Drea de Matteo

Date of birth: January 19, 1972
Age: 38

Andrea Donna de Matteo is an Emmy-winning American actress, perhaps best known for her roles as Adriana La Cerva on the HBO TV series The Sopranos and as Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina on the NBC sitcom Joey.

De Matteo, an Italian American, was born in Queens, New York, the daughter of Donna, a playwright and playwriting teacher, and Albert De Matteo, a furniture manufacturer. She grew up in a Catholic family. After graduating from the prestigious Loyola School, she studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, originally hoping to become a director, not an actress.

De Matteo's role in The Sopranos was one of her earliest, helping to launch her career. She has also appeared in several films including Swordfish, Deuces Wild, The Perfect You and the 2005 remake of John Carpenter's 1976 action film Assault on Precinct 13. She also portrayed Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina in the Friends spin-off Joey.

In 2004, de Matteo won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress (Drama) for her role as Adriana on The Sopranos. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe that same year for the same role. She was ranked #42 and #56 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2001 and 2002, respectively.

She lives in New York City, where she also formerly owned the now-closed Filth Mart, an East Village clothing store, with best friend and ex-boyfriend Michael Sportes. In a February, 2005 edition of the British newspaper The Daily Sport, de Matteo stated that she is bisexual, but she would not admit to ever having been with a woman. She is currently dating Shooter Jennings, son of country music legend Waylon Jennings. The couple had their first child together, a girl named Alabama Gypsy Rose, on November 28, 2007.

See also:  Actress,  American,  Desperate Housewives,  Emmy Award Nominee,  Emmy Award Winner,  The Sopranos