Vanessa Marcil
Exotic actress Vanessa Marcil was born Vanessa Ortiz on October 15, 1968 in Indio, California . As the great-granddaughter of French mime, Marcel Marceau, Marcil came by her theatrical pursuits honestly. She began acting in plays at age eight; and in sixth grade, the precocious performer took home first place for singing her own song in a school talent competition. Marcil initially studied law at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California ; however, her career would take a different turn.
Marcil began acting professionally in various theater productions before landing the role of Brenda Barrett on ABC’s popular long-running daytime soap, General Hospital, in 1992.
For her work on the show, Marcil received three Daytime Emmy Award nominations; in 1997, 1998 and 2003. In February 1998, Marcil was named Outstanding Lead Actress by the Soap Opera Digest Awards; and in 2003, took home the Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
1998 was a busy year for Marcil. She starred in the made-for-TV movie To Love, Honor and Deceive, as well the Steven Spielberg-produced police drama High Incident, in which she had a recurring guest role. Also that year, Marcil moved into TV’s most exclusive zip code, joining the cast of Beverly Hills 90210 as Gina Kincaid. During this time, Marcil became romantically involved with co-star, Brian Austin Green, with whom she later had a son, Kassius Lijah Marcil-Green, in 2002.
Marcil’s first feature film role came in 1996, starring opposite Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery and Ed Harris in The Rock. In 1999, she starred in two independent films, Nice Guys Sleep Alone alongside Sean O Bryan, and This Space Between Us, co-starring Jeremy Sisto.
In addition to acting awards, Marcil has also been recognized for her efforts to increase awareness of domestic violence. She was awarded the 2001 Sojourn Service Award for her fund-raising work with Sojourn Services for Battered Women and their children, which included hosting charity events and playing on behalf of the organization for Wheel of Fortune. Marcil has also opened Patricia House in Los Angeles, which aids women who can no longer care for their children; and designed a line of children's clothing, which donates a portion of its proceeds to building schools and opening centers for mothers and their children in Africa .
Since 2003, Marcil has starred as casino host Sam Marquez on the television series Las Vegas . The exotic beauty, who is of Mexican, French, Italian and Portuguese descent, has also been featured on the “Hot List” of various men’s magazines, including Stuff, FHM, and Maxim. Despite her sex-symbol status, a modest Marcil reportedly declined an offer to bare-all for the cover of Playboy.
Marcil is rumored to have married actor Corey Feldman in 1989, although she has denied this in interviews. She currently resides with her son in Los Angeles . |
