Daria Eliuk (O'Neill) (born April 26, 1971) is an American radio and television personality and an entertainer based in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, 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. She currently hosts a podcast titled ''Radio Free Daria''.
Early life and media career
Born April 26, 1971 in
Tipton, Iowa
Tipton ( /ˈtɪptən/) is a city in Cedar County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,149 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cedar County.
History
Tipton was platted within Center Township in 1840 and was named for Ge ...
and raised in Wyoming,
and Montana,
Eliuk is a graduate with a degree in theatre from Portland's
Reed College
Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, with Tudor-Gothic style architecture, and a forested canyon nature preserve at ...
.
She held jobs as a lifeguard at the
Multnomah Athletic Club
The Multnomah Athletic Club is a Social club, private social and Sports club, athletic club in Portland, Oregon, United States.
Located in the Goose Hollow, Portland, Oregon, Goose Hollow neighborhood, it was originally founded in 1891 as the M ...
and as a teacher's aide at
Wilson High School before she switched to a career in radio and began using "O
Neill" as a stage name.
[ She was a co-host with Mike Chase on the morning show ''Mike and Daria'' and later with Bill Prescott following Chase's departure at ]KNRK
KNRK (94.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Camas, Washington, serving the Portland metropolitan area. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an alternative rock radio format. KNRK's studios and offices are located on SW Bancroft St ...
in Portland from April 1997 through October 2003.
She gained further prominence as the weather woman on KRCW from 1998 to 2000.[ In 2000, Eliuk earned a "Best Use of Breasts in a Weather Forecast" nod in the local weekly newspaper '']Willamette Week
''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture.
History
Early history
''Willame ...
s annual "Best of Portland" issue. Her additional work in Portland television includes anchoring ''Entertainment Zone'' on KPDX
KPDX (channel 49) is a television station licensed to Vancouver, Washington, United States, serving the Portland, Oregon area as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is the only major commercial station in Portland that is licensed to the Washingto ...
from 2004 to 2006.
In November 2003, she joined ''The Afternoon Buzz With Dr. Doug, Daria and Skippy'', a radio 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 Mitch Elliott, a popular DJ from Seattle, on board along with producer Ted Douglass, creating ''The Afternoon Buzz With Daria, Mitch and Ted''.[ The program helped her earn honors including four consecutive "Portland's Favorite Radio Personality" awards.]
One of Eiluk's signature features was "Daria's Local Entertainment Guide," which she wrote herself. The daily segment mixed 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 was later released on compact disc with proceeds 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
Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
, opted not to renew her contract. She launched the podcast ''Radio Free Daria'' in October 2018 and continues to write fiction and appear at Portland area events.
Other work
Eiluk appeared in productions of ''Down South'' in 2002 and ''Bad Dates'' in 2005 staged by Triangle Productions.[ 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
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve A ...
and others. She introduced a concert during the Salem public library's "World of Music at the Library" series in 2006.[ She also starred in the 2006 short film ''Room to Breathe'' with Everclear singer ]Art Alexakis
Arthur Paul "Art" Alexakis (born April 12, 1962) is an American musician best known as the singer-songwriter and guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several notable bands, in addition to his own work as a songwriter f ...
. Eliuk has also performed several times over the years with The 3rd Floor, a sketch comedy troupe.
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
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
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
The Portland LumberJax (sometimes referred to as the Jax) were a professional box lacrosse, lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League (NLL), which started playing in the 2006 NLL season, 2006 season and ended operations after the 2009 NLL seas ...
goalie Dallas Eliuk
Dallas Eliuk (born November 4, 1964 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a former goaltender and assistant coach in the National Lacrosse League. Upon his retirement from play, Eliuk coached one season with the Portland LumberJax and two with the ...
on December 31, 2007.
The couple welcomed their first child, Alexander Charles Eliuk, on May 26, 2009.
References
External links
Daria's website
Radio Free Daria podcast
Interview with Daria O'Neill
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Daria
American television meteorologists
Radio personalities from Portland, Oregon
Reed College alumni
1971 births
Living people
People from Tipton, Iowa
American women podcasters
American podcasters