| Vinessa Shaw |
| Born |
Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw
July 19, 1976 (1976-07-19) (age 33)
Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation |
Actress/Model |
| Years active |
1981; 1991—present |
Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw (born July 19, 1976) is an American actress and model. Shaw has starred in numerous motion pictures since the early 1990s, and is probably most well-known for her performances in Disney's 1993 Halloween film Hocus Pocus, the 2006 remake of Wes Craven's horror picture The Hills Have Eyes, as well as the 2008 romance film Two Lovers, in which she starred alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Childhood and early career
Shaw was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Larry Shaw and actress Susan Damante-Shaw (née Susan Jean Damante).[1][2] Her family's original surname was "Schwartz".[3] Her name, Vinessa, spelled with an "i" rather than the common "a', was a variation of her grandfather's name, Vincent.[4] Shaw made her first formal performance in a UCLA acting camp short at age 10, and subsequently toured with children's folk singer Peter Alsop at age 11. She also signed on with the Elite Models agency in 1989 at the age of 13 before beginning her acting career,[5] and did a few modeling jobs and commercial work throughout her earlier career.
Film career
Shaw made her film debut in a little-known-of 1981 slasher film called Home Sweet Home, which dealt with a serial killer at Thanksgiving time. She then landed parts in a handful of television roles. She played a considerably large role in Walt Disney's 1993 Halloween family film Hocus Pocus alongside Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, and a young Thora Birch. Shaw completed roles in various independent films for the remainder of the 1990s.
In 1999, she was cast in a small yet significant role by the legendary Stanley Kubrick in his final film Eyes Wide Shut, playing an HIV-positive prostitute who is encountered by Tom Cruise. In a 2008 interview, Shaw stated that director Kubrick was "very influential" to her and that he "was the first person who encouraged her to continue acting".[6] Following her role in Eyes Wide Shut, Vinessa played parts in a handful of films including the independent 2000 mystery-drama The Weight of Water with Sarah Polley and Sean Penn; the slapstick comedy Corky Romano alongside Chris Kattan; the romantic comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights, playing the fiesty ex-girlfriend of Josh Hartnett; and a very small role in Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda.
More low budget and independent films consumed Shaw's time until 2006, where she returned to the big screen in Alexandre Aja's remake of Wes Craven's exploitation-horror film The Hills Have Eyes, playing a young mother on a camping trip with her family who is attacked by bloodthirsty mutants in the new mexico desert. Director Aja had wanted to cast her in the film after seeing her performance in Eyes Wide Shut. Asked why she wanted to act in a horror film, Shaw responded "Well, I guess I could be good in it since I'm so frightened of those kinds of concepts. But this one in particular really attracted me because of the filmmakers. I really thought that they had a great stance on it. Like it's very different, very heartfelt, and heartbreaking because of the characters involved. So that's kind of what made the difference. It was more of an actor's piece, if you can believe that, in a horror movie."[7] Shaw was featured on the official one sheet promotion poster for the film,[8] which was a box-office success.
Most recently, Vinessa has been seen in the 2007 remake of the classic Western film 3:10 to Yuma with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, the indie drama film Garden Party, as well as a leading role in Two Lovers alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 and was released theatrically in February 2009.
Personal life
Shaw dated late actor Jonathan Brandis whom she met while filming Ladybugs in 1992, and later dated actor Oliver Hudson, brother of Kate Hudson and son of Goldie Hawn. She attended the famed Barnard College in New York, but dropped out to pursue acting. Shaw was attending the college when she was approached by Stanley Kubrick for her role in Eyes Wide Shut.
She is a practicing Nichiren Buddhist, she chants Nam Myoho Renge Kyo daily,[9] and is a facilitator of the SGI-USA Buddhist Association for Peace, Culture, and Education.[10] Shaw mentioned her practicing of the religion in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in February 2009. Shaw has been engaged to behind-the-scenes film artist Kristopher Gifford since 2008. [11]
Filmography
References
External links
