Annabella Gloria Philomena Sciorra, born March 29, 1960 is an American actress. Her film roles include True Love (1989), Cadillac Man (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The Addiction (1995), Cop Land (1997), and What Dreams May Come (1998). She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for playing Gloria Trillo in The Sopranos (2001–04).
Early life
Sciorra was born on March 29, 1960, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City to Italian immigrants. Her mother was a fashion stylist from Formia, Lazio, and her father a veterinarian from Abruzzo. Sciorra studied dance as a child, and later took drama lessons at the Herbert Berghof Studio and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Career
Sciorra made her feature film debut with a starring role in the 1989 comedy True Love. She was praised by critics, with Janet Maslin of The New York Times commenting: “Ms. Sciorra, with her gentle beauty and her hard-as-nails negotiating style, perfectly captures the mood of the film, and makes Donna fully and touchingly drawn”. The performance earned her a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.
Various film roles came next, including the Richard Gere thriller Internal Affairs, the Robin Williams comedy Cadillac Man, and the acclaimed drama Reversal of Fortune (all 1990). The latter received three Academy Award nominations.
She earned widespread attention in 1991 for her co-lead role in Spike Lee’s film Jungle Fever, opposite Wesley Snipes. In his review for the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan wrote that Sciorra was “possessed of considerable presence, assurance and vulnerability”. She then starred alongside Rebecca De Mornay in Curtis Hanson’s 1992 thriller, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, which held the #1 position at the North American box office for four consecutive weeks.
Sciorra continued to work steadily throughout the 1990s. Film parts included The Night We Never Met, with Matthew Broderick; Romeo Is Bleeding, with Gary Oldman; Mr. Wonderful, with Matt Dillon (all 1993); Abel Ferrara’s The Addiction (1995) and The Funeral (1996), with Christopher Walken; Cop Land, with Sylvester Stallone (1997); and What Dreams May Come (1998), in which she co-starred for a second time with Robin Williams.
In 2001, she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Gloria Trillo on the HBO series The Sopranos. Entertainment Weekly called it “a career changing performance”.
In 2006, Sciorra co-starred with Vin Diesel in Find Me Guilty, directed by Sidney Lumet. The film, based on the true story of the longest Mafia trial in American history, was described as “gripping” by Stephen Holden of The New York Times, who also called Sciorra’s performance “excellent”.
Subsequent credits include the CBS series Queens Supreme (2003); a recurring role as Det. Carolyn Barek in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2005–06); the FOX series Mental (2009); and guest appearances in The L Word, ER, The Good Wife, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
In 2018, she starred as Rosalie Carbone in the second season of Luke Cage. Of Sciorra’s casting, executive producer Cheo Hodari Coker said: “I’ve been a huge fan of hers since Jungle Fever, and no joke as Rosalie Carbone. You haven’t seen her this gangster since The Sopranos. I’m thrilled her introduction to the Marvel Universe will be on Marvel’s Luke Cage“. Later that year, she reprised the role of Carbone in the third season of Daredevil.
Personal life
Sciorra was married to actor Joe Petruzzi from 1989 to 1993. In 2004, she began a relationship with Bobby Cannavale which lasted for three years; the pair split up in 2007.
