Part of The Sopranos featuring James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, and Goodfellas with Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro.
Rise to Fame
She spent a decade modeling in Paris for Jean-Paul Gaultier before anyone in Hollywood knew her name. The acting pivot happened late. Martin Scorsese cast her as Karen Hill in GoodFellas in 1990, and she got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. For The Sopranos, David Chase originally wanted her for Carmela. She read the script, wanted Dr. Melfi instead, and lobbied herself into the role. That meeting changed her career more than the nomination did.
In the Spotlight
The Harvey Keitel custody battle in the 1990s reportedly cost her $2 million in legal fees and pushed her into bankruptcy and clinical depression, which she wrote about in her 2006 memoir On the Couch. She lost acting jobs throughout that period. She came out the other side, returned to The Sopranos for six seasons, and in 2024 was publicly criticizing how David Chase ended it. Jacir (2023) drew strong reviews for her performance. The comeback narrative has legs.
Side Notes
While modeling in Paris, Salvador Dali asked her to pose nude. She said no. She moonlit as a radio DJ at Radio Luxembourg, which isn't something modeling agencies typically put on the resume. She's a licensed pilot. Her real-life daughters played her character's daughter at different ages in GoodFellas, one of them being Stella Keitel, Harvey's kid. She claims fluency in five languages.