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Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an American actress. Known for her distinct husky voice and Brooklyn accent, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, four Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Born in New York City, Bracco began her career modeling in France and began appearing in Italian-language films in the 1980s, including Lina Wertmüller's Camorra (1986), which featured Bracco's then-partner Harvey Keitel. Bracco's English-language debut came in The Pick-Up Artist (1987), which was followed by roles in Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), Sing (1989), and The Dream Team (1989). Her breakthrough role was that of Karen Hill, wife of mob associate Henry Hill, in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.

On television, she is best known for portraying Jennifer Melfi, the psychiatrist of Tony Soprano, in the HBO series The Sopranos (1999–2007). She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her performance across the show's first three seasons. Beginning with the fourth season her role began to decline slightly, though by the end of the series, at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Early life

Bracco as a senior in high school in 1972
Bracco was born on October 2, 1954, in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York. She is the daughter of Eileen (née Molyneux) and Salvatore S. Bracco Sr. She has a sister, actress Elizabeth Bracco, and a brother, Salvatore Jr. Her father was of Italian descent, while her mother was born in England, and had some French ancestry. Her parents met during World War II, marrying in Andover in 1946; Eileen came with Salvatore to the United States as a war bride. Bracco grew up in Hicksville, New York, on Long Island, from fourth grade, and graduated from Hicksville High School in 1972.