Alexandra Tydings was born in Washington, D.C. She has four half-sisters and one half-brother, and is the daughter of former Maryland U.S. Senator Joseph Tydings and his second wife, Terry Lynn Huntingdon Tydings and the granddaughter of former Maryland U.S. SenatorMillard Tydings. She is a graduate of Sidwell Friends School[citation needed] and Brown University, with a degree in film and critical theory.[1] She speaks English, French and Spanish.
Tydings counts Katharine Hepburn and Kevin Spacey among her favorite actors. She told Whoosh, a Xena fansite, that she most enjoys the research and collaborating process of acting and that auditioning is her least favorite part of theater arts.[2] She competed in Irish dancing as a child,[1] and performed with The Royal Ballet of London at the Kennedy Center. Dance led to performance of all kinds; in addition to acting, she was the singer and bassist of bands Annabelle Kickbox and She's Seen You Naked.[citation needed]
Whoosh points out that Tydings maintained a vegetarian diet for 14 years, and that she enjoys gardening.[3]
In 2015, Tydings wrote and directed The Trial of Hanna Porn, a multi-media piece on abortion, which won the Best of Fringe award at the Charm City Fringe Festival.[citation needed] She then went on to write, direct and produce Rainbow Bridge, an independent film about two women advocating for abortion in the United States.
