Best known for her performances in American soap operas,[1][2] Arvesen landed her two most prominent acting roles as Cassandra Rawlins on The Young and the Restless and as Angela Raymond on the NBC television series Santa Barbara.

[5] Arvensen has two brothers: Jannik Arvesen who is a financial investment adviser in Norway, and Christian Arversen who works in film and special effects in Los Angeles California.

[9] Arvesen initially began her career during her teens as an actress, model, dancer and a classically trained pianist in Norway.

After college, she made the decision to leave Norway in 1986 to pursue her dream of an acting career in the United States where she has appeared in several television shows, commercials and movies.

[11] Soap Opera Digest called Arvesen one of "TV's Most Beautiful Women" in their March 21, 1989 publication,[citation needed] which had over 1 million subscribers at the time.