Lorraine Bracco
Encyclopedia
Lorraine Bracco is an American actress. She is best known for her TV roles as Dr. Jennifer Melfi
on HBO series, The Sopranos
, and Angela Rizzoli on the TNT
series, Rizzoli & Isles
. She is also known for her role as Karen Hill in the movie Goodfellas
.
, New York City
neighborhood of Bay Ridge
and grew up in Westbury
, on Maxwell Drive on Long Island
. She graduated from Hicksville High School in 1972. Her father is Italian American
and her mother is English
; Bracco is fluent in English
, French
and Italian
.
, where she became a fashion model for Jean-Paul Gaultier
. While there, she was introduced to the director and novelist Lina Wertmuller
. In the early 1970s, Wertmuller recruited Bracco in a new film production titled Camorra
. "She dressed me up like an Italian woman of no means. A street woman clad in disheveled clothes, hair unkempt and all that, and threw me on the set. She was so creative. I mean, Lina accentuated my eyes with dark make-up, the way Sophia Loren
used to appear in those epic roles in the '60s. And talk about talent. She's so bright and perceptive. I mean, she's just fantastic. And yes, I learned a lot from her. She's a master of her profession, and I've been blessed not only with her, but also with so many masters," recounted Bracco to Daniel Simone during an interview, which was published in the December 14, 2007 issue of Dan's Papers.
Bracco acted in several French-language films. She also once worked as a disc jockey
for Radio Luxembourg
. She appeared as Paul Guilfoyle
's hostage in the first season Crime Story
episode "Hide and Go Thief". Her sister Elizabeth
played a hostage in the series pilot. Her other films include Someone to Watch Over Me
, Riding in Cars with Boys
, The Basketball Diaries
, Medicine Man
, Radio Flyer
and Hackers
.
Bracco received her big career break when offered the role as the mobster-wife Karen Hill in Goodfellas
, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress
and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
, she won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
.
During the audition process for The Sopranos, David Chase wanted her to read for the lead female role of Carmela Soprano
. However, Bracco had read the script and was drawn to the part of psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi. Bracco felt strongly enough about her ability and desire to play this part that she arranged a meeting with David Chase and talked him into letting her have a chance as Dr. Melfi. It netted her three consecutive nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the Emmy Awards in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and at the Golden Globe awards for Best TV Actress in a Drama in 2000, 2001 and 2002. She lost out at the Emmys in 1999 and 2001 and at the Golden Globes in 2000 to her co-star Edie Falco
. She was nominated again at the 2007 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
, thus being pitted against The Sopranos
co-star Aida Turturro
for the award.
. Following a subsequent breakup with Keitel, she then married Edward James Olmos
in 1994. Their marriage ended in 2002. She has two children, Stella Keitel and Margaux Guerard.
She is the owner of Bracco Wines, with association of straight-up brands LLC. Her line of wines was featured on the Season 1 finale of Bravo's show Top Chef
in 2006. She appeared as a guest judge for the two-episode finale. She also appeared as a special judge on Top Chef: All Stars
in the episode titled, "An Offer They Can't Refuse" which featured Italian cuisine.
Bracco appeared on a season 6 episode of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay
as a guest judge for the ravioli Throwdown.
Jennifer Melfi
Jennifer Melfi, M.D., is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the psychiatrist of Mafia boss Tony Soprano. She is portrayed by Lorraine Bracco.-Character description:...
on HBO series, The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, and Angela Rizzoli on the TNT
TNT
TNT is the chemical explosive trinitrotoluene.TNT or T.N.T. may also refer to:-Television:* TNT , American cable television channel and its international offshoots* TNT , a television station in Launceston, Australia...
series, Rizzoli & Isles
Rizzoli & Isles
Rizzoli & Isles is a TNT television series starring Angie Harmon as police detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. The one-hour drama is based on the Rizzoli & Isles series of novels by Tess Gerritsen...
. She is also known for her role as Karen Hill in the movie Goodfellas
Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
.
