Laura San Giacomo | |
|---|---|
 San Giacomo at Voice Awards in August 2011 | |
| Born | (1961-11-14)November 14, 1961 (age 63) or (1962-11-14)November 14, 1962 (age 62) West Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Laura San Giacomo (born November 14, 1961[1][2] or 1962[3][4]) is an American actress. She played Cynthia in the filmSex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) for which she won theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, Kit De Luca in the filmPretty Woman (1990), Crazy Cora in the filmQuigley Down Under (1990), Nadine Cross inThe Stand (1994), and Maya Gallo on the sitcomJust Shoot Me! (1997–2003). ABAFTA and two-timeGolden Globe Award nominee, she played the regular role of Rhetta Rodriguez on the dramaSaving Grace (2007–2010), and the recurring role of Dr.Grace Confalone on the dramaNCIS (2016–2024).
San Giacomo, anItalian-American,[5] was born November 14, 1961[1][2] or 1962,[3][4] in West Orange, New Jersey, the daughter of MaryJo and John San Giacomo, apaper mill owner. She grew up inDenville Township, New Jersey, and discovered acting while attendingMorris Knolls High School. In 1984, she received a fine arts degree, specializing in acting, from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh.[citation needed]
After graduating, she moved to New York. San Giacomo then went on to appear in several theater productions, including theGarry Marshall–Lowell Ganz production ofWrong Turn at Lungfish in Los Angeles, the Princeton/McCarter Theatre production ofThree Sisters, and off-Broadway inBeirut. She starred inItalian American Reconciliation, regional productions ofShakespeare'sThe Tempest,As You Like It andRomeo and Juliet as well asCrimes of the Heart. In a review of theWalnut Street Theatre 1986 presentation ofAs You Like It, San Giacomo received a special mention: "although doll-like Laura San Giacomo had only a minor role as a wilful shepherdess, she sank her fangs into it and received the only show-interrupting applause of the evening."[6]
San Giacomo's first television appearances were four episodes on three television series during 1987.[7] Two notable appearances were inCrime Story in 1988 for the episode "Protected Witness" (season 2/episode 13) as Theresa Farantino and inMiami Vice in 1989 for the episode "Leap of Faith" (season 5, episode 21) as Tania Lewis. TheMiami Vice episode also featured a guest appearance by her future husband, actorCameron Dye, one year before their marriage. Previously, she was featured on the daytime soap operaAll My Children as Louisa Sanchez, the Latina common-law wife of Mitch Beck (Brian Fitzpatrick) whose presence threatened to thwart his relationship with Hillary Martin (Carmen Thomas).
San Giacomo first drew international attention inSteven Soderbergh'sSex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), which was her film debut as a credited actor (in the 1988 movieMiles from Home, her role as Sandy was not credited).[7] Her work in the film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and she received aLos Angeles Film Critics Association New Generation Award. The film was honored with theCannes Film Festival's prestigiousPalme d'Or.
In 1990, San Giacomo played a supporting role asJulia Roberts's character's wisecracking roommate Kit De Luca inPretty Woman. The film generated $178 million at the box office.[8]
San Giacomo also has appeared inQuigley Down Under (1990),Vital Signs (1990),Under Suspicion (1991),Once Around (1991),Where the Day Takes You (1992),Nina Takes a Lover (1994), andSuicide Kings (1997). She also appeared asNadine Cross in theStephen King miniseriesThe Stand withRob Lowe, which landed them on the cover of the May 7–13, 1994 issue ofTV Guide. She continued doing films, and as 1999 ended, she did the filmEat Your Heart Out. In 2001, San Giacomo landed the starring role in theJenifer Estess bio-picJenifer.
San Giacomo did voice work for the animated seriesGargoyles (as the character of Fox). However, she went uncredited for the role because her agent believed it would damage her reputation to have worked on an animated series.
Needing to work, but not wanting to be away from her newborn son for months at a time, San Giacomo shifted to television in the role of hot-tempered, sassy journalistMaya Gallo inJust Shoot Me! (1997–2003).[9] Her character was partially based on an unproduced idea that executive producerSteven Levitan once had in mind for actressJaneane Garofalo when he was a writer forThe Larry Sanders Show. San Giacomo was cast in the starring role because the series was meant to center on her character; however, the show soon adopted an ensemble style. Despite the shift in focus, San Giacomo remained an integral part of the show, and she received top billing. She and the four other main cast members appeared in all 148 episodes of the series, which lasted until 2003.
San Giacomo's work during season 2 (1997–1998) earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination in 1998 forBest Actress in a Television Comedy or Musical.
After NBC cancelledJust Shoot Me! in 2003, San Giacomo appeared sporadically on television and in films. She made guest appearances on several television series, including the short-lived crime dramaThe Handler in 2003 andUnscripted in 2005. She was the narrator for the seriesSnapped: Killer Couples. San Giacomo also appeared in the 2005 filmsChecking Out andHavoc as well as the 2006 filmConquistadora. San Giacomo was to have made her return to television onThe WB's new dramaRelated in 2005, but the character was recast due to creative differences.Kiele Sanchez took her place as Anne Sorelli on the show. San Giacomo also made few public appearances; she made her first public appearance in nearly a year on 19 October 2005 at the 15th Annual Environmental Media Awards. She made two more public appearances at the Crystal and Lucy Awards on 6 June 2006 and at the 3rd AnnualAlfred Mann Foundation Innovation and Inspiration Gala on 9 September 2006.
