Lorraine Bracco

Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an American actress best known for her performances as psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi on the HBO crime drama series The Sopranos (1999–2007) and for her breakthrough role portraying Karen Hill in the Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas (1990). Bracco began her career modeling in France and appeared in Italian-language films in the 1980s. Her English-language debut came in The Pick-up Artist (1987), which was followed by roles in Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), Sing (1989), and The Dream Team (1989). She has been nominated for an Academy Award, four Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Lorraine Bracco
Bracco in 2007
Born	(1954-10-02) October 2, 1954 (age 70) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1979–present
Spouses	Daniel Guerard ​ ​ (m. 1979; div. 1982)​ Edward James Olmos ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 2002)​
Partner	Harvey Keitel (1982–1993)
Children	2
Relatives	Elizabeth Bracco (sister)

Early life

Bracco as a senior in high school in 1972

Bracco was born on October 2, 1954,^[1][2] in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York. She is the daughter of Eileen (née Molyneux) and Salvatore S. Bracco Sr. She has a sister, actress Elizabeth Bracco, and a brother, Salvatore Jr. Her father was of Italian descent, while her mother was born in England, and had some French ancestry.^[3][4] Her parents met during World War II, marrying in Andover in 1946; Eileen came with Salvatore to the United States as a war bride.^[5][6] Bracco grew up in Hicksville, New York, on Long Island,^[4] from fourth grade,^[7] and graduated from Hicksville High School in 1972.^[8]

Career

1974–1989: Rise to prominence

Bracco moved to France in 1974, where she became a fashion model for Jean-Paul Gaultier. She lived there for about a decade.^[9] While still modeling, Bracco was approached by Marc Camoletti, who offered her a major role in the film adaptation of one of his plays, Duos sur canapé (1979). Bracco did not imagine that she could be an actress, and initially refused. She eventually made the film, but found the experience "boring" and her performance "terrible." Nevertheless, she played supporting roles in two other French films "for the money."^[10]

After one of her friends suggested that she might enjoy acting if she took some training, she took seminars with John Strasberg.^[11] Although she loved the lessons, she was still unsure of her talents.^[12] During the 1980s, she worked as a disc jockey for Radio Luxembourg.^[13] She also appeared as Paul Guilfoyle's hostage in the first season of the series Crime Story, in the episode "Hide and Go Thief". Her sister Elizabeth played a coffee shop waitress in the series pilot.

Eventually, Italian director and novelist Lina Wertmüller gave Bracco a small part in the film 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 a 2007 interview. The experience inspired Bracco to pursue acting.^[9]

1990–2007: Goodfellas and The Sopranos

Bracco received her big career break when she was offered the role of mobster wife Karen Hill in the Martin Scorsese directed crime drama Goodfellas (1990). Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.^[14][15] She won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress.^[16][17] Her other films include Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), Switch (1991), Medicine Man (1992), Radio Flyer (1992), Hackers (1995), The Basketball Diaries (1995), and Riding in Cars with Boys (2001).

Bracco in 1997

During the audition process for The Sopranos, David Chase wanted Bracco to audition for the lead female role of Carmela Soprano. However, Bracco had read the script and was drawn to the part of psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi as she wanted to try something different and felt that the part of the highly educated Dr. Melfi would be more of a challenge for her.^[18] Bracco felt so strongly about her ability and desire to play the part that she arranged a meeting with Chase and talked him into letting her have a chance as Melfi.^[19] The role 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.^[20] She was nominated again at the 2007 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and thus was pitted against her The Sopranos co-star Aida Turturro for the award.^[21]

2008–present

Bracco is the owner of Bracco Wines, in association with Straight-Up Brands LLC.^[22] 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 show's two-episode finale^[23] and as a special judge on Top Chef: All-Stars, in the episode titled "An Offer They Can't Refuse", which featured Italian cuisine.^[24] Bracco also appeared on a season 6 episode of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, as a guest judge for the ravioli throwdown.^[25] From 2010 to 2016, Bracco co-starred on the TNT crime drama Rizzoli & Isles as Angela Rizzoli, mother of Jane Rizzoli, portrayed by Angie Harmon. She appeared in all 105 episodes of the series over its seven-season run.^{[citation needed]} Beginning in 2016, Bracco had a recurring role as Toni on the Showtime comedy series Dice.^[26] In 2017–2018, she had a five-episode recurring role as Mayor Margaret Dutton in the CBS police drama series Blue Bloods.^[27]

