Childhood & Early Life
Rachel Katherine DiPillo was born on January 26, 1991, in Flint, Michigan. Her father, John G. DiPillo, was of Italian and Lithuanian descent, while her mother, Jackie Welton DiPillo, was of English and Irish ancestry.
Rachel was the second child in the family, and grew up with an older sister named Megan and a younger sister named Danielle. Soon after Rachel was born, the family moved to a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee
Her mother was quite active in the entertainment industry when she was younger. She had participated in the 1983 ‘Miss Oklahoma’ beauty pageant. She was also a singer. One of her singles, titled ‘Dang,’ was featured in the final round of the ‘Country Music Television and the Nashville Songwriters Association International’ competition.
Rachel was an extroverted child who took great interest in extracurricular activities. She loved watching movies, TV shows, and musicals. Eventually, she became interest in acting and decided to build a career in the entertainment industry.
Growing up in Nashville, she began participating in her school’s theatrical plays and also joined dance classes. She idolized the characters in musicals such as ‘Crazy for You’ and ‘A Chorus Line.’ She made her stage debut at the age of 12, playing a key role in the play titled ‘Once on this Island.’
After graduating high school, she wanted to join a college and study arts. However, she decided to move to Los Angeles instead and began auditioning for TV and film roles.
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Career
In 2009, she made her acting debut with a recurring unnamed role in the musical comedy TV series titled ‘Big Time Rush.’ She appeared in seven episodes of the series in 2009 and 2010. The series was a big critical and commercial success.
In 2010, she made her feature-film debut with a small role in the musical comedy–drama film titled ‘Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale.’ The film received a good critical and commercial response.
The same year, Rachel played yet another recurring role, in the series ‘The Gates.’ She was featured as ‘Lexie Wade’ in seven episodes of the series. The series was canceled after 13 episodes, due to bad ratings.
In 2011, she played a string of guest roles, in series such as ‘Law & Order: LA,’ ‘Hawthorne,’ and ‘Love Bites.’ She also appeared in a recurring role in a web series titled ‘Wendy.’ The series featured her as ‘Fawn’ in nine episodes.
In 2012, she bagged the first major role of her career when she was signed to play the supporting role of ‘Eva’ in the direct-to-video action/horror/fantasy film titled ‘Werewolf: The Beast Among Us.’ Although the film was not too successful in terms of ratings, it received an above-average response from critics.
The same year, she played a lead role in the short film titled ‘Photo Finish.’ She was also seen as ‘Rachel’ in the independent film ‘Commencement.’
She resumed her TV career in 2012, playing small, recurring roles in series such as ‘The Ropes’ and ‘Revenge.’ She also played a guest role in a single episode of the series ‘Bones.’
In 2013, she starred in one of the key roles in the pilot for a series based on bounty hunting. She played ‘Josie Scutaro’ in the pilot. However, the pilot remained unsold.
In 2014, she appeared in an independent film titled ‘A Kind of Love’ and then played the first lead role of her film career. She appeared as ‘Laura’ in the comedy–drama film titled ‘Hello, My Name Is Frank.’ The film failed to manage a widespread release but received immense praises at film festivals. It received the “Best Dramatic Feature Film” award at the ‘Manhattan Film Festival.’
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In 2014, she made a small appearance in the highly popular drama series ‘Mad Men,’ playing ‘Sherry.’
In 2015, she got a major breakthrough when she was signed to play a recurring role in the series ‘Jane the Virgin.’ It is one of the most celebrated series of the decade, and Rachel’s portrayal of ‘Andie’ in four episodes received widespread acclaim.
In 2015, she was one of the main cast members in the pilot of the series titled ‘Cuckoo.’ However, the pilot remained unsold.
Later that year, she bagged yet another breakthrough role of her career. She earned the role of ‘Dr. Sarah Reese,’ a medical student, in the series titled ‘Chicago Med.’ It was one of the lead roles in the series, and she appeared regularly for the first three seasons. However, her character later became a recurring one.
The critical and commercial appreciation she received from ‘Jane the Virgin’ and ‘Chicago Med’ boosted her credibility as an actor, exhibited her versatility, and proved her ability to play complex roles.
Following this, she appeared in a comedy–drama film titled ‘Summer of 8’ and played a supporting role in the miniseries titled ‘Edgar Allen Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party.’ She then appeared in a guest role in the series titled ‘Chicago P.D.’
Family & Personal Life
Rachel DiPillo is quite secretive about her romantic life. However, she once stated that she had a boyfriend in high school, with whom she regularly went to watch plays.
She likes binge-watching ‘Netflix’’ series and films in her free time.
She loves dancing and is planning to launch her own dance school with a few of her friends.
