Lisa Barbuscia
Encyclopedia
Lisa Barbuscia also known as Lisa B, is an American
model, singer and actress. She is known for small roles in a number of films, including Bridget Jones's Diary
, Highlander: Endgame
, and Almost Heroes
. Her father is of Italian
and Irish
descent, and her mother is Puerto Rican. She released her debut EP
Telling Tales in 2004.
, made famous by the movie Fame. Having lived in England
for over a decade, she feels a Brit
in spirit and describes herself as a "NY Cocktail" of Puerto Rican, Italian and Irish roots. At 17, she arrived in Europe where she embarked on a successful career as an international top model, working with publications such as Vogue
, Elle
and Cosmopolitan
, and advertising in campaigns for Guess jeans. Barbuscia has walked the catwalks for designers such as Chanel
, Valentino
and Dolce & Gabbana
. She's been seen as Mick Jagger
's dream girl in the Rolling Stones's "Sex Drive", and was one of the leather-clad vixens in the Sister's of Murphy's commercials.
At 19 she embarked on a singing career, signing a recording contract
with Pete Tong
at London Records
, and recording with the producer
, Paul Oakenfold
. She released three hit singles, "Glam", "Fascinated" and "You & Me", all of which reached the UK Singles Chart
. She secured a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music
that took her to Los Angeles to collaborate with other songwriters, where she met Ian Faith. She wrote and recorded an EP
called Telling Tales, which caught the attention of producer Luc Besson
. Her song "Adore You" is the end title song of the movie, and is featured on the soundtrack
of Kiss of the Dragon
.
Having had success with music, she was soon offered parts in film. Her first role as an American jazz
singer and gangster's moll
in the television drama Queen of Clubs gave her the acting bug. She headed to the West Coast to hone her acting skills and studied method acting
for a year. She soon landed a role on Darren Star
's Central Park West
. Films which followed are The Serpent's Lair, where she plays the femme fatale as the right hand woman to the devil; Almost Heroes
, opposite Matthew Perry
and Chris Farley
, playing Shaquinna, a Native American squaw; Highlander: Endgame
, opposite Adrian Paul
, set in present day with flashbacks to the 18th century, Barbuscia played a vengeful fashion designer caught in bitter wars of murder, passion and betrayal. In the Bridget Jones's Diary
, she played the glamorous New Yorker, and girlfriend of Hugh Grant
's character Daniel Cleaver. On television, she played in Keen Eddie
, a series directed by Simon West
.
Barbuscia is also a passionate animal activist
and is the Ambassador for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, as well as working on campaigns for other charities such as Wildlifeline and World Society for the Protection of Animals
. She participated at the PETA
's campaign "Leave Wildlife out of Your Wardrobe".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
model, singer and actress. She is known for small roles in a number of films, including Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy...
, Highlander: Endgame
Highlander: Endgame
Highlander: Endgame is a 2000 fantasy film originally released on September 1, 2000. It is the fourth theatrical release in the Highlander film series, and it serves as both a continuation of the Highlander films and the Highlander television series...
, and Almost Heroes
Almost Heroes
Almost Heroes is a 1998 adventure comedy film directed by Christopher Guest, narrated by Guest's friend and frequent collaborator Harry Shearer, and starring Chris Farley and Matthew Perry.-Plot:...
. Her father is of Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
descent, and her mother is Puerto Rican. She released her debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Telling Tales in 2004.
Career
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Barbuscia honed her talents at the New York Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing ArtsFiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...
, made famous by the movie Fame. Having lived in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for over a decade, she feels a Brit
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
in spirit and describes herself as a "NY Cocktail" of Puerto Rican, Italian and Irish roots. At 17, she arrived in Europe where she embarked on a successful career as an international top model, working with publications such as Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, Elle
Elle (magazine)
Elle is a worldwide magazine of French origin that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. It was founded by Pierre Lazareff and his wife Hélène Gordon in 1945. The title, in French, means "she".-History:Elle was founded in...
and Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
, and advertising in campaigns for Guess jeans. Barbuscia has walked the catwalks for designers such as Chanel
Chanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
, Valentino
Valentino SpA
Valentino SpA is a clothing company founded in 1959 by Valentino Garavani. Nowadays it is a part of Valentino Fashion Group. New creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli will take Alessandra Facchinetti's seat as creative designer...
and Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana is an Italian luxury industry fashion house. The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was €597 million....
