Vanessa Ferlito American born actress Vanessa Ferlito has only been on the acting scene for about five years, but she has already accumulated impressive credits. She is most known for her work with 24, CSI: New York, and the film Grindhouse. Vanessa Ferlito was born December 28, 1980 in Brooklyn, New York. Of Italian descent, her parents were co-owners of a hair salon. Unfortunately, her father passed away when Ferlito was just three. Deciding upon the world of entertainment, Ferlito made her onscreen debut with the 2002 film On_Line. Her costars included Josh Hamilton and Harold Perrineau. She increased her credibility as an actress when she earned a small role in Spike Lee’s 25th Hour. The film contained an all star cast led by Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, and Brian Cox. She also landed a small part in the film Undefeated, which was both directed by and starred John Leguizamo.
In the television realm, she is noted for portraying Claudia on the hit series 24 from 2003 to 2004. She appeared opposite series regulars Kiefer Sutherland, Elisha Cuthbert, Dennis Haysbert, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. When that job came to an end, she jumped to yet another popular series, CSI: New York. Playing Detective Aiden Burn from 2004 to 2006, she appeared with Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes, and Carmine Giovinazzo. During this stretch, she also gained notoriety for the Sam Raimi blockbuster hit Spider-Man 2 with Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, and Alfred Molina. In addition to successes such as this, Ferlito also lent her acting skills to lesser known and lesser received films such as The Tollbooth in 2004 and Man of the House in 2005 with Tommy Lee Jones, Christina Milian, and Kelli Garner. Of her film projects during this span, only Shadowboxer with Cuba Gooding Jr, Helen Mirren, Macy Gray, and Joseph Gordon Levitt found any level of critical acclaim.
She also noted for her work with the pilot Drift, which aired in 2006. 2007 was a breakout year for the actress, however, when she was cast in the Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino co-directed film Grindhouse. The film drew a multitude of stars including Naveen Andrews, Josh Brolin, Nicolas Cage, Stacy Ferguson, Jordan Ladd, Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell, Marley Shelton, Bruce Willis, and a laundry list of other big names. Adding to her increasing fame, Ferlito took a role in Descent, which tackled the fallout surrounding one woman’s brutal rape. In her personal life, Ferlito is an avid vegetarian and supporter of animal rights. She is also highly involved with PETA. Although Ferlito has kept very quiet about her personal life, it has been confirmed she is the proud mother of one child. |
