Vinessa Shaw

VINESSA SHAW

Date of Birth: July 19, 1976

This California native was born to follow in her actress mother's footsteps. Surrounded by an artistic community, she was handpicked at the age of 11 to sing with folk singer (and her next door neighbor) Peter Alsop. She toured with his band before turning to the world of modeling.

With her face plastered in such magazines as Seventeen, LA Style, Max, Vogue and Elle, television producers discovered her and signed Shaw on to co-star on the telefilm, The Long Road Home. This wasn't the first time she had worked for a moving picture - when she was 10, she performed in a student film entitled My Day at Camp.

The television exposure proved invaluable to Shaw who found doors opening up in the feature film industry to her. Her next two projects included Ladybugs (1992) in which she played soccer player Kimberly, and Hocus Pocus (1993) playing Allison (both major roles).

She returned to television for the next few years, appearing in a pilot called Country Estates as well as the pilot for the TV series McKenna (she was replaced by Jennifer Love Hewitt in the series). Shaw also played a role on the series Fallen Angel. During this time, she attended Barnard College, but never graduated. She returned to film in 1996 playing a delinquent, rebellious teenager who is sent to a ranch in Coyote Summer. This film featured her mother, Susan Damante-Shaw.

By the late '90s she was able to take on more mature roles. Her portrayal of the prostitute Domino in Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut, was soon followed by starring roles in Corky Romano (2001) and 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002).

Shaw has also modelled for such companies as Calvin Klein.