Fiorentino originally had plans to become a lawyer, but decided to pursue acting instead. She moved to New York and enrolled in the Circle in the Square Theater School.
Acting roles didn’t come to her easily. Shortly after graduation she moved to the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City and worked as bartender at the Kamikaze Club with a then-unknown Bruce Willis.
While working at the bar, Fiorentino landed her first professional acting role in 1985’s Vision Quest, beating out actresses like Rebecca De Mornay, Rosanna Arquette, and Demi Moore for the position.
Next, Fiorentino starred in Gotcha! in 1985, and followed that with a memorable role as a dominatrix in Martin Scorsese's comedy After Hours in 1985. She followed these big projects with bit parts in several forgettable movies such as The Moderns in 1988, Wildfire in 1988, Queens Logic in 1991, Shout in 1991, Strangers in 1991, Chain of Desire in 1992, and Beyond the Law in 1992.
Fiorentino made her big break into the acting world in 1994 when she took the lead as femme fatale Bridget Gregory in the noir thriller, The Last Seduction. She received glowing reviews and accolades for her acting skills in the movie. Despite this, she was ineligible to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress because the movie was originally made for and broadcast on HBO. The film’s producers filed a lawsuit to change the Academy rules, but didn’t win the suit.
In 1995 she was acted in the erotic thriller Jade, and followed that up with a role as an introverted scientist in director John Dahl’s 1996 movie, Unforgettable, starring Ray Liotta.
In 1997 Fiorentino landed the role of Dr. Laurel Weaver/Agent L in Men in Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. It’s been rumored that she won the part in a poker game with director Barry Sonnenfeld.
Since then Fiorentino has landed only a few acting roles. In 1999 she played the last descendant of Christ in the controversial comedy Dogma. In 2000 she appeared in the movies Ordinary Decent Criminal, with Kevin Spacey;What Planet Are You From?; and Where the Money Is.
In 2002 she acted in Liberty Stands Still, and will be voicing the part of Sammy the Giraffe in the movie 2, to be released in 2008.
Fiorentino has been married once, briefly to filmmaker John Byrum. The two divorced in 1993. She currently lives in Westport, Connecticut.
YUDDY
