Crystle Lightning
Crystle Lea Lightning is a Canadian-American film actress, musician, DJ, and hip-hop MC. A dedicated electro house DJ, Crystle recently moved from the booth to the center-stage mic with her performance partner, MC RedCloud. The pair wrote and recorded a collaborative work LightningCloud with RedCloud's long-term musical collaborator, DJ Hydroe.
LightningCloud released their self-titled debut in 2012 to critical acclaim. Sam Slovik of the L.A. Weekly called the group, "a near-earth object inventing new realms of the Electro-House-Hip-Hop revolution on the planet. Urban futurist, MC RedCloud and Crystle Lightning are L.A.'s subterranean Bonnie and Clyde." The Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards honored the group with recognition for Best Hip Hop Album in November 2012. In 2013, LightningCloud battled their way past the best MCs in Southern California to win the "Who's Next: Battle for the Best" contest on the number one hip hop station in the United States, Power 106. As winners, LightningCloud received a cash prize, a performance with Kendrick Lamar, and the honor of representing the best of west coast hip hop against Hot 97's Brooklyn-based, east coast representative Radamiz in a freestyle battle in Austin, Texas on March 15, 2013. After winning that MC battle, LightningCloud received the opportunity to work with Timbaland in the recording studio.
Early life
Lightning holds dual citizenship with the United States and Canada. She is the daughter of director and actress Georgina Lightning. Her brother is actor Cody Lightning. A First Nations Hobbema/Enoch Cree artist, Crystle began performing in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada when she was 4 years old. She relocated to Hollywood, California with her family when she was 9 and quickly landed a lead role in Three Ninjas Knuckle Up. Since then she has landed acting performances including a recurring role on the daytime NBC soap Days of Our Lives; BET's The Game ; ; and in Older Than America where she played alongside Bradley Cooper.Crystle Lightning is also an electro house DJ. Inspired by a mix performed by DJ Lady Tribe at a local Los Angeles nightspot, Lightning sought a musical apprenticeship with Christi Mills, later partnering with her mentor to form a performance crew called Ladies of the House. They perform regularly at Los Angeles venues including King King, the House of Blues, the 1616 Club, and Lucy's 51, as well as throughout the United States.
Career
She started acting in 1994 and has been in a handful of videos with her most noted role being her portrayal of Lori Piestewa in Saving Jessica Lynch.Lightning had starred as the character "Jo" in the 1995 movie 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up.
In 2005, she played "Chloe" in the movie.
Lightning, in the 2006 video game Prey, voiced Jen, the girlfriend of the game's protagonist, Tommy.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | The Last Chance Detectives: Mystery Lights of Navajo Mesa | Winnie | |
| 1995 | 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up | Jo | |
| 1995 | Star Watcher | ||
| 1995 | The Last Chance Detectives: Legend of the Desert Bigfoot | Winnie | |
| 1996 | The Last Chance Detectives: Escape from Fire Lake | Winnie | |
| 2003 | Saving Jessica Lynch | Pfc Lori Piestewa | |
| 2005 | American Pie Presents Band Camp | Chloe | |
| 2008 | Older Than America | Diane | |
| 2014 | Death Factory | ||
| 2015 | Tamales and Gumbo | Gloria's Cousin | |
| 2017 | Second Sunrise | Pre-production | |
| 2017 | The Red Man's View | Pre-production |