Jamie-lynn Sigler
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Biography
A passionate performer whose love of singing and dancing had nothing to do with landing her role as a sexy mob daughter on the acclaimed HBO series "The Sopranos," Jamie-Lynn Sigler was primed for the stage at very young age. She requested dance lessons at the age of three and Sigler's mother obliged and enrolled her daughter in a dance school. Singing and acting lessons soon followed and by the age of 9, Sigler had begun acting in her hometown Long Island community theater productions.
Throughout her adolescent and teen years, Sigler starred in many productions including "The Wizard of Oz," "The Goodbye Girl" and "Annie." It was a tape of her performance in "Annie" that landed Sigler a manager and it was through this manager that Sigler got her big break. Her manager suggested she try out for a part on the television pilot "The Sopranos" thinking the musical-sounding title might offer Sigler a chance to showcase her vocal skills. But it was Sigler's sassy portrayal of the eldest daughter in a suburban New Jersey modern day mafia family that won over the show's producer and director. Early on, the show's producers actually wanted to yank Sigler and replace her with a blond actress but it was decided it would be too expensive to re-shoot all the scenes. So Sigler had secured herself as a made character in one of the most popular and critically acclaimed dramas of the decade.
In 1999, after filming the "Sopranos" pilot, Sigler was still in high school and a rough break up with her boyfriend. This disappointment led to dangerously obsessive exercise habits coupled with a drastically restricted diet. Sigler's drastic weight loss and unhealthy behavior led her to eventually admit she was anorexic and seek treatment. Though the producers threatened to not let Sigler work, she recovered from her disease and became a spokesperson for eating disorders for two national organizations. In the next two seasons of "The Sopranos" Sigler's popularity grew and she appeared in sexy photo spreads in several men's magazines. Sigler was also contacted by a talent scout after finally getting to show-off a little of her musical talent in a "Sopranos" episode where Meadow sang along to the TLC song "No Scrubs." She got a record deal and recorded the album "Here to Heaven" with producers TK and Desmond Child. The album was released in October of 2001 and Sigler co-wrote several of the songs on the album. The album was not a commercial success, though her video was premiered on MTV's "Total Request Live."
Sigler continued to tape episodes of the fourth season of the "Sopranos" and also branched out into film with a starring role in "Extreme Dating," a romantic comedy about extreme situations which lead to romance. Also in 2002, Sigler was cast as the lead in Disney's Broadway production of "The Beauty and the Beast."
While Sigler put her college career on hold after attending NYU in the fall of 1999, she did not rule out returning so that one day, she could have a career outside the entertainment industry. She planned on majoring in psychology and was interested in becoming a child therapist. However, Sigler continued to answer the HBO call to duty, and returned after a 21 month long hiatus, to reprise the role of Meadow Soprano for "The Sopranos" sixth and reportedly, final, season.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Misc. Crew (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1984
Enrolled in dance school at the age of three
1988
Began taking regular singing and acting lessons at the age of seven
1989
Appeared in local theater productions, including the lead role in "Annie" (performed at Hofstra University)
1989
Stage debut at age eight in a local production of Rodgers and Hermmerstein's "The Sound of Music"
1993
First professional role in a touring musical version of "It's a Wonderful Life"
1997
Film debut with a small part in "A Brooklyn State of Mind"
1999
Played Meadow Soprano on the HBO drama "The Sopranos"
2000
Appeared in low-budger horro movie "Campfire Stories"
2001
Released debut pop album <i>Here to Heaven</i>
2001
Toured with a theater company in the title role of "Cinderella" alongside Eartha Kitt
2002
Co-authored an autobiography, <i>Wise Girl: What I've Learned About Life, Love, and Loss</i>
2002
Co-starred in comedy feature "Extreme Dating"
2002
Played Belle in Disney's Broadway production of "Beauty and the Beast"
2004
Guest-starred on the NBC comedy "Will & Grace"
2004
Portrayed Former 'Hollywood Madam' Heidi Fleiss in the USA movie, "Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss"
2008
Played a fictionalized version of herself in several episodes of the HBO series "Entourage"
2009
Joined the cast of ABC's "Ugly Betty" in the recurring role of Natalie
Family
Companions
