Lana Maria Parrilla was born on July 15, 1977 in Brooklyn, New York. Daughter of Samuel Parrilla (1943-1994), a Puerto Rican and professional baseball player of the Philadelphia Phillies in the early 1970s, and the painter and banker Dolores Azzara who is descended from Italians. Lana has an older sister named Deena Parrilla and is also the niece of actress Candice Azzara. Parrilla has lived long time with her aunt Candice Azzara, an American actress, who inspired her from an early age. She grew up in a house where creativity and the realization of dreams were definitely encouraged. When she was little, she made home videos with her family. And his aunt was a source of inspiration and admiration, being then his mentor and great influence. Lana told in an interview for Nuevo Impact magazine that despite having started her career only after age 16, she knew that was what she really wanted at the age of 11. During the time he lived with his father, Parrilla was not allowed to attend a school of performing arts due to his super protection, then having to postpone his entry into a more serious acting career. Lana lived with her father until February 1994, when he was shot in the chest during a robbery. Samuel Parrilla was 50 years old and died in Long Island, Brooklyn Hospital. Lana told the magazine Nuevo Impact how devastating it was and that she was only 16 at the time. She also tells that she insisted on her career as an actress because of her father. After graduating from high school, he moved to Los Angeles and began his studies in performing arts seeking a professional career. She studied with acclaimed instructor Milton Katselas at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. She took private singing lessons for about 10 years, but not for singing, but for acting. A fan of Lana Parrilla and/or her character Regina Mills/Evil Queen on TV Show ' Once Upon a time ' is called  ' Evil Regal  ', is the name that Lana gave them when they le-asked how to identify