Israeli-American actor Alona Tal was born on October 20, 1983 in Herzliya, Israel. Always inclined towards acting, she studied at the Thelma Yellin School of Arts in Tel Aviv, and later at the Lee Strasburg Theatre Institute in New York City. After serving a stint in the Israeli army, she pursued an acting career, starting with voice work on a children’s album. After roles in television commercials and guest spots, she took her first big role, in the Israeli series Lihiyot Kochav (Being A Star); this was followed by roles in the soap opera Zimmerim (Guest Rooms) and the comedy Ha-Pajimot (The Pajamas), where she also demonstrated her musical talent.
Tal moved to her sister’s place in New York, and there met singer Wyclef Jean. She would later record a song with him, “Party to Damascus,” which was released as a single in 2003; she sang the Hebrew lines of the song. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue further acting opportunities. She auditioned, albeit unsuccessfully, for the title role in Veronica Mars, but show creator Rob Thomas liked her so much that he wrote a recurring character, as popular but nice girl Meg Manning. She later had another recurring role, this time on Supernatural as Jo Harvelle, the daughter of Ellen Harvelle (Samantha Ferris). She also played guest roles in 7th Heaven, Cold Case and Commander in Chief, and was part of the pilot for Split Decision, which was not picked up by networks.
Tal later earned her first regular television role, appearing on the drama series Cane. She played Rebecca, the wife of Jaime Duque (Michael Trevino). The series suffered a heavy blow due to the WGA strike in 2007, and the drama’s chances for renewal faded until it was eventually cancelled in the middle of 2008.