Also in 2020, Bracco starred in the HGTV documentary television series My Big Italian Adventure. Shot in Sambuca di Sicilia, it chronicled her renovation of a 200-year-old house she purchased for €1 at Via Guglielmo Marconi.^{[28][29][30][31][32]} In 2022, Bracco worked in the Robert Zemeckis remake of Pinocchio where she voiced Sofia the Seagull.^[33] In 2023, Bracco starred in Waheed AlQawasmi's debut film Jacir as Meryl, an opioid addicted next-door neighbor of a Syrian refugee living in poverty in Memphis, Tennessee,^[34] delivering an emotionally charged performance that was dubbed "her best performance since Goodfellas."^[35]

Personal life

Bracco married Frenchman Daniel Guerard in 1979; they divorced in 1982. They have one daughter, actress Margaux Guerard.^[36]

Bracco was in a 12-year relationship with actor Harvey Keitel, whom she met while living in Paris. They have one daughter, Stella Keitel (born 1985). Bracco and Keitel fought a lengthy custody battle over Stella, resulting in Bracco's depression and $2 million in legal fees.^[37][38]

Bracco's second marriage was to actor Edward James Olmos in 1994; they divorced in 2002.^[36]

Bracco is a practitioner of Shotokan Karate.^[38] In 2015, she wrote a self help book, To the Fullest: The Clean Up Your Act Plan to Lose Weight, Rejuvenate, and Be the Best You Can Be.^[39]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979	Duos sur canapé	Bubble
1980	What Did I Ever Do to the Good Lord to Deserve a Wife Who Drinks in Cafes with Men?	Barbara	a.k.a. Mais qu'est-ce que j'ai fait au bon Dieu pour avoir une femme qui boit dans les cafés avec les hommes?
1981	Fais gaffe à la gaffe!	Margaux
1985	Camorra	Uncredited	a.k.a. Un complicato intrigo di donne, vicoli e delitti
1987	The Pick-up Artist	Carla
	Someone to Watch Over Me	Ellie Keegan
1989	Sing	Miss Lombardo
	The Dream Team	Riley
	Up to Date	Sheila
	Sea of Love	Denice Gruber	Scenes deleted
1990	Goodfellas	Karen Friedman Hill
1991	Talent for the Game	Bobbie
	Switch	Sheila Faxton
1992	Medicine Man	Dr. Rae Crane
	Radio Flyer	Mary
	Traces of Red	Ellen Schofield
1993	Even Cowgirls Get the Blues	Delores Del Ruby
1994	Being Human	Anna
1995	The Basketball Diaries	Mrs. Carroll
	Hackers	Margo Wallace
1996	The Liars	Helene Miller	a.k.a. Les Menteurs
1997	Silent Cradle	Helen Greg
2000	Ladies Room	Gemma
2001	Riding in Cars with Boys	Teresa Donofrio
	Tangled	Det. Anne Andersle
2003	Death of a Dynasty	Enchante R&B Singer #2
2005	Crazy for Love	Sheila
2011	Son of Morning	Leda
2012	The Bensonhurst Spelling Bee	Unknown	Short film
2016	Monday Nights at Seven	Damian Robertson
2019	Master Maggie	Maggie	Short film
2020	A Ring for Christmas	Margaret Moore
2021	The Birthday Cake	Sofia
2022	Disney's Pinocchio	Sofia the Seagull (voice)
	JACIR جاسر	Meryl
2024	The Union	Lorraine McKenna
	Monster Summer	Miss Halverson
	Rich Flu	TBA
2025	Nonnas †	TBA	Post-production