Early life
Bracco was born in the BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
neighborhood of Bay Ridge
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. It is bounded by Sunset Park on the north, Seventh Avenue and Dyker Heights on the east, The Narrows Strait, which partially houses the Belt Parkway, on the west and 86th Street and Fort Hamilton on...
and grew up in Westbury
Westbury, New York
Westbury incorporated in 1932 as a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 15,146 at the 2010 census.The Village of Westbury is in the Town of North Hempstead....
, on Maxwell Drive on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. She graduated from Hicksville High School in 1972. Her father is Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
and her mother is English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
; Bracco is fluent in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
.
Career
In 1974 Bracco moved to FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where she became a fashion model for Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier , born 24 April 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France) is a French haute couture fashion designer. Gaultier was the creative director of Hermès from 2003 to 2010. In the past, he has hosted the television series Eurotrash....
. While there, she was introduced to the director and novelist Lina Wertmuller
Lina Wertmüller
Lina Wertmüller is an Italian film writer and director of aristocratic Swiss descent. In 1976, she became the first woman ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Directing with the film Seven Beauties.-Biography:...
. In the early 1970s, Wertmuller recruited Bracco in a new film production titled Camorra
Camorra (A Story of Streets, Women and Crime)
Camorra is a 1986 Italian crime film directed by Lina Wertmüller. It was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Ángela Molina as Annunziata* Harvey Keitel as Frankie...
. "She dressed me up like an Italian woman of no means. A street woman clad in disheveled clothes, hair unkempt and all that, and threw me on the set. She was so creative. I mean, Lina accentuated my eyes with dark make-up, the way Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
used to appear in those epic roles in the '60s. And talk about talent. She's so bright and perceptive. I mean, she's just fantastic. And yes, I learned a lot from her. She's a master of her profession, and I've been blessed not only with her, but also with so many masters," recounted Bracco to Daniel Simone during an interview, which was published in the December 14, 2007 issue of Dan's Papers.
Bracco acted in several French-language films. She also once worked as a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
for Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg (French)
Radio Luxembourg - 1933-1939 and 1951- is the name of a Long Wave commercial radio station that began broadcasting from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 1933 as a daytime and evening service in the French language from Monday to Saturday and until 12 Noon on Sundays.The station closed down at the...
. She appeared as Paul Guilfoyle
Paul Guilfoyle
Paul Guilfoyle is an American television and film actor. He is currently a regular cast member of the forensic television drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation where he plays Captain Jim Brass.-Early life:...
's hostage in the first season Crime Story
Crime Story (TV series)
Crime Story is an NBC TV drama created by Gustave Reininger and Chuck Adamson. The executive producer was Michael Mann, who had left Miami Vice to oversee Crime Story and direct the film Manhunter. The show premiered with a two hour pilot — a movie which had been exhibited theatrically —...
episode "Hide and Go Thief". Her sister Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bracco
Elizabeth Bracco is an American actress who is best known for her role as Marie Spatafore, wife of Vito Spatafore, on the HBO TV series, The Sopranos....
played a hostage in the series pilot. Her other films include Someone to Watch Over Me
Someone to Watch over Me (film)
Someone to Watch Over Me is a 1987 film starring Tom Berenger and Mimi Rogers and directed by Ridley Scott. The film's soundtrack includes the George and Ira Gershwin song from which the film takes its title, here sung by Sting, and Vangelis' Memories of Green, originally from Scott's Blade...
, Riding in Cars with Boys
Riding in Cars with Boys
Riding in Cars with Boys is a 2001 film based on the autobiography of the same name by Beverly Donofrio, about a woman who overcame difficulties including being a teen mother to earning a master's degree from the span of 1961 to 1986. It stars Drew Barrymore, Steve Zahn, Brittany Murphy, and James...
, The Basketball Diaries
The Basketball Diaries (film)
The Basketball Diaries is a 1995 American drama film directed by Scott Kalvert, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, James Madio, and Mark Wahlberg...
, Medicine Man
Medicine Man (film)
Medicine Man is a 1992 American film directed by John McTiernan. The film stars Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco. It also features a noteworthy score by composer Jerry Goldsmith.- Plot :...
