Lorraine Bracco was born on October 2, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of twenty, she moved to France, where she enjoyed success as a fashion model for designer Jean Paul Gaultier.
Eager to enter the acting world, Bracco appeared first in French films, while her first appearance in an English film was in the 1987 comedy The Pick-up Artist, starring Molly Ringwald, Robert Downey Jr, and Dennis Hopper.
Her role as a mobster’s wife in the 1990 film Goodfellas is arguably her best known film role. Directed by Martin Scorcese, and co-starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Paul Sorvino, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Bracco’s portrayal of Karen Hill, the wife of real life mob gangster turned informer Henry Hill earned the actress an Academy nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Throughout the next number of years, she appeared in a number of hit films, such as Riding in Cars with Boys, starring Drew Barrymore, Brittany Murphy, and James Woods; The Basketball Diaries, in which she shared the screen with Hollywood hunk Leonardo DiCaprio; and Hackers, with Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie.
In 1999, Bracco began appearing as Dr. Jennifer Melfi in The Sopranos. The series, which focuses on the life of mob boss Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, has enjoyed considerable success, but has also been met with criticism for what some people see as a stereotypical and negative portrayal of Italian Americans. The series, which has since ended, also starred Jamie Lynn Sigler, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, and Robert Iler. Bracco plays Tony’s therapist, and as such is privy to all of his personal secrets, ones Tony has not even revealed to his family or associates. Melfi is subjected to Tony’s frequent changes of mood, but also to his romantic advances. Their relationship is complicated, with Melfi secretly harboring romantic feelings for the mobster. Her role has garnered her three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1999, 2000, and 2001. There is no word on any future projects in store for the actor since the recent end of the series.
In her personal life, Bracco has been involved in several long term relationships. She married Daniel Guerard in 1979, giving birth to daughter Margaux before divorcing in 1982. Her short-lived relationship with Harvey Keitel resulted in the birth of daughter Stella, but also in a lengthy and expensive custody battle. Bracco was ultimately forced to declare bankruptcy due to the immense legal costs associated with her attempts to gain custody of her daughter. She married again in 1994, this time to American actor Edward James Olmos. Like the others, however, this relationship ultimately ended. Since her most recent divorce in 2002, Bracco has reportedly been dating former basketball player Jason Cipolla.
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