. She's been seen as Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
's dream girl in the Rolling Stones's "Sex Drive", and was one of the leather-clad vixens in the Sister's of Murphy's commercials.
At 19 she embarked on a singing career, signing a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Pete Tong
Pete Tong
Peter "Pete" Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for...
at London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
, and recording with the producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
. She released three hit singles, "Glam", "Fascinated" and "You & Me", all of which reached the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. She secured a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music
Warner/Chappell Music
Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company, and a division of the Warner Music Group. The company traces its origins back to 1811 and the founding of Chappell & Company, a music publishing company and instrument shop on London’s Bond Street that, in 1929, began a rapid...
that took her to Los Angeles to collaborate with other songwriters, where she met Ian Faith. She wrote and recorded an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
called Telling Tales, which caught the attention of producer Luc Besson
Luc Besson
Luc Besson is a French film director, writer, and producer. He is the creator of EuropaCorp film company. He has been involved with over 50 films, spanning 26 years, as writer, director, and/or producer.-Early life:...
. Her song "Adore You" is the end title song of the movie, and is featured on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of Kiss of the Dragon
Kiss of the Dragon
Kiss of the Dragon is a 2001 martial arts action film, directed by Chris Nahon, co-written and produced by Luc Besson, and starring Jet Li, Bridget Fonda, and Tchéky Karyo....
.
Having had success with music, she was soon offered parts in film. Her first role as an American jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer and gangster's moll
Gun moll
Gun moll is a term that refers to the female companion of a male professional criminal. In some contexts, gun moll more specifically suggests that the woman handles a firearm....
in the television drama Queen of Clubs gave her the acting bug. She headed to the West Coast to hone her acting skills and studied method acting
Method acting
Method acting is a phrase that loosely refers to a family of techniques used by actors to create in themselves the thoughts and emotions of their characters, so as to develop lifelike performances...
for a year. She soon landed a role on Darren Star
Darren Star
Darren Bennett Star is an American producer, director and writer for film and television. He is best known for creating the hit TV shows Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sex and the City.-Career:...
's Central Park West
Central Park West (TV series)
Central Park West is an American prime time television soap opera that ran from September 1995 to June 1996 on CBS. The series was created and executive produced by Melrose Places Darren Star. As the title suggests, CPW was set in New York, in the affluent Central Park West area of Manhattan...
. Films which followed are The Serpent's Lair, where she plays the femme fatale as the right hand woman to the devil; Almost Heroes
Almost Heroes
Almost Heroes is a 1998 adventure comedy film directed by Christopher Guest, narrated by Guest's friend and frequent collaborator Harry Shearer, and starring Chris Farley and Matthew Perry.-Plot:...
, opposite Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry (actor)
Matthew Langford Perry is a Canadian-American actor and comedian, best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Chandler Bing on the popular, long-running NBC television sitcom Friends...
and Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
, playing Shaquinna, a Native American squaw; Highlander: Endgame
Highlander: Endgame
Highlander: Endgame is a 2000 fantasy film originally released on September 1, 2000. It is the fourth theatrical release in the Highlander film series, and it serves as both a continuation of the Highlander films and the Highlander television series...
, opposite Adrian Paul
Adrian Paul
Adrian Paul Hewett , better known as Adrian Paul, is an actor best known for his role on the television series Highlander: The Series as Duncan MacLeod. In 1997, he founded The Peace Fund charitable organization.-Early life:...
, set in present day with flashbacks to the 18th century, Barbuscia played a vengeful fashion designer caught in bitter wars of murder, passion and betrayal. In the Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy...
, she played the glamorous New Yorker, and girlfriend of Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
's character Daniel Cleaver. On television, she played in Keen Eddie
Keen Eddie
Keen Eddie is an American action, comedy-drama television series that aired in 2003 on the Fox Network. The series follows a brash NYPD detective who goes to London when one of his cases goes sour and remains to work with New Scotland Yard...
, a series directed by Simon West
Simon West
Simon West is an English-born film director. West started as a film editor with the BBC, then directed documentaries and commercials including many for Budweiser...
.
Barbuscia is also a passionate animal activist
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
and is the Ambassador for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, as well as working on campaigns for other charities such as Wildlifeline and World Society for the Protection of Animals
World Society for the Protection of Animals
The World Society for the Protection of Animals is an international non-profit animal welfare organization and also a federation of such organisations and active in over 150 countries with more than 1000 member societies.- Organization :...
. She participated at the PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
's campaign "Leave Wildlife out of Your Wardrobe".