, Radio Flyer
Radio Flyer (film)
Radio Flyer is a 1992 drama-fantasy film from Columbia Pictures. It is a Stonebridge Entertainment Production in association with Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions ....
and Hackers
Hackers (film)
Hackers is a 1995 American thriller film directed by Iain Softley and starring Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller, Renoly Santiago, Matthew Lillard, Lorraine Bracco and Fisher Stevens...
.
Bracco received her big career break when offered the role as the mobster-wife Karen Hill in Goodfellas
Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year....
, she won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress is one of the annual awards given by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.This award has been awarded since 1977.-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress is an annual award given by the Chicago Film Critics Association.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:...
.
During the audition process for The Sopranos, David Chase wanted her to read for the lead female role of Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano
Carmela Soprano née DeAngelis, played by Edie Falco, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. She is the wife of Mafia boss Tony Soprano and the program's most prominent female character.-Character biography:...
. However, Bracco had read the script and was drawn to the part of psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi. Bracco felt strongly enough about her ability and desire to play this part that she arranged a meeting with David Chase and talked him into letting her have a chance as Dr. Melfi. It netted her three consecutive nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the Emmy Awards in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and at the Golden Globe awards for Best TV Actress in a Drama in 2000, 2001 and 2002. She lost out at the Emmys in 1999 and 2001 and at the Golden Globes in 2000 to her co-star Edie Falco
Edie Falco
Edith "Edie" Falco is an American television, film and stage actress, known for her roles in Oz as Diane Wittlesey, as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos, and as the titular character on the Showtime series Nurse Jackie...
. She was nominated again at the 2007 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series
This is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series-Superlatives:-1960s:*1960: no award*1961: no award*1962: Pamela Brown – Victoria Regina*1963: Glenda Farrell – Ben Casey...
, thus being pitted against The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
co-star Aida Turturro
Aida Turturro
Aida Turturro is an American actress probably best known for playing Janice Soprano, sister of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, on the HBO TV series The Sopranos .-Personal life:...
for the award.
Personal life
Bracco has been married and divorced twice. Her first marriage was to Daniel Guerard from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, after which she entered into a 12-year relationship with actor Harvey KeitelHarvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
. Following a subsequent breakup with Keitel, she then married Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
in 1994. Their marriage ended in 2002. She has two children, Stella Keitel and Margaux Guerard.
She is the owner of Bracco Wines, with association of straight-up brands LLC. Her line of wines was featured on the Season 1 finale of Bravo's show Top Chef
Top Chef
Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
in 2006. She appeared as a guest judge for the two-episode finale. She also appeared as a special judge on Top Chef: All Stars
Top Chef (season 8)
Top Chef: All-Stars is the eighth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in New York City, New York and concluded in The Bahamas. This season consists of chefs from the previous 7 seasons who did not win the Title of Top Chef. The season premiered on December 1,...
in the episode titled, "An Offer They Can't Refuse" which featured Italian cuisine.
Bracco appeared on a season 6 episode of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay
Throwdown! with Bobby Flay
Throwdown! with Bobby Flay is a Food Network television program in which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenges cooks renowned for a specific dish or type of cooking to a cook-off of their signature dish....
as a guest judge for the ravioli Throwdown.
Selected filmography
- Someone to Watch Over MeSomeone to Watch over Me (film)Someone to Watch Over Me is a 1987 film starring Tom Berenger and Mimi Rogers and directed by Ridley Scott. The film's soundtrack includes the George and Ira Gershwin song from which the film takes its title, here sung by Sting, and Vangelis' Memories of Green, originally from Scott's Blade...
(1987) - Ellie Keegan - The Pick-up ArtistThe Pick-up Artist (film)The Pick-up Artist is a 1987 American film written and directed by James Toback. This romantic comedy starred Molly Ringwald and Robert Downey Jr. It was rated PG-13 by the MPAA.-Plot:...
(1987) - Carla - SingSing (1989 film)Sing is a 1989 film, starring Lorraine Bracco, Peter Dobson and Jessica Steen. The movie is about a fictional New York City SING! production...
