Drea (pronounced "Dray") de Matteo was hired to do a one-time guest spot as a waitress on the HBO series, The Sopranos in 1999. The producers liked her acting intensity and called her back, offering her the part of Christopher's girlfriend and writing the part in permanently. She was such a hit that she performed in the role for five years. In 2004, she was tapped to play Gina Tribbiani, Joey's sister in the Friends spin-off, Joey, starring Matt LeBlanc.
de Matteo was born on January 19, 1973, in Queens, NY. Her father was a furniture manufacturer and her mother a playwright. She was raised in Queens, mostly by her grandmother and her Nicaraguan nanny. She went to NYU to study directing, but got side-tracked by acting.
She has made several movies, including Meet Prince Charming (1999), Sleepwalk (2000), Swordfish (2001), The Perfect You (2002), Deuces Wild (2002), Beacon Hill (2003), The Good Life and Lake City, among others. She also co-owns Filth Mart, a chic clothing store in New York City's East Village.
On the hit TV series The Sopranos, Drea de Matteo played Adriana, the loyal girlfriend/fianceé of mobster Christopher Moltisanti (actor Michael Imperioli). Born and raised in New York, de Matteo attended film school before going into acting. She began getting television roles in 1997, and in 1999 she appeared in The Sopranos. Her minor character ended up becoming a significant part of the show, and she was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2004. She then joined the cast of Joey, a series spun off from the long-running situation comedy Friends, which ran from 2004-06. De Matteo has also appeared in feature films, including Swordfish (2001, with Hugh Jackman), Deuces Wild (2002) and Assault on Precinct 13 (2005, starring Ja Rule and Laurence Fishburne).
De Matteo opened Filth Mart, a Manhattan clothing store, in 1999.
Career Highlights: Assault on Precinct 13, Joey, Prey for Rock & Roll
First Major Screen Credit: Sleepwalk (2000)
Biography
Popular Sopranos actress Drea de Matteo's unique blend of Italian-American sensuality and unpretentious rock & roll-girl chic has found her ascending the ranks to become one of Hollywood's hottest stars. Though de Matteo's role on The Sopranos was originally intended to be little more than a one-time appearance, her undeniable screen presence soon found her returning to the role of Jersey girl-turned-Mafioso moll Adriana La Cerva in the popular HBO crime drama. Oddly enough, it was stage legend Andrew Lloyd Webber who first sparked showbiz aspirations in the Queens native. When de Matteo was around ten years old, Rum Tum Tugger whisked her on-stage during a performance of Webber's enduring stage musical Cats; the jarring experience proved alternately petrifying and compelling for de Matteo, and the intoxicating glow of the spotlight immediately cast its spell on the young showbiz hopeful. With a mother who worked as a screenwriter, young de Matteo was no stranger to the business, and though she would become something of a wild child during her teens, she never lost sight of her starstruck dreams. When it came time to pursue higher education, she set her sights on N.Y.U.'s Tisch School of the Arts. Though de Matteo initially intended to become a director, her acting talents quickly caught the eyes of casting agents.
In 1996, de Matteo made her feature debut in the romantic comedy The "M" Word, and though the film would go largely unseen, her next role provided just the breakthrough needed to boost her career. Though the actress never expected her part in The Sopranos to go beyond one episode, the casting agents were quick to make her a regular player on the Emmy-winning series. Subsequent roles in such independent films as Meet Prince Charming (1999) and Sleepwalk (2000) gained little more attention than The "M" Word had, but de Matteo was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of working with Bad Lieutenant director Abel Ferrara when she appeared in the director's 2001 crime drama 'R Xmas. If de Matteo's feature career had gone virtually unnoticed by mainstream filmgoers to this point, roles in such wide releases as Swordfish (2001) and Deuces Wild (2002) soon found her star rising. In 2003, she was finally given the opportunity to live out her rock-star dreams by strumming the bass in director Alex Steyermark's musical drama Prey for Rock & Roll. An association with actress Jenny McCarthy (whom de Matteo had previously acted alongside in 2001's The Perfect You) next led to an appearance opposite the former MTV girl and Playboy Playmate in the 2003 romantic comedy Dirty Love. In 2004, de Matteo went back in front of the camera for Steyermark in the true-crime drama West Memphis Three (which was inspired by the events covered in the documentary Paradise Lost). The following year, de Matteo could be seen in prominent roles in Ferrara's Go Go Tales and the action remake Assault on Precinct 13. In addition to her film and television career, de Matteo also owns Filth Mart, a popular New York City rock-chic clothing boutique. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
De Matteo, an Italian American,[2] was born in Queens, New York, the daughter of Donna, a playwright and playwriting teacher, and Albert De Matteo, a furniture manufacturer.[3][4] She grew up in a Catholic family.[5] She lives in New York City, where she also formerly owned Filth Mart, an East Village clothing store, with best friend and ex-boyfriend Michael Sportes.[citation needed] She is engaged to Shooter Jennings, the son of late country legend Waylon Jennings. The couple had their first child together, a girl named Alabama Gypsy Rose, on November 28, 2007. Jennings proposed onstage at the Stanley Center during a show in Utica, New York, on June 11, 2009, and confirmed the news on Twitter. "Asked Drea to marry me on stage tonight. I'm a lucky man," he Tweeted, "I'll never forget Utica, NY."
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.
From 2004 to 2006, de Matteo portrayed Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina in the Friendsspin-offJoey. The show was cancelled after two seasons.
de Matteo is also playing the role of Wendy Case in an FX original series Sons of Anarchy. The pilot episode aired September 3, 2008.
