Laura San Giacomo

Last updated
Laura San Giacomo
Laura San Giacomo.jpg
San Giacomo at Voice Awards in August 2011
Born (1961-11-14) November 14, 1961 (age 62) or (1962-11-14) November 14, 1962 (age 61)
West Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
Education Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
OccupationActress
Years active1987–present
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1990;div. 1998)​
​
(m. 2000)​
Children1

Laura San Giacomo (born November 14, 1961 [1] [2] or 1962 [3] [4] ) is an American actress. She played Cynthia in the film Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, Kit De Luca in the film Pretty Woman (1990), Crazy Cora in the film Quigley Down Under (1990), Nadine Cross in The Stand (1994), and Maya Gallo on the sitcom Just Shoot Me! (1997–2003). A BAFTA and two-time Golden Globe Award nominee, she played the regular role of Rhetta Rodriguez on the drama Saving Grace (2007–2010), and the recurring role of Dr. Grace Confalone on the drama NCIS (2016–2022).

Contents

Early life and education

San Giacomo, an Italian-American, [5] was born November 14, 1961 [1] [2] or 1962 [3] [4] , in West Orange, New Jersey, the daughter of MaryJo and John San Giacomo, a paper mill owner. [6] She grew up in Denville, New Jersey. San Giacomo discovered acting while attending Morris Knolls High School. In 1984, she received a fine arts degree, specializing in acting, from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh.

Career

After graduating, she moved to New York. San Giacomo then went on to appear in several theater productions, including the Garry Marshall–Lowell Ganz production of Wrong Turn at Lungfish in Los Angeles, the Princeton/McCarter Theatre production of Three Sisters , and off-Broadway in Beirut. She starred in Italian American Reconciliation , regional productions of Shakespeare's The Tempest , As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet as well as Crimes of the Heart . In a review of the Walnut Street Theatre 1986 presentation of As You Like It, San Giacomo received a special mention: "although doll-like Laura San Giacomo had only a minor role as a wilful shepherdess, she sank her fangs into it and received the only show-interrupting applause of the evening." [7]

Early career

San Giacomo's first television appearances were four episodes on three television series during 1987. [8] Two notable appearances were in Crime Story in 1988 for the episode "Protected Witness" (season 2/episode 13) as Theresa Farantino and in Miami Vice in 1989 for the episode "Leap of Faith" (season 5, episode 21) as Tania Lewis. The Miami Vice episode also featured a guest appearance by her future husband, actor Cameron Dye, one year before their marriage. Previously, she was featured on the daytime soap opera All My Children as Louisa Sanchez, the Latina common-law wife of Mitch Beck (Brian Fitzpatrick) whose presence threatened to thwart his relationship with Hillary Martin (Carmen Thomas).

San Giacomo first drew international attention in Steven Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), which was her film debut as a credited actor (in the 1988 movie Miles from Home , her role as Sandy was not credited). [8] Her work in the film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and she received a Los Angeles Film Critics Association New Generation Award. The film was honored with the Cannes Film Festival's prestigious Palme d'Or.

In 1990, San Giacomo played a supporting role as Julia Roberts's character's wisecracking roommate Kit De Luca in Pretty Woman . The film generated $178 million at the box office. [9]

San Giacomo also has appeared in Quigley Down Under (1990), Vital Signs (1990), Under Suspicion (1991), Once Around (1991), Where the Day Takes You (1992), Nina Takes a Lover (1994), and Suicide Kings (1997). She also appeared as Nadine Cross in the Stephen King miniseries The Stand with Rob Lowe, which landed them on the cover of the May 7–13, 1994 issue of TV Guide. She continued doing films, and as 1999 ended, she did the film Eat Your Heart Out . In 2001, San Giacomo landed the starring role in the Jenifer Estess bio-pic Jenifer.

San Giacomo did voice work for the animated series Gargoyles (as the character of Fox). However, she went uncredited for the role because her agent believed it would damage her reputation to have worked on an animated series.

Just Shoot Me!

