Vanessa Ferlito is an Italian-American actress born on December 28, 1980 in Brooklyn, New York. Because of her ancestry it wasn’t difficult for her to land on roles that require a certain heritage, such as that of Claudia Hernandez in the third season of the hit action thriller series 24, as well as Detective Aiden Burn on CSI: NY.

But her biggest break on television is that of The Sopranos, where she was able to use her Italian-American heritage to the fullest. She also made guest appearances in shows such as Law & Order and Third Watch.

Aside from television work, Vanessa Ferlito is also active in the movie industry. She took part in films such as the indie film On Line, in which she played the character of an internet prostitute, followed by Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, and a segment in Grindhouse. She also starred alongside Debra Messing and Alfred Molina in the comedy flick Nothing Like the Holidays. Her latest work is in the movie Madea Goes to Jail opposite Tyler Perry.

Vanessa Ferlito is also an animal rights activist, and is a member of PETA. She is also a practicing vegetarian. She gave birth to her first son in September of 2007. Despite being of Italian descent, Vanessa Ferlito is often cast to play Latina roles both on film and television.