(1989) - Miss Lombardo - The Dream TeamThe Dream Team (film)The Dream Team is a 1989 comedy film directed by Howard Zieff and produced by Christopher W. Knight for Imagine Entertainment and Universal Pictures. It stars Michael Keaton, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Boyle and Stephen Furst as mental-hospital inpatients who are left unsupervised in New York City...
(1989) - Riley - GoodfellasGoodfellasGoodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
(1990) - Karen Hill - SwitchSwitch (film)Switch is a 1991 comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards. A promiscuous man is murdered by his lovers and reincarnated as a beautiful woman .-Legacy:...
(1991) - Sheila Faxton - Talent for the GameTalent for the GameTalent for the Game was a 1991 film about a baseball scout, directed by Robert M. Young and starring Edward James Olmos and Lorraine Bracco in her first film after Goodfellas.It co-stars Terry Kinney, Jamey Sheridan and Jeff Corbett....
(1991) - Bobbie - Medicine ManMedicine Man (film)Medicine Man is a 1992 American film directed by John McTiernan. The film stars Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco. It also features a noteworthy score by composer Jerry Goldsmith.- Plot :...
(1992) - Dr. Rae Crane - Radio FlyerRadio Flyer (film)Radio Flyer is a 1992 drama-fantasy film from Columbia Pictures. It is a Stonebridge Entertainment Production in association with Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions ....
(1992) - Mary - Traces of RedTraces of RedTraces of Red is a 1992 crime drama film that stars James Belushi, Lorraine Bracco and Tony Goldwyn. The film was released by The Samuel Goldwyn Company on November 11, 1992 and directed by Andy Wolk.-Plot:...
(1992) - Ellen - Even Cowgirls Get the BluesEven Cowgirls Get the Blues (film)Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is a 1993 American comedy-drama-romance film based on the 1976 Tom Robbins novel of the same name. The film was directed by Gus Van Sant, Jr. and starred Uma Thurman, Lorraine Bracco, Pat Morita, Angie Dickinson, Keanu Reeves, John Hurt, Rain Phoenix, and Grace...
(1993) - Delores Del Ruby - Getting GottiGetting GottiGetting Gotti is a 1994 TV film centered on a Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney named Diane Giacalone, and her attempts to build a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act case against John Gotti and the Gambino crime family. It was shot in Toronto, Ontario.-Cast:The movie starred...
(1994) - Diane Giacalone - HackersHackers (film)Hackers is a 1995 American thriller film directed by Iain Softley and starring Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller, Renoly Santiago, Matthew Lillard, Lorraine Bracco and Fisher Stevens...
(1995) - Margo - The Basketball DiariesThe Basketball Diaries (film)The Basketball Diaries is a 1995 American drama film directed by Scott Kalvert, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, James Madio, and Mark Wahlberg...
(1995) - Mrs. Carroll - The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
(1999-2007) - Dr. Jennifer Melfi (TV) - Riding in Cars with BoysRiding in Cars with BoysRiding in Cars with Boys is a 2001 film based on the autobiography of the same name by Beverly Donofrio, about a woman who overcame difficulties including being a teen mother to earning a master's degree from the span of 1961 to 1986. It stars Drew Barrymore, Steve Zahn, Brittany Murphy, and James...
(2001) - Mrs. Teresa Donofrio - My Suicidal SweetheartMy Suicidal SweetheartMy Suicidal Sweetheart is an American independent dark comedy film written and produced by Michael Parness. The initial working title of the film was Saving Grace; this title was later changed to Max & Grace during production, and remained in place prior to its release on the film festival circuit...
(2005) - Sheila - Son of Mourning (2009) - Leda
- Rizzoli & IslesRizzoli & IslesRizzoli & Isles is a TNT television series starring Angie Harmon as police detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. The one-hour drama is based on the Rizzoli & Isles series of novels by Tess Gerritsen...
(2010) - Angela Rizzoli - I Married A Mobster (2011) - Narrator