Kristanna Loken was born on October 8, 1979, in Ghent, New York, to Rande Porath, a model, and Merlin "Chris" Loken, a writer and apple farmer. She is of half Norwegian and half German descent. Kristanna grew up in Upstate New York, where she spent her childhood on her parents' fruit farm.

She has a sister named Tanya, who is 16 years older than her. Kristanna's family follows many Norwegian traditions, especially during Christmas, which she hopes to continue with her own family.

Kristanna Loken began her modeling career at the age of 15 and participated in the 1994 Elite Model Look, where she placed third runner-up. Encouraged by her mother, she transitioned into acting in 1994, starting with a role on the soap opera "As the World Turns."

She later appeared in several television shows and films, including "Mortal Kombat: Conquest" and "Air Panic." Her breakthrough role came in 2003 when she played the gynoid T-X in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," for which she was nominated for two Saturn Awards.

She continued to build her career with roles in films such as "BloodRayne" (2005), where she portrayed Rayne, and "Bounty Killer" (2013). She also starred in the TV series "Painkiller Jane" (2007), "The L Word" (2007-2008), and "Burn Notice" (2011-2012).

In her personal life, Kristanna Loken married Noah Danby in 2008, but the couple divorced a year later. She is currently single and has a son named Thor Bates, born in May 2016.