Stansfield was born in London, England to an English father and German mother. She was brought up for most of her youth in Toronto, Canada, and despite having a British passport she considers herself a Canadian.[1] As a teen she worked as a model in Canada and Britain before turning to acting. She studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London before moving to Hollywood, USA.　　Besides her role as"Alti" in Xena: Warrior Princess, Stansfield's other roles include"Sid" in 2 episodes of the cult TV series Twin Peaks and one episode as"Kristina" on the show Frasier. She played in one episode of the 1990s TV series"The Flash" as the Humanoid Android A.L.P.H.A. and she starred in the 5th X-Files episode during season 1. In 1998 she starred opposite Dolph Lundgren in the Angolan set film, Sweepers. The film was shot and partly produced in South Africa.　　Stansfield is 6' 1" tall.　　Stansfield directed The Lovely Leave in 1999, based on the short story of the same name by Dorothy Parker.　　Stansfield founded C&C California, a clothing line specialising in 1970s-style T-shirts, in partnership with Cheyann Benedict in 2002.C&C was acquired by Liz Claiborne in 2005.