Daria O'Neill

Daria Eliuk (O'Neill)
Born Daria Eckhardt
(1971-04-26) April 26, 1971
Tipton, Iowa
Residence Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Nationality American
Occupation Radio show host and entertainer
Partner(s) Dallas Eliuk
Children Alexander Charles Eliuk

Daria Eliuk (O'Neill) (born April 26, 1971) is a radio and television personality and an entertainer in Portland, Oregon, United States. With a background in theatre, she is known for her irreverent humor. Eliuk has also starred in local theatre productions and emceed various events.

Early life and media career

Born April 26, 1971 in Tipton, Iowa and raised in Wyoming,[1] and Montana,[2] Eliuk is a graduate with a degree in theatre from Portland's Reed College.[3] She held jobs as a lifeguard at the Multnomah Athletic Club and as a teacher's aide at Wilson High before she began a career in radio and began using "O Neill" as a stage name.[1] She was a co-host with Mike Chase on the morning show Mike and Daria, and later Bill Prescott, at KNRK in Portland from April 1997 through October 2003.

She further gained prominence as the weather woman on KRCW from 1998 to 2000.[1] In 2000, Eliuk earned a "Best Use of Breasts in a Weather Forecast" nod in local weekly newspaper Willamette Week's annual "Best of Portland" issue.[4] Her additional work in Portland television includes anchoring Entertainment Zone on KPDX[5] from 2004 to 2006.

In November 2003, she joined The Afternoon Buzz With Dr. Doug, Daria and Skippy, a program at KRSK in Portland. In 2007, Dr. Doug and Skippy departed to host their own morning show on another station. Daria remained at KRSK and brought on board Mitch Elliott, a popular DJ from Seattle, and producer Ted Douglass, creating The Afternoon Buzz With Daria, Mitch and Ted.[2] The program helped her earn honors including four consecutive "Portland's Favorite Radio Personality" awards.[6]

One of Eiluk's signature features is "Daria's Local Entertainment Guide", which she writes herself. The daily segment mixes information about Portland area events and attractions with reminiscences from her youth and college days in addition to trivia and historical anecdotes. Material from the Entertainment Guide has been released on compact disc, with proceeds to going to the Dove Lewis Animal Hospital.

In 2016, Eliuk left her show at KRSK to return to KNRK to co-host Alternative Afternoons with Gustav and Daria. In August 2017, the station's parent company, Entercom, opted not to renew her contract. As of November of 2017, she is developing a podcast and writing fiction while she continues making appearances at Portland area events.[7]

Other work

Eiluk also appeared in productions of Down South in 2002 and Bad Dates in 2005 staged by Triangle Productions.[3] She has also modeled for Willamette Week and hosted the paper's annual political event Candidates Gone Wild in 2004 along with activist Steve Novick and others.[8] She introduced a concert during the Salem public library's "World of Music at the Library" series in 2006.[6] She also starred in the 2006 short film Room to Breathe with Everclear singer Art Alexakis.[9] Eliuk has also performed several times over the years with the sketch comedy troupe, The 3rd Floor.

In addition to stage, radio and television, Eliuk has also made appearances in the realm of comics and fantasy fandom. In 2008, she took on the role of Wonder Woman for "Wonder Woman Day," a fundraiser for domestic violence services. Also in 2008, she performed the live vocal parts for both Lois Lane and Superman's mother, Lara, in The Superman Orchestra, a production at Portland's Hollywood Theater. She has also appeared at comic book shows and other fantasy events while dressed in-character.

Personal life

Eliuk married Portland LumberJax goalie Dallas Eliuk on December 31, 2007.[10] The couple welcomed their first child, Alexander Charles Eliuk, on May 26, 2009.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brenneman, Kristina (December 8, 2000). "Daria turning her back on TV to focus on radio". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  2. 1 2 Bartels, Eric (January 5, 2007). "Daria's got a couple brand-new bags". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  3. 1 2 Bartels, Eric (February 11, 2005). "Make a (bad) date with Daria O'Neill". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  4. ↑ "Best use of breasts in a weather forecast". Willamette Week/Best Of Portland. 2000. Archived from the original on 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  5. ↑ archive of KPDX page
  6. 1 2 "Show Date Approaches for FarCry with Daria O'Neill at Salem Public Library". Salem-News.com. December 21, 2006. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  7. ↑ Acker, Lizzy (October 31, 2017). "Where is Portland's Favorite DJ, Daria?". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  8. ↑ Meyer, Elisabeth (2004-04-21). "Candidates gone trivial". PSU Daily Vanguard. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  9. ↑ Room to Breathe entry at imdb.com
  10. ↑ Vondersmith, Jason (January 11, 2008). "Holy goalie!". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
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