Vinessa Shaw
Encyclopedia
Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw is an American actress and model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....

. Shaw has starred in numerous motion pictures since the early 1990s, and is probably most well known for her performances in Disney's 1993
1993 in film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...

 Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...

 film Hocus Pocus, Ladybugs
Ladybugs (film)
Ladybugs is a comedy and sports movie released in 1992 starring Rodney Dangerfield as Chester, a business man who takes over a girls soccer team which the company he works for sponsors to get them to win and get a promotion...

, the 2006 remake of Wes Craven
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven is an American actor, film director, writer, producer, perhaps best known as the director of many horror films, particularly slasher films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character, the...

's horror picture The Hills Have Eyes
The Hills Have Eyes
The Hills Have Eyes may refer to:*The Hills Have Eyes *The Hills Have Eyes , a 1977 film by Wes Craven*The Hills Have Eyes Part II, the 1985 sequel...

, as well as the 2008 romance film Two Lovers
Two Lovers (film)
Two Lovers is a 2008 American romantic drama film, taking its inspiration from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's short story "White Nights". which was already turned into a film by Luchino Visconti: Le Notti Bianche. The movie is directed by James Gray and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Vinessa...

, in which she starred alongside Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...

 and Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...

.

Childhood and early career

Shaw was born in Los Angeles, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, the daughter of Larry Shaw and actress Susan Damante-Shaw
Susan Damante-Shaw
Susan Damante-Shaw is an American actress who has starred in various movies and television programs. She was first runner-up to Miss California in the Miss America Pageant...

 (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....

 Susan Jean Damante). Her family's original surname was "Schwartz". Her name, Vinessa, spelled with an "i" rather than the common "a", was a variation of her grandfather's name, Vincent. Shaw made her first formal performance in a UCLA acting camp short at age 10, and subsequently toured with children's folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 singer Peter Alsop
Peter Alsop
Peter Alsop is an American musician whose work has ranged from satirical music for adults to children's music.He graduated from Trinity College, Columbia University Teachers College, and Columbia Pacific University with a PhD...

 at age 11. She also signed on with the Elite Models agency in 1989 at the age of 13 before beginning her acting career, 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
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...

's 1993 Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...

 family film Hocus Pocus alongside Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...

, Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker is an American film, television, and theater actress and producer.She is best known for her leading role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex and the City , for which she won four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy Awards...

, Kathy Najimy
Kathy Najimy
Kathy Ann Najimy is an American actress, most notable as Olive Massery on the television series Veronica's Closet, Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act and the voice of Peggy Hill on the animated television series King of the Hill. Prior to her film work, she was best known for two Off Broadway shows...

, Omri Katz
Omri Katz
Omri Haim Katz is an American actor. His TV and film credits include Eerie, Indiana; Matinee; Adventures in Dinosaur City; Hocus Pocus; and the CBS prime time soap opera Dallas, in which he played the role of John Ross Ewing III, the son of J.R...

, and a young Thora Birch
Thora Birch
Thora Birch is an American actress. She was a child actor in the 1990s, starring in movies such as All I Want for Christmas , Patriot Games , Hocus Pocus , Now and Then , and Alaska . She came to prominence in 1999 after earning worldwide attention and praise for her performance in American Beauty...

. 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
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...

 in his final film Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 drama film based upon Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Traumnovelle . The film was directed, produced and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, and was his last film. The story, set in and around New York City, follows the sexually-charged adventures of Dr...

, playing an HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...

-positive prostitute who is encountered by Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....

's character. 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". 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
The Weight of Water (film)
The Weight of Water is a 2000 film based on the novel of the same name by Anita Shreve. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the film stars Sean Penn, Elizabeth Hurley, Sarah Polley, Josh Lucas and Catherine McCormack...

with Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley is a Canadian actress, singer, film director, and screenwriter. Polley first attained notice in her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series, Road to Avonlea...

 and Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...

; the slapstick comedy Corky Romano
Corky Romano
Corky Romano is a 2001 film starring former Saturday Night Live cast member Chris Kattan. Also starring are Fred Ward, Vinessa Shaw, Roger Fan, and Dave Sheridan. The movie was directed by Rob Pritts and was written by David Garrett and Jason Ward. It was filmed at Touchstone Pictures studios...

alongside Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....

; the romantic comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights
40 Days and 40 Nights
This article refers to Michael Lehmann's 2002 film. For the 2007 Matthew Chapman book, see 40 Days and 40 Nights .40 Days and 40 Nights is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann, written by Rob Perez and starring Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon and Paulo Costanzo...

, playing the fiesty ex-girlfriend of Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...

; and a very small role in Woody Allen
Woody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...

