Anneliese Louise van der Pol was born on September 23, 1984, in Naaldwijk, Netherlands, to Dyan Ross, an American, and Willem van der Pol, a Dutchman. She immigrated to the United States at a young age. Her mother named her after Anne Frank, the renowned Holocaust diarist, to honor her legacy and memory.

Education and Musical Theater Training

Van der Pol attended the prestigious Orange County High School of the Arts in California, where she studied musical theater. During her formative years, she developed her vocal and acting abilities, laying the groundwork for her future success on stage and screen.

Early Theater Achievements

At just 15 years old, Anneliese van der Pol earned critical acclaim for her portrayal of Eva Perón in a 1999 Buena Park Civic Theatre production of Evita. Her performance garnered a glowing review from the Los Angeles Times and made her one of the youngest actresses to perform the role in a professional staging.

She later starred as Laurey in Oklahoma! at the Austin Musical Theatre. Her work in this production earned her nominations for both the Austin Critics Table Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the B. Iden Payne Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.