Charlotte Ayanna was born in Puerto Rico, but moved to Vermont at an early age. She had a troubled childhood, spending thirteen years in foster homes after her mother was judged to be mentally unfit to look after her and her two siblings. Ayanna has since become a spokeswoman for foster children.

Her first national exposure was in 1993, when she became Miss Teen USA. This helped her land TV guest appearances on shows like Weird Science. Eventually, film roles followed, including The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000), Kate & Leopold (2001), and several others. She also shared top billing in Rennie's Landing (Stealing Time) released in 2001.