In October 2017, Sciorra leveled allegations of rape against the film producer Harvey Weinstein. In an article published by The New Yorker, Sciorra alleged that Weinstein raped her after he forced his way into her apartment in 1993, then over a number of years repeatedly sexually harassed her. Sciorra was the key witness addressing the predatory sexual assault charges alleging that Weinstein engaged in a pattern of violent and abusive behavior over many years. The jury struggled with Sciorra’s testimony, spending days deliberating on it as indicated by questions the jurors asked to the judge. In the end, the jury unanimously decided that they could not convict Weinstein on the basis of her testimony beyond a reasonable doubt, and Weinstein was found not guilty on the predatory sexual assault charges.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Most Promising Actress | True Love | Nominated |
| 1990 | Independent Spirit Awards | Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead | True Love | Nominated |
| 2001 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | The Sopranos | Nominated |
| 2011 | Theatre World Awards | Lunt-Fontanne Award for Ensemble Excellence | The Motherfucker with the Hat | Won |
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | True Love | Donna | |
| 1990 | Internal Affairs | Heather Peck | |
| 1990 | Cadillac Man | Donna | |
| 1990 | Reversal of Fortune | Sarah | |
| 1991 | The Hard Way | Susan | |
| 1991 | Jungle Fever | Angie Tucci | |
| 1992 | The Hand That Rocks the Cradle | Claire Bartel | |
| 1992 | Whispers in the Dark | Ann Hecker | |
| 1993 | The Night We Never Met | Ellen Holder | |
| 1993 | Romeo Is Bleeding | Natalie Grimaldi | |
| 1993 | Mr. Wonderful | Leonora | |
| 1995 | The Addiction | Casanova | |
| 1995 | The Cure | Linda | |
| 1996 | The Innocent Sleep | Billie Hayman | |
| 1996 | Underworld | Dr. Leah | |
| 1996 | The Funeral | Jean | Also associate producer |
| 1997 | Highball | Molly | |
| 1997 | Little City | Nina | |
| 1997 | Destination Anywhere: The Film | Dorothy | Video |
| 1997 | Cop Land | Liz Randone | |
| 1997 | Mr. Jealousy | Ramona Ray | |
| 1998 | New Rose Hotel | Madame Rosa | |
| 1998 | What Dreams May Come | Annie Collins-Nielsen | |
| 2000 | Above Suspicion | Lisa Stockton | |
| 2000 | King of the Jungle | Mermaid | |
| 2000 | Once in the Life | Maxine | |
| 2001 | Sunday | Betibù | |
| 2001 | Sam the Man | Cass | |
| 2004 | Chasing Liberty | Cynthia Morales | |
| 2004 | American Crime | Jane Berger | Video |
| 2005 | 12 and Holding | Carla Chuang | |
| 2006 | Find Me Guilty | Bella DiNorscio | |
| 2006 | Marvelous | Lara | |
| 2012 | A Green Story | Chloe | |
| 2013 | The Maid’s Room | Mrs. Crawford | |
| 2014 | Don Peyote | Giulietta | |
| 2014 | Friends and Romans | Angela DeMaio | |
| 2015 | Stranger in the House | Mrs. Menabar | (also known as The Inherited) |
| 2015 | Alto | Sofia Del Vecchio | Also producer |
| 2016 | Back in the Day | Mary | |
| 2019 | The Kitchen | Maria Coretti |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Fortunate Pilgrim | Octavia | Miniseries |
| 1991 | Prison Stories: Women on the Inside | Nicole | Television film |
| 1995 | Favorite Deadly Sins | Brenda | Television film |
| 1997 | Asteroid | Lily McKee | Television film |
| 2001 | Touched by an Angel | Dr. Sarah Conover | Episode: “The Face of God” |
| 2001 | Jenifer | Meredith Estess | Television film |
| 2001–2004 | The Sopranos | Gloria Trillo | 7 episodes |
| 2003 | Queens Supreme | Judge Kim Vicidomini | 13 episodes |
| 2004 | Identity Theft: The Michelle Brown Story | Connie Volkos | Television film |
| 2004 | The Madam’s Family: The Truth About the Canal Street Brothel | Jeanette Maier | Television film |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Maggie Dettweiler | Episode: “The Abominable Showman” |
| 2005–2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Det. Carolyn Barek | Main Cast Season 5 |
| 2007 | The L Word | Kate Arden | 3 episodes |
| 2007 | ER | Diana Moore | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Mental | Nora Skoff | 12 episodes |
| 2010 | The Whole Truth | Madeline Landon | Episode: “When Cougars Attack” |
| 2012 | The Good Wife | Lesli Rand | Episode: “Waiting for Knock” |
| 2013 | Blue Bloods | Grace Meherin | Episode: “Front Page News” |
| 2013 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Nancy Brass | Episode: “Skin in the Game” |
| 2014 | Wishin’ and Hopin’ | Ma | Television film |
| 2014 | Taxi Brooklyn | Jeanette Vandercroix | Episode: “Black Widow” |
| 2017 | Bull | ADA Shelly Giordano | Episode: “Bring it On” |
| 2018 | GLOW | Rosalie Biagi | Recurring |
| 2018 | Luke Cage | Rosalie Carbone | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Daredevil | 2 episodes | |
| 2019–2020 | Truth Be Told | Erin Buhrman | 7 episodes |
| 2021 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Carolyn Barek | 1 episode |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Those the River Keeps | Off-Broadway | |
| 1999 | The Vagina Monologues | Off-Broadway | |
| 2004 | Roar | Hala | Off-Broadway |
| 2007 | Spain | Barbara | Off-Broadway |
| 2011 | The Motherfucker with the Hat | Victoria | Broadway |
| 2015 | A Month in the Country | Lizaveta | Off-Broadway |