Ylfa Edelstein, was born and raised in Reykjavik, Iceland. Her grandparents, fled Nazi Germany in 1938, settling in Iceland after her grandfather was offered a position as a cellist with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra. From an early age, Ylfa showed a proclivity for performance, in ballet, theatre and music. Her first role came at the age of 6 for Icelandic Television. She came to the United States, as a teenager, to study Theatre and never looked back. She resides in New York City.