A native of Wellington, Florida, Krakow graduated from the Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach.[1] She studied drama at the Juilliard School in New York ****, and began her acting career on stage, with roles in The Importance of Being Earnest, George the Fourth, and Steel Magnolias.[2] From 2010 to 2012 she had a recurring role of Specialist Tanya Gabriel in the Lifetime television drama series Army Wives, playing a medic in Afghanistan, and later guest-starred on Castle.[2] In 2014, Krakow began starring as the lead character in the Hallmark Channel drama series When Calls the Heart. She plays Elizabeth Thatcher, a role originated by Poppy Drayton in the movie that spawned the series.