Bess Rous was born and raised in New Jersey. At the age of 15, she moved away from home when the opportunity arose for her to further pursue her training as an ice dancer at the prestigious Ice Skating Science Development Center in Newark, Delaware. She attended public high school in the mornings and was privately tutored in the remainder of her academic studies. She later enrolled at The Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

Graduated with a BFA from Rutgers UniversityGraduate of The London Academy of Theatre, London, England, UK.Former competitive ice dancer of 14 years