's Melinda and Melinda
Melinda and Melinda
Melinda and Melinda is a 2004 film written and directed by Woody Allen. It was premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. The film is set in Manhattan and stars Radha Mitchell as the protagonist Melinda, in two storylines; one comic, one tragic...

.

More low budget and independent films consumed Shaw's time until 2006, where she returned to the big screen in Alexandre Aja
Alexandre Aja
Alexandre Aja is a French film director who rose to international stardom for his 2003 horror film Haute Tension .-Personal life:...

's remake of Wes Craven
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven is an American actor, film director, writer, producer, perhaps best known as the director of many horror films, particularly slasher films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character, the...

's exploitation
Exploitation
This article discusses the term exploitation in the meaning of using something in an unjust or cruel manner.- As unjust benefit :In political economy, economics, and sociology, exploitation involves a persistent social relationship in which certain persons are being mistreated or unfairly used for...

-horror film The Hills Have Eyes
The Hills Have Eyes (2006 film)
The Hills Have Eyes is a 2006 horror film and remake of Wes Craven's 1977 film The Hills Have Eyes. Written by filmmaking partners Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur of the French horror film Haute Tension, and directed by Aja, the film follows a family who becomes the target of a group of...

, playing a young mother on a camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...

 trip with her family who is attacked by bloodthirsty mutants in the New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

 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." Shaw was featured on the official one sheet promotion poster for the film, 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
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...

 and Christian Bale
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....

, the indie drama film Garden Party
Garden party
A garden party is a social gathering with food provided, in the open in a park or a garden. An event described as a garden party is usually more formal than other similar gatherings, which may be called just parties, picnics, barbecues, etc,...

, as well as a leading role in Two Lovers
Two Lovers (film)
Two Lovers is a 2008 American romantic drama film, taking its inspiration from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's short story "White Nights". which was already turned into a film by Luchino Visconti: Le Notti Bianche. The movie is directed by James Gray and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Vinessa...

alongside Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...

 and Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...

. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...

 in 2008 and was released theatrically in February 2009.

Personal life

Shaw attended Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...

 in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, but dropped out to pursue acting. Shaw was attending the college when she was approached by Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...

 for her role in Eyes Wide Shut.

She is a practicing Nichiren Buddhist, she chants Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō is a mantra that is chanted as the central practice of all forms of Nichiren Buddhism...

 daily, and is a facilitator of the SGI-USA Buddhist Association for Peace, Culture, and Education. Shaw mentioned her practicing of the religion in an interview with the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

 in February 2009. Shaw has been engaged to behind-the-scenes film artist Kristopher Gifford since 2008.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1981 Home Sweet Home
Home Sweet Home (1981 film)
Home Sweet Home is a 1981 slasher film written by Thomas Bush, produced by Don Edmonds, directed by Nettie Pena and stars Jake Steinfeld and Vinessa Shaw.- Plot :...

Angel Bradley Alternative title: Slasher in the House
1992 Ladybugs
Ladybugs (film)
Ladybugs is a comedy and sports movie released in 1992 starring Rodney Dangerfield as Chester, a business man who takes over a girls soccer team which the company he works for sponsors to get them to win and get a promotion...

Kimberly Mullen
1993 Hocus Pocus Allison
1996 Coyote Summer
Coyote Summer
Coyote Summer is a 1996 American family film about a troubled teenager spending the summer on a horse ranch. It was shot in St. George and Virgin, Utah.-Plot:...

Callie Carpenter
1998 L.A. Without a Map
L.A. Without a Map
L.A. Without a Map is a 1998 film directed by Mika Kaurismäki and written by Mika Kaurismäki and Richard Rayner, based on his novel. The film stars David Tennant, Vinessa Shaw, Julie Delpy, Vincent Gallo, and Johnny Depp It is a French, British and Finnish production.Also known under the titles:...

Barbara
1999 Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 drama film based upon Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Traumnovelle . The film was directed, produced and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, and was his last film. The story, set in and around New York City, follows the sexually-charged adventures of Dr...

Domino
1999 Wayward Son
Wayward Son
Wayward Son is an American film drama about justice and redemption in rural Georgia during the Great Depression, starring Harry Connick, Jr. and Pete Postlethwaite.-Plot:...

Cordelia
2000 Anethe Christenson
2001 Corky Romano
Corky Romano
Corky Romano is a 2001 film starring former Saturday Night Live cast member Chris Kattan. Also starring are Fred Ward, Vinessa Shaw, Roger Fan, and Dave Sheridan. The movie was directed by Rob Pritts and was written by David Garrett and Jason Ward. It was filmed at Touchstone Pictures studios...