Needing to work, but not wanting to be away from her newborn son for months at a time, San Giacomo shifted to television in the role of hot-tempered, sassy journalist Maya Gallo in Just Shoot Me! (1997–2003). [10] Her character was partially based on an unproduced idea that executive producer Steven Levitan once had in mind for actress Janeane Garofalo when he was a writer for The Larry Sanders Show . San Giacomo was cast in the starring role because the series was meant to center on her character; however, the show soon adopted an ensemble style. Despite the shift in focus, San Giacomo remained an integral part of the show, and she received top billing. She and the four other main cast members appeared in all 148 episodes of the series, which lasted until 2003.

San Giacomo's work during season 2 (1997–1998) earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination in 1998 for Best Actress in a Television Comedy or Musical.

Post-Just Shoot Me! and appearances

After NBC cancelled Just Shoot Me! in 2003, San Giacomo appeared sporadically on television and in films. She made guest appearances on several television series, including the short-lived crime drama The Handler in 2003 and Unscripted in 2005. She was the narrator for the series Snapped: Killer Couples. San Giacomo also appeared in the 2005 films Checking Out and Havoc as well as the 2006 film Conquistadora. San Giacomo was to have made her return to television on The WB's new drama Related in 2005, but the character was recast due to creative differences. Kiele Sanchez took her place as Anne Sorelli on the show. San Giacomo also made few public appearances; she made her first public appearance in nearly a year on 19 October 2005 at the 15th Annual Environmental Media Awards. She made two more public appearances at the Crystal and Lucy Awards on 6 June 2006 and at the 3rd Annual Alfred Mann Foundation Innovation and Inspiration Gala on 9 September 2006.

In 2006, San Giacomo returned to network television with three guest appearances on the third season of Veronica Mars . She reunited with Enrico Colantoni from Just Shoot Me!, playing Harmony Chase. Both Colantoni and San Giacomo enjoyed their reunion so much that they lobbied for their characters to appear together in more episodes. [11]

In September 2006, San Giacomo secured her first starring role on a television program after Just Shoot Me! when she reunited with fellow Carnegie-Mellon alum Holly Hunter in the series Saving Grace . San Giacomo played Grace's best friend Rhetta Rodriguez.

In June 2010, San Giacomo guest-starred in the episode titled "Death Becomes Her" on the series In Plain Sight . She played a woman from an organized crime family with a terminal illness. In December 2011, San Giacomo appeared on the episode titled "Beards" on Hot in Cleveland as Caroline, Melanie's estranged sister.

Personal life

San Giacomo has been married twice. Her first marriage (1990–1998) was to actor Cameron Dye, with whom she had a son, Mason, who was born with cerebral palsy [12] . In 2000, she remarried, to actor Matt Adler. She is a cousin of Torry Castellano, former drummer of the rock group The Donnas.[ citation needed ]

She lives in the San Fernando Valley, California.[ citation needed ]

Philanthropy

San Giacomo has been honored by the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, by Media Access for a TV public service announcement on "Inclusive Education" (in The More You Know ), by Shane's Inspiration with its Humanitarian Award, and Redbook's Mother and Shaker Award. She has been a keynote speaker at various conferences for TASH and CalTASH, which promote an inclusive society, and at two conferences sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, and at the Young Neuroscientists' Workshop for the Children's Neurobiological Solutions Foundation (now the Pediatric Brain Foundation). [13]

In 2021, she was listed as the board secretary of the international wheelchair-charity Momentum Wheels for Humanity, [14] and honorary chair of the Environment of People Foundation, Inc., a charity promoting music opportunities for children. [13]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1988 Miles from Home Sandyuncredited
1989 Sex, Lies, and Videotape Cynthia Patrice Bishop Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: New Generation Award
nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
nominated – New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress
1990 Pretty Woman Kit De Luca
Vital Signs Lauren Rose
Quigley Down Under Crazy Cora
1991 Once Around Jan Bella
Under Suspicion Angeline
1992 Where the Day Takes You The Interviewer
1994 Nina Takes a Lover Nina
1995 Stuart Saves His Family Julia
1995 The Snow Queen Robber Girl
1997The ApocalypseGoad
1997 Suicide Kings Lydia
1998 With Friends Like These.. Joanne Hersh
1999 Eat Your Heart Out Jacqueline Fosburg
2003 A House on a Hill Gaby
2005 Checking Out Flo Applebaum Palm Beach International Film Festival Award for Best Actress
Havoc Joanna Lang
2011 Few Options Bus Ticket Agent
2012 Least Among Saints Jolene
2015 The Meddler TV Mom
2019 Honey Boy Dr. Moreno
2021 Violet Janice

