Drea De Matteo life and biography

Drea de Matteo is an American actress, best known for her roles as Adriana La Cerva on the HBO TV series The Sopranos, Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina on the NBC sitcom Joey and as Angie Bolen on ABC's Desperate Housewives.

Drea had only appeared in a couple of guest spots on unmentionable TV shows when she landed the part of the hostess in David Chase's experimental, cutting-edge, modern day mob pilot, "The Sopranos" (HBO 99-). Originally, Drea was going for the role of an "Italian bimbo. " But David didn't think Drea seemed Italian enough so he stuck her in the tiny role of the hostess at the Italian restaurant frequented by the mobsters and their families. As the hostess, she performed her two lines sans the now famous gritty Jersey/New York accent. To her surprise, Drea was called back to take the role of Adriana La Cerva, the uber-moll girlfriend of young mobster Christopher Molesanti. The role was meant to not last more than a few episodes but Drea played the part with such memorable flair that she was soon written in as a fixture on the show. In the following seasons, her influence as Christopher's fiancee continued to grow. Drea also continued to gain fans and secured a bit of a cult following as the quintessential straight-talking, long-nailed tough girl. Her 5'6" lithe tattoo-covered body is a favorite for upscale male magazines as well as local auto body shops. Drea's sharp featured face and leather attire offer an appealing alternative to the wholesome blonde ingenues currently filling the screens. With an attitude to match this razor sharp image, yet a palpable soft side to her demeanor, Drea has carved out the niche of the sexy bad girl with a heart of gold.

While garnering praise and ever increasing notoriety for her role as Adriana on "The Sopranos," Drea also made some impressive ventures into the film world. She appeared in several indie films in 1999 and 2000 including "The Gentleman from Boston" and in 2001 landed the role of a Puerto Rican drug lord in the film "R Xmas," directed by noted indie director Abel Ferrara, which premiered at Cannes. Drea's brief appearance as a New York club girl in the Jon Favreau's directorial debut "Made" was hailed as one of the film's best moments. Her brief role in 2001's "Swordfish" similarly showcased Drea's talents; she played the alcoholic ex-wife of a convicted computer hacker. She next appeared as a gang leader's girlfriend in "Deuces Wild," (2002) a 1950's mob drama featuring several noted actors such as Debbie Harry, Norman Reedus, Balthazhar Ghetty, Brad Renfro, Frankie Muniz and Fairuza Balk. She also received strong notices for her turn in 2003's "Prey for Rock & Roll," as the tough, self-destructive bassist Tracy, a trust-fund baby fighting a losing battle with drugs and alcohol, in Gina Gershon's all band the Clam Dandys. As her role in "The Sopranos" became increasingly pivitol to the mob drama in 2004--earning her an Emmy in the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama category during her final season on the show--she also landed the plum role of Matt Le Blanc's tough single-mom sister Gina in the highly anticipated "Friends" spin-off "Joey" (NBC, 2004- ).

Besides her acting career, De Matteo maintains a clothing boutique and designs fashions. She and onetime boyfriend Michael Sportes, whom she met when he moved into her apartment as a roommate, own a rock and roll clothing store in Manhattan's East Village. The actress had been designing rhinestone t-shirts (a craze which would sweep the nation and Hollywood) and Michael had been a vintage clothes buyer when they opened Filth Mart in 1997 -- though they split as a couple, they remained business partners. De Matteo also shares her home with her former nanny, a Nicaraguan woman who helped raise De Matteo from birth. The caretaking roles reversed after Drea took the woman in after she had a heart transplant several years ago.

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