Vanessa Ferlito

Early life

Vanessa Ferlito was born on December 28, 1977, in Brooklyn, New York City to an Italian-American family. She was raised by her mother and her stepfather, who owned a hair salon in Brooklyn. Her father died of a heroin overdose when she was two years old. She said of her youth in Brooklyn: "I hung out with a rough crowd. And the neighborhood I grew up in was rough. We were scrappers. I fought my way through school."

She became a notable fixture in the late-night circuit in New York City, telling New York magazine in 1998: "It’s like a job, going out – every night we’re trying to get people to introduce us to people. It’s all about who you know and what you do with it."

Career

Early in her career, Ferlito worked as a model for Wilhelmina Models. Ferlito developed acting aspirations early in her life and broke into the entertainment business through a series of guest spots and recurring roles.

In 2003, Ferlito starred as Lizette Sanchez in John Leguizamo's boxing drama Undefeated, which earned her an NAACP nomination for Outstanding Actress in a TV movie. This was followed in 2004 by a role in Spider-Man 2. In 2005 Ferlito appeared in Stephen Herek's Man of the House, opposite Tommy Lee Jones, for which she received positive notice, with Variety's Joe Leydon stating that "Vanessa Ferlito is the standout, mainly because she's the only one who gets enough to do to make a strong impression as a distinctive personality."

Ferlito was a series regular on the first two seasons (2004–2005) of CBS's CSI: NY, as Aiden Burn, a member of the forensic investigation team led by Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise). Ferlito has also appeared in other television series, including HBO's The Sopranos, NBC's Law & Order and Third Watch, and had a recurring role as Claudia in FOX's series 24.

After CSI: NY, Ferlito starred in several films, among them Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps; Nora Ephron's Julie & Julia opposite Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Amy Adams; Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail; and Alfredo De Villa's Nothing like the Holidays (originally titled Humboldt Park) with Alfred Molina, John Leguizamo and Jay Hernandez. Prior to these, Ferlito appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof opposite Kurt Russell, a role Tarantino wrote specifically for Ferlito. She also appeared in Lee Daniel's Shadowboxer with Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding Jr.

In 2012, Ferlito was cast in the feature film, Stand Up Guys, opposite Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin. She also played Charlie DeMarco on USA Network's Graceland, which ran between 2013 and 2015. In 2016, Ferlito was added to the cast of NCIS: New Orleans for the show's third season, playing an FBI special agent who is sent from DC to investigate the NCIS team.

Personal life

Ferlito gave birth to a son in September 2007 and raised her child as a single mother. In her freetime, she enjoys yoga, hiking, and cycling.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

References

1. "Vanessa Ferlito - Box Office".
2. "TV's Glamorous Gals".
3. Kate Stanhope. (July 17, 2013). "Graceland's Vanessa Ferlito on Her "Intense" Episode, How Daniel Sunjata Ruined Her Life". [[TV Guide]].
4. (2013-09-05). "Scene Stealer: Get to Know Graceland's Vanessa Ferlito".
5. (2015-07-04). "An Interview with Vanessa Ferlito".
6. Nancy Jo Sales. (August 24, 1998). "Caution: These Kids Are About to Blow Up". [[New York (magazine).
7. Phil Gallo. (July 27, 2003). "Review: 'Undefeated'". [[Variety (magazine).
8. A. O. Scott. (June 29, 2004). "Spider Man 2 (2004) FILM REVIEW; Putting Action After Feelings Of a Superhero". [[The New York Times]].
9. Joe Leydon. (February 25, 2005). "Review: 'Man of the House'". [[Variety (magazine).
10. Gary Susman. (March 18, 2004). "Gary Sinise leads confirmed ''CSI: New York'' cast".
11. Michael Speier. (September 21, 2004). "Review: 'CSI: NY'". [[Variety (magazine).
12. Chris Koseluk. (November 18, 2008). "Case files: A look at 'CSI: NY' milestones". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
13. (July 29, 2003). "Vanessa Ferlito". [[Variety (magazine).
14. Justin Kroll. (September 2, 2009). "Vanessa Ferlito". [[Variety (magazine).
15. Byron Perry. (July 13, 2008). "Vanessa Ferlito". [[Variety (magazine).
16. (February 1, 2008). "Family get-together at the 'Park'". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
17. Lisa Schwarzbaum. (December 10, 2008). "Nothing Like the Holidays".
18. Kirk Honeycutt. (April 1, 2007). "Grindhouse". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
19. Kirk Honeycutt. (May 23, 2007). "Critic's Notebook: 'Death' reincarnated". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
20. . (June 6, 2006). ["Teton bows with 'Boxer"](https://variety.com/2006/more/news/teton-bows-with-boxer-1200338244/). *[[Variety (magazine)*.
21. Justin Kroll. (April 10, 2012). "2 thesps step into 'Stand Up Guys'". [[Variety (magazine).
22. Ariana Bacle. (October 1, 2015). "''Graceland'' canceled after three seasons".
23. Denise Petski. (June 22, 2016). "'NCIS: New Orleans': Vanessa Ferlito Cast as New Regular In Season 3". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
24. . (August 9, 2007). ["CBB Exclusive: Vanessa Ferlito expecting first child"](https://people.com/parents/cbb-exclusive-v-2/).
25. Paulette Cohn. (September 27, 2016). "Vanessa Ferlito Talks Being the New Girl in the Big Easy on ''NCIS: New Orleans''". [[Parade (magazine).
26. Robert Koehler. (January 15, 2002). "Review: 'On_Line'". [[Variety (magazine).
27. "Gridiron Gang".
28. Stacy Dodd. (December 11, 2005). "Rachael Leigh Cook, Vanessa Ferlito". [[Variety (magazine).
29. Nellie Andreeva. (March 14, 2011). "CW's 'Cooper & Stone' Casts Stone". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
30. (May 17, 2011). "What's On and Off the CW Schedule". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
31. Matt Webb Mitovich. (August 10, 2016). "NCIS Shake-Ups, Big Bang Family Matters and More CBS Fall Preview". [[TVLine]].