Agent Kate Russo
2002 40 Days and 40 Nights
40 Days and 40 Nights
This article refers to Michael Lehmann's 2002 film. For the 2007 Matthew Chapman book, see 40 Days and 40 Nights .40 Days and 40 Nights is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann, written by Rob Perez and starring Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon and Paulo Costanzo...

Nicole
2004 Melinda and Melinda
Melinda and Melinda
Melinda and Melinda is a 2004 film written and directed by Woody Allen. It was premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. The film is set in Manhattan and stars Radha Mitchell as the protagonist Melinda, in two storylines; one comic, one tragic...

Stacey
2004 Along Came Polly
Along Came Polly
Along Came Polly is a 2004 American romantic comedy film written and directed by John Hamburg, starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston in the lead roles.-Plot:...

2006 Lynn Carter
2007 3:10 to Yuma
3:10 to Yuma (2007 film)
3:10 to Yuma is the 2007 remake of the 1957 film of the same name, making it the second adaptation of Elmore Leonard's short story Three-Ten to Yuma. It is directed by James Mangold and produced by Cathy Konrad, and stars Academy Award winners Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in the lead roles. ...

Emmy
2007 Badland Nora Rice
2008 Two Lovers
Two Lovers (film)
Two Lovers is a 2008 American romantic drama film, taking its inspiration from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's short story "White Nights". which was already turned into a film by Luchino Visconti: Le Notti Bianche. The movie is directed by James Gray and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Vinessa...

Sandra Cohen
2008 Garden Party
Garden Party (film)
Garden Party is a 2008 drama film directed by Jason Freeland, starring Vinessa Shaw and Willa Holland. Garden Party was filmed in Los Angeles, California...

Sally St. Claire
2009 Stag Night
Stag Night
Stag Night is a 2008 American horror film, written and directed by Peter A. Dowling.-Plot:It tells about four men on a bachelor party in New York who ride the subway and, along with two strippers from the club, accidentally get off at a station that closed down in the 1970s...

Brita
2010 Leave Amy
2011 Puncture
Puncture (film)
Puncture is an independent feature film starring Chris Evans, directed by Adam Kassen and Mark Kassen. It was chosen as one of the spotlight films for the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, premiering on April 21, 2011 in New York City.-Cast:...

Vicky
2012 Everybody Loves Whales
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1991 Long Road Home Clara Tarpin Television film
1992 Meredith Reed Episode: "Sweat Not by the Moon"
1992 Great Scott! Carolyn Cole
1993 Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels (TV series)
Fallen Angels was an American neo-noir anthology television series that ran from 1993 to 1995 on the Showtime pay cable station and was produced by Propaganda Films. No first-run episodes were shown in 1994....

Jeannie Streeter Episode: "The Quiet Room"
1993 Country Estates Heather Calhoun Pilot
1994 McKenna
McKenna (TV series)
McKenna was a short-lived TV series that aired on ABC during the 1994-1995 season. It starred Chad Everett and Jennifer Love Hewitt.The series revolved around Brick McKenna , who returned to Oregon to take over his brother's business, McKenna Outfitters, after his death...

Cassidy McKenna Episode: "Pilot"
1994 Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...

Gloria Bryce Episode: "Murder by Twos"
1995 New York Undercover
New York Undercover
New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to...

Teen Covergirl Episode: "Young, Beautiful and Dead"
2000 Eileen Wells Miniseries
2004 Bereft
Bereft
Bereft is a 2004 film written by Peter Ferland and directed by Tim Daly and J. Clark Mathis. Bereft is the first film Daly directed. It stars Vinessa Shaw, Michael C. Hall, Tim Blake Nelson, Marsha Mason, and Edward Herrmann...

Molly Television film
2005 Fathers and Sons Nell Pilot
2005 World of Trouble Pilot
2010 House M.D. Doctor Benedict Episode: "Massage Therapy
Massage Therapy (House)
"Massage Therapy" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of the American medical drama House. It aired on October 11, 2010.-Plot:...

"

Awards and nominations

Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards
A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...

  • 2008: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture" - 3:10 to Yuma


Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...

  • 1993: Nominated, "Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture" - Ladybugs
  • 1993: Nominated, "Best Young Actress Recurring in a Television Series" - Great Scott!
  • 1993: Nominated, "Best Young Actress Co-starring in a Motion Picture" - Ladybugs
  • 1994: Nominated, "Best Youth Actress Leading Role in a Motion Picture Comedy" - Hocus Pocus
  • 1995: Nominated, "Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a Drama Series" - McKenna
  • 1995: Nominated, "Best Performance By a Youth Actress as a Guest Star" - Murder, She Wrote

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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