Laura San Giacomo
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Stage-trained Laura San Giacomo made an auspicious debut as the brassy, hedonistic Cynthia in Steven Soderbergh's low-budget 1989 hit, "sex, lies and videotape." Her career has flourished since, but with the exception of her supporting role as Julia Roberts' wisecracking hooker friend in "Pretty Woman" (1990), her films have not showcased the brown-eyed siren's sass so evident in her first performance. San Giacomo starred with Tom Selleck in the Australian Western "Quigley Down Under" (1990), registered weakly as a femme fatale opposite Liam Neeson in "Under Suspicion" (1992) and played a repressed woman embarking on an affair in the underappreciated small film, "Nina Takes a Lover" (1994). She also appeared in the superb ensemble of "Once Around" (1991) and had her moments in the Al Franken vehicle "Stuart Saves His Family" (1995).
On TV, San Giacomo has starred in the ABC movie "For Their Own Good" (1993) and in the highly acclaimed miniseries "Stephen King's 'The Stand'" (ABC, 1994). She earned a CableACE Award nomination for her performance in Showtime's "The Right to Remain Silent" (1996), playing an HIV-positive high school teacher arrested for slicing open a vein at a school board meeting to protest her dismissal. Although she had made guest appearances on such series as "Crime Story," "Miami Vice" and "The Equalizer," San Giacomo landed her first regular role as Maya Gallo, a journalist working for her father (George Segal) at a trendy magazine, in "Just Shoot Me" (NBC, 1997-2003). She was once all set to play the lead in a film on the life of Mexican artist-icon Frida Kahlo, but the project fizzled over protests about her non-Mexican heritage.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1988
Appeared in the Off-Broadway productions of "The Love Talker" and "Italian American Reconciliation"
1989
Film acting debut in Steven Soderbergh's "sex, lies and videotape"; earned a Golden Globe nomination
1990
Played Julia Roberts' character's wisecracking friend Kit De Luca in the film "Pretty Woman"
1990
Was leading lady to Tom Selleck in "Quigley Down Under"
1993
Appeared in first TV-movie, "For Their Own Good" (ABC)
1994
TV miniseries debut, "Stephen King's 'The Stand'"
1997
First regular series role, as the neo-feminist character Maya Gallo on the NBC sitcom, "Just Shoot Me"; earned a Golden Globe (1998) nomination for Best Actress
2001
Played the title role in the CBS biopic, "Jenifer," about actress Jenifer Estess who was stricken with Lou Gehrig's disease and founded Project ALS
2005
Appeared in the feature, "Checking Out"
2006
Returned to TV in a recurring role on the third season of "Veronica Mars" (CW)
2007
Cast as Grace's (Holly Hunter) best friend Rhetta in the TNT drama, "Saving Grace"
Family
Companions
