Elizabeth Bracco Biography

Elizabeth Bracco embarked on her acting career with a minor role in the TV series ‘Crime Story’ in 1986. She played the role of a waitress in the show’s pilot. In the same year, she made her feature film debut with ‘The Color of Money’, which again saw her in a minor role. In 1987, she was seen as a waitress in the comedy-crime film ‘Stakeout’. Although she didn’t get any major roles during this time, she continued working in TV movies, films, and series nonetheless. In the 1989 anthology film ‘Mystery Train’, she appeared as Dee Dee in its ‘The Ghost’ segment. She received a bigger role in the 1990 drama ‘Denial’ as Lizzie. The film also starred Robin Wright, Jason Patric, Barry Primus, and Christine Harnos. However, it did not fare well at the box office and was reviewed negatively by the critics. Later, in the same year, she bagged a role in the Portuguese comedy drama ‘Sons’, which was a success at the box office.

Her career graph in the 1990s remained similar to her early career as she continued to struggle to find big roles and had to contend herself with minor and supporting roles. In 1991, she worked in the drama ‘Jumpin’ at the Boneyard’ as Cathy. Next year, she played the role of Jackie in the comedy drama ‘In the Soup’, an independent movie that was praised by the critics and managed to get Bracco noticed. The movie had Steve Buscemi, Seymour Cassel, and Jennifer Beals in leading roles. Her portfolio expanded in 1993 when she starred in the TV series ‘Tribeca’ as a bridal consultant. In the same year, she had two feature film releases. Her first release ‘Money for Nothing’ was directed by Ramón Menéndez and starred John Cusack. Her second release was the Nancy Savoca-directed drama ‘Household Saints’ that starred Tracey Ullman, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Lili Taylor. The movie won some awards and was praised by the critics for its unique storyline. In 1994, she starred in the comedy drama ‘Somebody to Love’, a movie that failed to perform at the box office. A year later, Bracco was cast in a main role in the Joseph Nobile drama film ‘Closer to Home’. In 1996, she was part of two superhit movies: ‘The First Wives Club’ and ‘Trees Lounge’. Both movies performed well at the box office, and Bracco’s work was also praised.

In Stanley Tucci’s movie ‘The Imposters’ (1998), she played the role of Pancetta Leaky and followed it up with a leading role in ‘Louis & Frank’ in the same year. ‘Louis & Frank’ was directed by Alexandre Rockwell and starred Steve Buscemi and Toni Curtis alongside Bracco. However, it proved to be a disaster both commercially and critically. In 1999, she played minor roles in the films ‘The 24 Hour Woman’ and ‘Analyze This’. It was during this time that Bracco decided to take a break from serious acting to focus on her family. She returned to the big screen in 2002 with the comedy ‘13 Moons’, which saw her in a leading role. After that, her only screen appearance was as Marie Spatafore in the hit HBO TV series ‘The Sopranos’. While she was not a lead character, her recurring role (8 episodes) was appreciated by the audience, and she decided to retire on a high note.

Elizabeth Bracco was born on November 5, 1957 to Eileen and Salvatore Bracco Sr. in Brooklyn, New York. She has two siblings: Lorraine Bracco and Salvatore Jr. Her sister Lorraine is an award-winning actress, who played a leading role on ‘The Sopranos’. Elizabeth Bracco spent her formative years in Maxwell Drive, Westbury. Her parents trace their heritage to Italy and France, and Bracco speaks English, French and Italian. She married the Irish-American actor Aidan Quinn in 1987, and has two daughters with him: Mia and Ava Eileen. The family currently lives in New York.