before moving to Bangkok Patana School. Urassaya graduated from Chulalongkorn University with a Bachelor of Arts in 2015.

2010–present

She entered the industry in 2008 but it wasn't until 2010 that she gained popularity for her portrayal of the fearless, daring, Jeed in Duang Jai Akkanee. Her acting and pairing with co-star Nadech Kugimiya captured the hearts of many fans across the country, being branded the most popular "koo jin" of this generation. Before her rise to fame, she could only speak 30% of the Thai language due to the lack of Thai-taught subjects at international schools and the predominant use of English amongst peers. After being discovered by P'Tue and signing a contract with Channel 3, Sperbund motivated herself to learn the Thai language by hiring a tutor and taking extra classes after school.

Today, Urassaya still remains as an iconic and loved actress in the Thai industry. Sperbund has the reputation of an adorable lead actress who is very prim and proper thus being valued as a good role model. Furthermore, her perseverance to simultaneously work and finish her BA at Thailand's #1 university, Chulalongkorn University, while maintaining a GPA of 3.3 helped her gained her the admiration and respect of many people within the entertainment industry.

Sperbund has further stabilized her acting abilities and position in the entertainment industry with her role of Khun Poom in popular remake Neung Nai Suang with Jirayu Tangsrisuk. She continues to frequently model for national magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Elle, Seventeen, Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. She is also known as the 'Queen of Presenters' by having more endorsements than any other actress in Thailand ever. In 2015, Urassaya was seen in more than 30 commercials.

Television drama