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1987 Spenser: For Hire SharonEpisode: "On the Night He Was Betrayed"
1988 Crime Story Theresa FarantinoEpisode: "Protected Witness"
1989 The Equalizer Trudy CollinsEpisode: "The Caper"
Miami Vice Tania LouisEpisode: "Leap of Faith"
1993For Their Own GoodJo Mandell
1994 The Stand Nadine CrossTV miniseries
1994–1997 Gargoyles FoxVoice, recurring role
1995 Fallen Angels PeggyEpisode: "Fly Paper"
1996 The Right to Remain Silent Nicole Savita
1997-2003 Just Shoot Me! Maya Gallo149 episodes
1999 The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs Agent NineVoice, episode: "Zero"
1999 Batman Beyond Mary Michaels / FreonVoice, episode: "Heroes"
2001 Sister Mary Explains It All Angela DiMarco
Jenifer Jenifer Estess
2003The Electric PiperMrs. Robinson
2003 The Handler KarenEpisode: "Homewrecker's Ball"
2006 Related Ann SorelliEpisode: "Pilot"
Veronica Mars Harmony Chase Recurring
2007–2010 Saving Grace Rhetta Rodriguez Recurring
2010 In Plain Sight Mia CusatoEpisode: "Death Becomes Her"
The Defenders Judge Anna DesantiEpisode: "Nevada v. Sen. Harper"
Medium Susannah CollingsEpisode: "The People in Your Neighborhood"
2011 Hot in Cleveland CarolineEpisode: "Beards"
2012 TalhotBlond CarolTelevision film
2013 The Mentalist Miriam GottliebEpisode: "Red John's Rules"
2016 Full Circle Elena Medina
2016–2022 NCIS Grace Confalone Recurring
2017–2018 Animal Kingdom Morgan Wilson Recurring
2018 Grey's Anatomy Marjorie KerseyEpisode: "Caught Somewhere in Time"
2022 Barry Annie EisnerEpisode: "Crazytimesh*tshow"
2022–present The Santa Clauses La Befana 7 episodes

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References

  1. 1 2 "San Giacomo, Laura" . People almanac 2004 (10th ed.). Cader Books. 2003. p. 520. OCLC   1150972861. Denville, NJ, 11/14/61
  2. 1 2 Monush, Barry (2009). "San Giacomo, Laura" . Screen world 2008 film annual. Vol. 60. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema. p. 367. ISBN   978-1-4234-7370-1. OCLC   430506069. Orange, NJ, Nov. 14, 1961
  3. 1 2 Brunner, Borgna, ed. (2006). "San Giacomo, Laura" . Time almanac, 2007: with Information please. New York: Time Home Entertainment. p. 310. ISBN   1-933405-49-X. OCLC   70766085. Hoboken, NJ, 11/14/62
  4. 1 2 "San Giacomo, Laura" . The international who's who 2017. Vol. 2 (Eightieth ed.). London: Routledge. 2016. p. 1946. ISBN   978-1-85743-810-9. OCLC   953438592. b. 14 Nov. 1962, West Orange, New Jersey
  5. ↑ Stock, Ann Marie (1997). Framing Latin American Cinema: contemporary critical perspectives. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. XXVI. ISBN   0-8166-2972-2.
  6. ↑ "Laura San Giacomo Biography (1962?-)". FilmReference.com.
  7. ↑ Bykofsky, Stuart D. (March 13, 1986). "As You Like It: Try It". Philadelphia Daily News. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia News Network.
  8. 1 2 Laura San Giacomo at IMDb
  9. ↑ Pretty Woman at Box Office Mojo
  10. ↑ "Laura San Giacomo interview by Chet Cooper". abilitymagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-16. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  11. ↑ Crook, John (October 31, 2006). "Former 'Just Shoot Me' Stars Enjoy Life on 'Mars'". Zap2it. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012.
  12. ↑
  13. 1 2 "Honorary Chair – Laura San Giacomo,", in "About Us", Environment of People Foundation, retrieved September 26, 2021
  14. ↑ "Our Team,", Momentum Wheels for Humanity, retrieved September 26, 2021
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