Lorraine Bracco

Lorraine Bracco Life Story

Born October 2, 1954 in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge, she grew up in Hicksville, Long Island. In 1974 she moved to France where she became a fashion model for Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Lorraine Bracco Career

She began her acting career in Europe, appearing in a few French and Italian films. Her first American film role was in The Pick Up Artist (Molly Ringwald), but her big break came in the Martin Scorsese masterpeice, Goodfellas. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress. She would go on to make some very good films, but for the sake of this bio let's focus on the movies that had hot chicks in them, like Hackers (Angelina Jolie) and Riding in Cars with Boys (Drew Barrymore).

She is perhaps best known for her role as the pyschiatrist 'Dr. Jennifer Melfi' on the "Sopranos". Originally she was offered the role of Carmela Soprano, but felt the part was too similar to her role in Goodfellas and turned it down. Recently she played 'Mrs. Robinson' in a stage adapation of The Graduate.

Lorraine Bracco Personal Life

She was engaged in a long custody battle with ex-husband Harvey Keitel for the custody of their daughter Stella. The legal fees incurred forced her to file for bankruptcy

She has openly discussed her struggles with depression and her ability to overcome it with the prescription drug Zoloft. Her book "On the Couch" is a memoir about how she conquered the disease.