Key

†	Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980	Commissaire Moulin	Jenny	Episode: "Le transfuge"
1986	Crime Story	Hostage	Episode: "Hide and Go Thief"
1993	Scam	Maggie Rohrer	TV movie
1994	Getting Gotti	Diane Giacalone
1996	Reckoning	Kits Maitland
1998	The Taking of Pelham One Two Three	Det. Ray
1999–2007	The Sopranos	Jennifer Melfi	Main role
2001	Sex in Our Century	Narrator	TV movie
2003	Custody of the Heart	Claire Raphael
2005	Law & Order: Trial by Jury	Karla Grizano	Episode: "Vigilante"
2006	Top Chef	Herself/Guest Judge	Season 1, Episode 12: "Finale Part Two"
2007	Snowglobe	Rose Moreno	TV movie
2008	Long Island Confidential	Norah Larkin
	Lipstick Jungle	Janice Lasher	2 episodes
2010	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Halfway House Matron	Episode: "Disciple"
2010–2016	Rizzoli & Isles	Angela Rizzoli	Main role
2011	I Married a Mobster	Narrator	10 episodes
	Top Chef	Herself/Guest Judge	Episode: "An Offer They Can't Refuse"
2014	Mulaney	Vaughn	Episode: "Sweet Jane"
2016	Dice	Toni	2 episodes
	BoJack Horseman	Dr. Janet (voice)
2017–2018	Blue Bloods	Mayor Margaret Dutton	6 episodes
2018	Summer Camp Island	The Werewolf Queen (voice)	Episode: "Hedgehog Werewolf"
2019	The Dead Wives Club	Herself/host	6 episodes
2019–2023	Jerk	Tim's mother	12 episodes
2020	AJ and the Queen	Herself	Episode: "Baton Rouge"
	My Big Italian Adventure	Herself/host	3 episodes (HGTV)
2022	Welcome to Mama's	Maria "Mama" Tucci	TV movie; AKA The Perfect Recipe

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Venue	Ref.
2003	The Graduate	Mrs. Robinson (replacement)	Plymouth Theatre, Broadway	[40]

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1990	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Goodfellas	Nominated
1990	Golden Globe Awards	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
1990	Chicago Film Critics Association	Best Supporting Actress		Won
1990	Los Angeles Film Critics Association
1990	New York Film Critics Circle			Nominated
1999	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series	The Sopranos (episode: "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti")
2000			The Sopranos (episode: "Big Girls Don't Cry")
2001			The Sopranos (episode: "Employee of the Month")
2007		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	The Sopranos (episode: "The Blue Comet")
1999	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress – Television Series Drama	The Sopranos (season 1)
2000			The Sopranos (season 2)
2001			The Sopranos (season 3)
1999	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series	The Sopranos (season 1)
		Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series		Won
2000			The Sopranos (season 2)	Nominated
2001		Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series	The Sopranos (season 3)
		Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series
2002		Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series	The Sopranos (season 4)
		Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series
2004			The Sopranos (season 5)
2006			The Sopranos (season 6 - Part 1)
2007			The Sopranos (season 6 - Part 2)	Won
2000	Satellite Awards	Best Actress – Television Series Drama	The Sopranos	Nominated
2008	Monte-Carlo Television Festival	Outstanding Actress – Drama Series	The Sopranos
1993	Razzie Awards	Worst Actress	Medicine Man
			Traces of Red
2023		Worst Supporting Actress	Walt Disney's Pinocchio
	Reel East Texas Film Festival	Best Actress - Feature Film	Jacir	Won

