Childhood & Early Life
Debi was born Deborah Anne Mazar Corcos, on August 13, 1964, in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, to Nancy and Harry Mazar. She, however, did not know about her father until she reached her twenties, as her parents had annulled their marriage shortly after her birth. Debi had spent most of her early years in New York, with her mother.
Debi moved to Long Island to be with her godparents when she was in her teens.
Debi sold jewelry at 'Fiorucci' and later worked as a dental assistant. She also worked at the ‘Mudd Club’ before she became an actor. She was hired to cut artist Andy Warhol's wig. Debi also worked at the four-floor nightclub named ‘Danceteria' in New York City, where she met Madonna and eventually got the opportunity to appear in her music videos.
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Career
Debi forayed into the entertainment industry in 1981, with a brief role in 'Downtown 81,' which, however, released in 2000. Singer Madonna hired Debi as her makeup artist for the music video of 'Everybody' (1982). She also did the hair and makeup for the play 'Speed-the-Plow.'
Debi made her first TV appearance in an unsold pilot of the 'WPIX' dance show 'Graffiti Rock' in 1984 and then featured in the music videos of five songs of Madonna: 'True Blue' (1986), 'Papa Don't Preach' (1986), 'Justify My Love' (1990), 'Deeper and Deeper' (1992), and 'Music' (2000).
Debi's film debut happened with the supporting role of ‘Sandy’ in the 1990 crime film 'Goodfellas.' She then starred as ‘Gina’ in the 1991 family drama 'Little Man Tate.' She played ‘Daphne,’ a friend of the titular character (played by Steve Antin) in the 1992 independent film 'Inside Monkey Zetterland.'
Debi played the main role of ‘Denise Iannello’ in the 'ABC' legal drama 'Civil Wars' from 1991 until 1993 (36 episodes), when the show was canceled. She then reprised the role in the final season of 'L.A. Law,' a spin-off 'Civil Wars,' aired on 'NBC' (22 episodes).
Debi was cast to play the character ‘Two-Face's (played by Tommy Lee Jones) "bad" assistant, ‘Spice,’ in the 1995 superhero film 'Batman Forever.' She starred as ‘Darcy’ in the comedy–drama 'Red Ribbon Blues' and as ‘Cindy,’ a waitress, in the American–British–Irish comic science-fiction 'Space Truckers,' both released in 1996.
In 1997, Debi was seen (6 episodes) in the lead role of ‘Deb DeAngelo,’ a young woman desperately looking for a luxurious but not-so-expensive New York City apartment, in the 'CBS' sitcom 'Temporarily Yours.'
The markedly low ratings of the 'NBC' sitcom 'Working' made the channel cancel the show. The creators then replaced a couple of characters from the show and cast ‘Debi’ in the regular role (17 episodes) of the ruthless ‘Liz Tricoli’ (1998–1999) in the show's second season. She played ‘Sandy Gallo,’ producer of the titular character (played by Rodney Dangerfield), in the 1997 comedy film 'Meet Wally Sparks.'
Debi played the main role of ‘Jackie O'Grady’ in 34 episodes of the 'CBS' comedy–drama 'That's Life' (2000–2002) and had one of the 10 monologues in the 2002 drama film 'Ten Tiny Love Stories.' She starred as ‘Janet Steiner’ in 'Deception' (2003).
Debi voiced ‘Maria Latore,’ one of the main characters in the action-adventure video games 'Grand Theft Auto III' (2001) and 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' (2004).
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From 2004 to 2011, Debi made recurring guest appearances as press agent ‘Shauna Roberts’ in the 'HBO' comedy–drama 'Entourage' and reprised the role in its film version released in 2015.
Debi partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy to contest in the ninth season of 'Dancing with the Stars.' She got eliminated in the third week (October 6, 2009), finishing at the 12th place. She had a recurring role (7 episodes) as ‘Mona Klein’ in the second season of the 'Disney Channel' original series 'Jonas L.A.'
Debi voiced ‘Barbara "Babs" Brando,’ one of the lead characters in the 'MTV' adult animated sitcom 'Good Vibes' (2011). She appeared in 12 episodes of the series. From January 2011 to 2015, she appeared in the 'Cooking Channel' cooking reality show 'Extra Virgin,' along with her husband and two daughters. The show showcased their lives and favorite recipes.
The 2012 'ABC Family' movie 'Home Alone: The Holiday Heist' featured Debi as ‘Jessica,’ a charismatic leather-clad antagonist. She portrayed Gloria Swanson, a prominent Hollywood star of the silent era, in the 2013 black-and-white silent film 'Return to Babylon.'
Since 2015, Debi has been a series regular (59 episodes), as ‘Maggie Amato,’ the lesbian friend of the character ‘Liza,’ in the 'TV Land' comedy–drama 'Younger.' She continues to appear (2017–present) as ‘Isabella Scaramucci’ in the 'SyFy' live-action black comedy–drama 'Happy!'
On August 6, 2017, Debi appeared in the second season of the 'ABC' game show 'The $100,000 Pyramid.' She and her partner found all the seven clues in just 15 seconds, to which host Michael Strahan commented that they were the fastest on the show.
Debi portrayed yesteryear actor and singer Ava Gardner in eight episodes (2018) of the Spanish period comedy–drama 'Arde Madrid.'
Debi and her husband hosted a web show named 'Under the Tuscan Gun,' featuring various recipes from Tuscany. On January 19, 2011, the two began hosting 'Extra Virgin,' and then in 2014, they guest-appeared in an episode of the 'ABC' talk show 'The Chew’ to promote their show ‘Extra Virgin.’ That year, they released a cookbook titled 'Recipes & Love from Our Tuscan Kitchen.'
Family & Personal Life
Debi's father was born into a Jewish family of Latvian SSR, Soviet Union, and was raised according to Roman Catholic beliefs.
Debi began dating actor Paul Reubens in 1993. Paul later acknowledged her efforts in helping him in his struggle with depression caused due to his infamous arrest in 1991. Unfortunately, the two split later.
On March 16, 2002, Debi got married to Italian celebrity cook, entrepreneur, and TV personality Gabriele Corcos, while Ellen Burstyn officiated the wedding. They have two daughters, Giulia and Evelina.
Debi and her family previously lived in Los Angeles but then moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 2009. They own a cafe/restaurant called 'Tuscan Gun' in Brooklyn.
Debi is an avid dog lover and has had several dogs, including one named Delores, who prominently featured in the first season of 'Extra Virgin.' Delores died in 2011.
Debi loves collecting furniture and jewelry. She enjoys photography. She owns a farm in Italy. Debi and her family divide their time between Brooklyn and their 15th century house in Italy, which was gifted as a wedding present by her in-laws.
