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Vanessa Marcil
Born (1968-10-15) October 15, 1968 (age 56)
Other names Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo
Occupation Actress
Years active 1992–2019
Spouse(s)
(m. 1989; div. 1993)
Carmine Giovinazzo
(m. 2010; div. 2013)
Partner(s)
  • Brian Austin Green (1999–2003)
  • MC Martin (2015–present; engaged)
Children 1

Vanessa Marcil, born on October 15, 1968, is an American actress. She is well-known for her roles on popular television shows. You might recognize her as Brenda Barrett from General Hospital, Gina Kincaid from Beverly Hills, 90210, or Sam Marquez from Las Vegas.

Early Life and Family

Vanessa Marcil was born in Indio, California. She is the youngest of four children in her family. Her mother, Patricia Marcil, worked with herbal medicine. Her father, Pete Ortiz, was a contractor. Vanessa's father had Mexican heritage, and her mother had French and Italian family roots.

Acting Career Highlights

Vanessa Marcil began her acting journey in theater plays. In 1992, she got her first major TV role as Brenda Barrett on the soap opera General Hospital. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award three times for this role. In 2003, she won the award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress." She also received an award from Soap Opera Digest in 1998 for her acting.

In 1994, Vanessa appeared in the music video for the song "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" by the artist Prince. The next year, she was featured in People's list of the "50 Most Beautiful" people. Her first movie role was in the 1996 film The Rock, where she acted alongside stars like Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery.

After six years on General Hospital, Vanessa left the show in 1998. She then starred in a TV movie called To Love, Honor and Deceive. She also had a recurring role on the police drama High Incident, which was produced by Steven Spielberg. In November 1998, Vanessa joined the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 as Gina Kincaid. She stayed with the show for about a year and a half. She also appeared in two independent films in 1999: Nice Guys Sleep Alone and This Space Between Us.

From 2002 to 2003, Vanessa returned to General Hospital as Brenda Barrett, which led to her Daytime Emmy win in 2003. Later, she joined the cast of the NBC drama Las Vegas. She played Sam Marquez, a casino host, and was on the show for five seasons until 2008. In 2008, she also hosted a reality show called Blush: The Search for the Next Great Makeup Artist and made guest appearances on the show Lipstick Jungle.

In 2009, Vanessa starred in two TV movies: The Nanny Express for the Hallmark Channel and One Hot Summer for Lifetime. In 2010, she appeared in the web series The Bannen Way. She also made another return to General Hospital in August 2010 and stayed for a year. In April 2013, she made a special guest appearance on General Hospital to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary.

In 2014, she starred in the Hallmark Channel movie Stranded in Paradise. In 2015, she joined the reality series Queens of Drama on Pop. This show followed former soap opera actresses trying to create a new TV show. Her most recent Hallmark Channel movie, The Convenient Groom, was released in 2016.

Personal Life and Family

Vanessa Marcil was married to actor Corey Feldman from 1989 to 1993.

In 1999, Vanessa started dating her Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star, Brian Austin Green. They got engaged in 2001 and had a son named Kassius Lijah Marcil-Green in 2002. They ended their relationship in 2003.

On July 11, 2010, Vanessa married actor Carmine Giovinazzo in New York City. They announced they were expecting a child in June 2011, but Vanessa experienced a miscarriage. She filed for divorce in August 2012, and their divorce was finalized in March 2013.

In April 2015, Vanessa shared on social media that she was engaged to MC Martin, a California Deputy Sheriff. In November 2017, she announced she was pregnant again. In January 2018, she shared that she was expecting a daughter, but later announced that she had experienced another miscarriage.

Vanessa's father, Pete, passed away on September 14, 2017. Vanessa Marcil has converted to Judaism.

Filmography

Movies

Year Title Role Notes
1996 The Rock Carla Pestalozzi
1997 976-WISH Danielle Short film
1999 Nice Guys Sleep Alone Erin
2000 This Space Between Us Maggie Harty
2002 Storm Watch Tess Woodward Also known as Virtual Storm or Code Hunter

Television Shows

Year Title Role Notes
  • 1992–1998
  • 2002–2003
  • 2010–2011
  • 2013
General Hospital Brenda Barrett Main role (1992–1998; 2002–2003 & 2010–2011); guest role (2013)
1996 To Love, Honor and Deceive Sydney Carpenter Television film; also known as The Protected Wife
1997 High Incident Kerry Andrews Episodes: "Hot Wire", "Remote Control"
1998–2000 Beverly Hills, 90210 Gina Kincaid Main role
2001 Spin City Crazy Kara Episode: "A Shot in the Dark: Part 2"
2001 & 2003 NYPD Blue Detective Maria Olivera Episodes: "Johnny Got His Gold", "Shear Stupidity"
2003–2008 Las Vegas Sam Marquez Main role
2004–2005 Crossing Jordan Sam Marquez Episodes: "What Happens in Vegas Dies in Boston" & "Luck Be a Lady"
2008 Lipstick Jungle Josie Scotto 3 episodes
The Nanny Express Kate Hewitt Television film
2009 Without a Trace Kim Marcus 3 episodes
One Hot Summer Margarita Silva Santos Television film
2010 The Bannen Way Madison Webseries
2012 Hawaii Five-0 Dr. Olivia Victor Episode: "Wahine'inoloa"
2014 Hell's Kitchen Herself Episode: "17 Chefs Compete"
Stranded in Paradise Tess Nelson Television film
2016 The Convenient Groom Dr. Kate Lawrence
2017 The Wrong Mother Kaylene
2018 Bad Tutor Kelly
2019 My Stepfather's Secret Tina

Awards and Nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
1994 Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding Female Newcomer General Hospital Nominated
1995 Hottest Soap Couple (shared with Maurice Benard)
1997 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
1997 Soap Opera Digest Awards Hottest Female Star Won
1998 Outstanding Lead Actress
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Nominated
2003 Soap Opera Digest Awards Favorite Return Won
Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

See also

In Spanish: Vanessa Marcil para niños

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