Drea De Matteo
Drea de Matteo was born on January 19, 1972 in Queens, New York, the daughter of Donna, a playwright and playwriting teacher, and Albert De Matteo, a furniture manufacturer. She grew up in a Catholic family. 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.”
After graduating from the Loyola School, she studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, originally hoping to become a director, not an actress. De Matteo’s role in The Sopranos was one of her earliest, helping to launch her career. She has also appeared in several films including Swordfish, Deuces Wild, The Perfect You, Prey for Rock & Roll and the 2005 remake of John Carpenter’s 2005 action film Assault on Precinct 13.
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 Friends spin-off Joey. 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.
de Matteo is playing the mother of the Bolen family, Angie Bolen, on season 6 of the ABC show Desperate Housewives.