See also

• List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

References

1. Bracco 2006, p. 38.
2. "UPI Almanac for Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019". United Press International. October 2, 2019. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2020. … actor Lorraine Bracco in 1954 (age 65)
3. Carr, Jay (October 15, 1987). "Lorraine Bracco Savors Her Big Break As A Hollywood Strong Woman". Chicago Tribune.
4. Witchel, Alex (September 27, 1990). "A Mafia Wife Makes Lorraine Bracco a Princess". The New York Times.
5. "Eileen Bracco Obituary". The Record. New Jersey. November 28, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
6. "Obituaries: Bracco, Salvatore Sr". The Journal News. New Jersey. March 19, 2013. Archived from the original on March 19, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
7. Werts, Diane (April 3, 1999). "Just Like Family: HBO's Surprise Hit 'The Sopranos'". Newsday. New York City / Long Island. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
8. Bernstein, James; Mann, Laura (January 25, 2007). "Rich Cribs". Newsday. New York City / Long Island. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
9. Daniel Simone (December 14, 2007). "Who's Here: Lorraine Bracco – Actor". Dan's Papers. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008.
10. Bracco 2006, p. 70.
11. Bracco 2006, pp. 70–71.
12. Bracco, On the Couch
13. Witchel, Alex (September 27, 1990). "A Mafia Wife Makes Lorraine Bracco a Princess". The New York Times. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
14. Fox, David J. (February 14, 1991). "Oscar Dances With 'Wolves' : Costner Film Leads Pack With 12 Nominations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
15. Fox, David J. (December 28, 1990). "'Godfather' Wins 7 Golden Globe Nominations : Awards: Foreign press recognizes 'Dances With Wolves' and 'L.A. Law' but ignores 'Civil War' and 'Simpsons.'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
16. Caro, Mark (March 8, 1991). "'GOODFELLAS' REAPS BEST FILM AWARD FROM CHICAGO CRITICS". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
17. Mathews, Jack (December 17, 1990). "'GoodFellas' Tops L.A. Critics Poll : Best Picture, Director Awards Go to Gangster Tale, Costner a Runner-Up; Irons, Huston Also Honored". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
18. Kashner, Sam. "The Family Hour: An Oral History of The Sopranos | Vanity Fair | April 2012". Vanity Fair | The Complete Archive. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
19. Bracco 2006, p. 28.
20. "FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES". Backstage. February 12, 2002. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
21. Steinberg, Jacques (July 20, 2007). "'Sopranos' Tops Drama Contenders for the Emmys". The New York Times. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
22. "Straight Up Brands, Inc. (STRU) Acquires Wine and Spirits Venture". CNNMoney.com. Market Wire. August 24, 2006. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
23. Top Chef: The Cookbook: Original Interviews and Recipes from Bravo's Hit Show. Chronicle Books. October 21, 2011. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-8118-7522-6.
24. "An Offer They Can't Refuse". Top Chef. Season 8. February 2, 2011. Bravo. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
25. "Ravioli". Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. Season 6. March 25, 2009. Food.
26. "Adrien Brody and Lorraine Bracco to Guest Star on New Showtime(R) Comedy Series "Dice"". October 13, 2015.
27. "Lorraine Bracco". IMDb.
28. "Immobili a 1 euro". MUNICIPALITY of SAMBUCA di SICILIA. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
29. "Stato attuale" (PDF). www.comune.sambucadisicilia.ag.it (in Italian). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
30. "Actress Lorraine Bracco Buys and Renovates a Sicilian Home for One Euro in New HGVT Series 'My Big Italian Adventure'" (Press release). Discovery Networks. September 16, 2020. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
31. Maglio, Tony (September 16, 2020). "'Goodfellas' Actress Lorraine Bracco Is Going to Renovate a Home in Sicily for New HGTV Series". TheWrap. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
32. "Here are the houses you can buy for just €1 in a Sicilian village". The Local Italy. The Local Europe AB. January 23, 2019. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
33. D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 3, 2021). "'Pinocchio': Robert Zemeckis Movie Adds Cynthia Erivo As Blue Fairy; Joseph Gordon-Levitt As Jiminy Cricket". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
34. "Lorraine Bracco's Breathtaking Performance in "Jacir" Is One That You Need to See! – Tamron Hall Show". Tamron Hall. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
35. "Lorraine Bracco: The Oscar Legends Interview". Awardsdaily. January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
36. Geraldine Fabrikant, Bankruptcy? Tougher Than Counseling a Soprano, January 1, 2006
37. John Lombardi (January 12, 1998). "Scenes From a Bad Movie Marriage". New York Magazine.
38. Bracco 2006, p. 129.
39. "Lorraine Bracco Explains How To Stop Your 60s From Being 'The Beginning Of The End'". April 7, 2015.
40. "The Graduate (Broadway)". Playbill. Retrieved May 28, 2024.

Bibliography

• Bracco, Lorraine (2006). On the Couch. Putnam Adult. ISBN 0-399-15356-X.
• Bracco, Lorraine; Davis, Lisa V. (2015). To the Fullest: The Clean Up Your Act Plan to Lose Weight, Rejuvenate, and Be the Best You Can Be. Rodale Books. ISBN 978-0399199608.

External links

• Lorraine Bracco at IMDb
• Lorraine Bracco at the archive.org copy of the-sopranos.com
• New York Times interview