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United States Laura San Giacomo is an esteemed actress recognized for her versatile performances across film and television, and is a dedicated advocate for disability inclusion.
Laura has served as an advocate for the CHIME Charter school, an inclusion school which provides free public education to children of all abilities.
Laura San Giacomo has been honored by the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. This aligns with her advocacy for disability inclusion, stemming from her personal experience as a mother of a son with cerebral palsy.
Laura San Giacomo has been honored by Media Access for a TV public service announcement on 'Inclusive Education' in 'The More You Know'.
Laura San Giacomo has been honored with the Humanitarian Award from Shane's Inspiration, an organization focused on creating inclusive playgrounds.
Laura San Giacomo received Redbook's Mother and Shaker Award, recognizing her impactful work and advocacy.
Laura San Giacomo has been a keynote speaker at various conferences for TASH and CalTASH, organizations promoting an inclusive society, advocating for individuals with severe disabilities.
Laura San Giacomo has been a keynote speaker at two conferences sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, promoting inclusive educational opportunities.
Laura San Giacomo has spoken at the Young Neuroscientists' Workshop for the Children's Neurobiological Solutions Foundation (now the Pediatric Brain Foundation).
In 2021, Laura San Giacomo was listed as the board secretary of the international wheelchair-charity Momentum Wheels for Humanity.
In 2021, Laura San Giacomo was listed as honorary chair of the Environment of People Foundation, Inc., a charity promoting music opportunities for children.
Laura San Giacomo signed with Abrams Artists Agency for representation in all capacities in June 2016.
Laura San Giacomo was born in West Orange, New Jersey, on November 14, 1961, and raised in Denville. She developed an early interest in acting during her time at Morris Knolls High School, where she participated in several school plays. Her commitment to the craft led her to pursue a Fine Arts degree specializing in acting at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh. After graduating, San Giacomo relocated to New York to begin her professional acting career. Her early work included appearances on television shows such as “Spenser: For Hire” (1987), “Crime Story” (1988), “The Equalizer” (1989), “All My Children” (1987), and “Miami Vice” (1989). She also established herself on stage in various theatre productions, including “Wrong Turn at Lungfish,” “North Shore Fish,” “Three Sisters,” “Beirut,” “Italian American Reconciliation,” and Shakespearean plays like “The Tempest” and “Romeo and Juliet.”
San Giacomo’s breakthrough came with her first credited film role in Steven Soderbergh’s “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” (1989). This performance earned her a Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s New Generation Award and a Golden Globe nomination, while the film received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. This success was quickly followed by her role as Kit De Luca in the highly popular film “Pretty Woman” (1990), where she starred alongside Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. She continued to build her filmography in the early 1990s with movies like “Vital Signs” (1990), “Quigley Down Under” (1990), “Once Around” (1991), “Under Suspicion” (1991), and “Nina Takes a Lover” (1994). Her television work also expanded to include Stephen King’s miniseries “The Stand” (1994) and voice acting for the animated series “Gargoyles” (1994).
A significant career shift occurred when San Giacomo transitioned to television with a starring role in the sitcom “Just Shoot Me!” (1997–2003) as Maya Gallo. This move provided a more stable work schedule, especially after the birth of her son in 1996. The series ran for seven seasons and 148 episodes, with San Giacomo appearing in every episode and earning a Golden Globe nomination in 1998 for Best Actress in a Television Comedy or Musical. Following “Just Shoot Me!”, she continued to take on diverse roles, including narrator for “Snapped” (2004), a recurring role in “Veronica Mars” (2006) alongside former co-star Enrico Colantoni, and a main role as Rhetta Rodriguez in “Saving Grace” (2007–2010). Her recent work includes “NCIS” (2016–2024), “Animal Kingdom” (2017–2018), “Barry” (2022), and “The Santa Clauses” (2022-2023). Beyond her acting, San Giacomo is a vocal advocate for disability inclusion, driven by her personal experiences as a mother of a child with cerebral palsy.
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