In 2006, San Giacomo returned to network television with three guest appearances on the third season ofVeronica Mars. She reunited withEnrico Colantoni fromJust Shoot Me!, playing Harmony Chase. Both Colantoni and San Giacomo enjoyed their reunion so much that they lobbied for their characters to appear together in more episodes.[10]
In September 2006, San Giacomo secured her first starring role on a television program afterJust Shoot Me! when she reunited with fellow Carnegie-Mellon alumHolly Hunter in the seriesSaving Grace. San Giacomo played Grace's best friend Rhetta Rodriguez.
In June 2010, San Giacomo guest-starred in the episode titled "Death Becomes Her" on the seriesIn Plain Sight. She played a woman from an organized crime family with a terminal illness. In December 2011, San Giacomo appeared on the episode titled "Beards" onHot in Cleveland as Caroline, Melanie's estranged sister.
San Giacomo has been married twice. Her first marriage (1990–1998) was to actorCameron Dye, with whom she had a son, Mason, who was born with cerebral palsy.[11] In 2000, she remarried, to actorMatt Adler. She is a cousin ofTorry Castellano, former drummer of the rock groupThe Donnas.[citation needed]
She lives in theSan Fernando Valley, California.[citation needed]
San Giacomo has been honored by theAmerican Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, by Media Access for a TVpublic service announcement on "Inclusive Education" (inThe More You Know), byShane's Inspiration with its Humanitarian Award, andRedbook's Mother and Shaker Award. She has been a keynote speaker at various conferences for TASH and CalTASH, which promote an inclusive society, and at two conferences sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, and at the Young Neuroscientists' Workshop for theChildren's Neurobiological Solutions Foundation (now thePediatric Brain Foundation).[12]
In 2021, she was listed as the board secretary of the international wheelchair-charity Momentum Wheels for Humanity,[13] and honorary chair of the Environment of People Foundation, Inc., a charity promoting music opportunities for children.[12]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Spenser: For Hire | Sharon | Episode: "On the Night He Was Betrayed" |
| 1988 | Crime Story | Theresa Farantino | Episode: "Protected Witness" |
| 1989 | The Equalizer | Trudy Collins | Episode: "The Caper" |
| Miami Vice | Tania Louis | Episode: "Leap of Faith" | |
| 1993 | For Their Own Good | Jo Mandell | |
| 1994 | The Stand | Nadine Cross | TV miniseries |
| 1994–1997 | Gargoyles | Fox | Voice, recurring role |
| 1995 | Fallen Angels | Peggy | Episode: "Fly Paper" |
| 1996 | The Right to Remain Silent | Nicole Savita | |
| 1997-2003 | Just Shoot Me! | Maya Gallo | 149 episodes |
| 1999 | The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs | Agent Nine | Voice, episode: "Zero" |
| 1999 | Batman Beyond | Mary Michaels / Freon | Voice, episode: "Heroes" |
| 2001 | Sister Mary Explains It All | Angela DiMarco | |
| Jenifer | Jenifer Estess | ||
| 2003 | The Electric Piper | Mrs. Robinson | |
| 2003 | The Handler | Karen | Episode: "Homewrecker's Ball" |
| 2006 | Related | Ann Sorelli | Episode: "Pilot" |
| Veronica Mars | Harmony Chase | Recurring | |
| 2007–2010 | Saving Grace | Rhetta Rodriguez | Recurring |
| 2010 | In Plain Sight | Mia Cusato | Episode: "Death Becomes Her" |
| The Defenders | Judge Anna Desanti | Episode: "Nevada v. Sen. Harper" | |
| Medium | Susannah Collings | Episode: "The People in Your Neighborhood" | |
| 2011 | Hot in Cleveland | Caroline | Episode: "Beards" |
| 2012 | TalhotBlond | Carol | Television film |
| 2013 | The Mentalist | Miriam Gottlieb | Episode: "Red John's Rules" |
| 2016 | Full Circle | Elena Medina | |
| 2016–2024 | NCIS | Grace Confalone | Recurring |
| 2017–2018 | Animal Kingdom | Morgan Wilson | Recurring |
| 2018 | Grey's Anatomy | Marjorie Kersey | Episode: "Caught Somewhere in Time" |
| 2022 | Barry | Annie Eisner | 4 episodes |
| 2022–2023 | The Santa Clauses | La Befana | 7 episodes |
| TBA | Margo's Got Money Troubles | Susie | Upcoming miniseries |
Denville, NJ, 11/14/61
Orange, NJ, Nov. 14, 1961
Hoboken, NJ, 11/14/62
b. 14 Nov. 1962, West Orange, New Jersey
