Topic: Lorraine Bracco

Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Karen Hill in Goodfellas and Dr. Jennifer Melfi on the HBO television series, The Sopranos.

Bracco was born in the Brooklyn, New York City neighborhood of Bay Ridge and grew up in Hicksville on Long Island. Her father is Italian American and her mother is English; Bracco is fluent in English, French and Italian.

In 1974 Bracco moved to France, where she became a fashion model for Jean-Paul Gaultier. While there, she was introduced to the director and novelist Lina Wertmuller. In the early 1970s, Wertmuller recruited Bracco in a new film production titled Camorra. "She dressed me up like an Italian woman of no means. A street woman clad in disheveled clothes, hair unkempt and all that, and threw me on the set. She was so creative. I mean, Lina accentuated my eyes with dark make-up, the way Sophia Loren used to appear in those epic roles in the '60s. And talk about talent. She's so bright and perceptive. I mean, she's just fantastic. And yes, I learned a lot from her. She's a master of her profession, and I've been blessed not only with her, but also with so many masters," recounted Bracco to Daniel Simone during an interview, which was published in the December 14, 2007 issue of Dan's Papers.