Linda Fiorentino

Linda Fiorentino
Born Clorinda Fiorentino
(1960-03-09) March 9, 1960
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education Rosemont College
Occupation Actress, photographer
Years active 1984–2002, 2009
Known for The Last Seduction (1994)
Men in Black (1997)
Dogma (1999)
Spouse(s) John Byrum (div. 1993)

Clorinda "Linda" Fiorentino[1] (born March 9, 1958 or 1960) is an American actress. She became known for her leading role in the 1985 coming-of-age drama film Vision Quest; then, in the same year she earned wide recognition for her role in the action film Gotcha! (1985); later on, she appeared in After Hours (1985), Queens Logic (1991) and Jade (1995).

In 1997, Fiorentino's career took an upturn due to her role in the science-fiction action comedy film Men in Black; afterwards she appeared in the films Dogma (1999), Where the Money Is (2000), and Liberty Stands Still (2002). For her performance in the 1994 film The Last Seduction, she won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, the London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actress of the Year, and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Early life

One of eight children in a Catholic Italian-American family, Fiorentino was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 9, 1958[2] or March 9, 1960,[3] the third child of Salvatore and Clorinda (Bianculli) Fiorentino.[4][5][6] She grew up in Philadelphia and later the Turnersville section of Washington Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.[7] In 1976, Fiorentino graduated from Washington Township High School in Sewell, New Jersey.[8] She began performing in plays at Rosemont College in suburban Philadelphia before graduating in 1980.[7] She has studied photography since 1987 at the International Center of Photography in New York City.

Career

Fiorentino got her first professional role in 1985 when she starred in Vision Quest.

She then starred in the action film Gotcha! which was filmed in the United States, Paris, and on both sides of the Berlin Wall. Her co-star, Anthony Edwards, later directed her in Charlie's Ghost Story.

It was not until 1994 that she became widely recognized, receiving accolades for her performance in a modern film noir, director John Dahl's The Last Seduction, as the murderous femme fatale, Bridget. She later worked again with Dahl on his film Unforgettable (1996).

Fiorentino played the female lead in Men in Black in 1997 alongside Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. She was reunited with her Jade co-star, David Caruso, in Body Count, originally announced as The Split.[9] In 1999 she played the female lead in Kevin Smith's Dogma.

Fiorentino co-starred with Paul Newman in the 2000 heist film Where the Money Is, and she played a woman threatened by a sniper in the 2002 film Liberty Stands Still opposite Wesley Snipes. Between these features, she was in talks to star in producer Tom Fontana's CBS drama pilot Hudson's Law, but ultimately did not take the project.[10] Kyra Sedgwick appeared instead in the eventual 2001 TV-movie pilot.[11]

In April 2001, the German production company Art Oko Film sued Fiorentino, alleging she caused production delays on its Georgia O’Keefe biographical drama Till the End of Time, leading that film, co-starring Ben Kingsley as Alfred Stieglitz, to cease production.[12] Fiorentino countersued, stating in her filing that she had spent 16 months helping to develop the project and that the producers had promised investors she would "perform the full frontal nudity and prurient sex scenes that they had added to the script without Fiorentino's approval."[13]

In 2007, Fiorentino optioned the rights to a Jim Curtis screenplay about Russian poet Anna Akhmatova, with plans to produce and to possibly star in and direct, but no film came to fruition. During this period, Fiorentino also had been developing two documentaries, one on research into juvenile diabetes and autism and the other, titled Equal Protection, about discrimination against Italian-Americans, as well as a daytime talk show about parenting, titled The Motherhood.[14]

Personal life

Fiorentino was married to film director and writer John Byrum until their divorce in 1993.[15]

Involvement in Anthony Pellicano case

In 2009, former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Mark T. Rossini, a 17-year veteran of the agency, pleaded guilty to illegally accessing FBI computers during the prosecution of Los Angeles private investigator Anthony Pellicano.[16] According to prosecutors, Rossini was dating Fiorentino, who had previously had a relationship with Pellicano and wanted to assist his defense.[17] As part of this effort, Rossini conducted searches of government computers for information related to the Pellicano case.[18] He gave the search results to Fiorentino, who claimed to be considering writing a screenplay on the Pellicano case. In fact, she hoped to provide Pellicano's lawyers proof that prosecutors had withheld evidence from them.[17] The Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting the case against Rossini indicated that Fiorentino did pass Rossini's search results on to Pellicano's lawyers.[17] As part of his plea agreement, Rossini received a year's probation, was required to pay a $5,000 fine, and agreed to resign from the FBI.[17] Pellicano served thirty months in federal prison for illegal possession of explosives, firearms, and homemade grenades.[19] In 2008, he began serving an additional sentence for other crimes including racketeering and wiretapping; he is scheduled for release in 2019.[20]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1985 Vision Quest Carla
1985 Gotcha! Sasha Banicek / Cheryl Brewster, CIA Agent
1985 After Hours Kiki Bridges
1985 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Betsy Van Kennon TV series
Episode: "The Night Caller"
1988 The Moderns Rachel Stone
1988 Wildfire Kay
1989 The Neon Empire Lucy TV movie
1991 Queens Logic Carla
1991 Shout Molly
1992 Strangers Helen TV movie
1992 Chain of Desire Alma D'Angeli
1992 Beyond the Law Renee Jason
1993 Acting on Impulse Susan Gittes TV movie
1994 The Last Seduction Bridget Gregory/Wendy Kroy Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Society of Texas Film Critics Award for Best Actress
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated—Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress (2nd place)
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress (3rd place)
1995 Bodily Harm Rita Cates
1995 The Desperate Trail Sarah O'Rourke Video
1995 Jade Trina Gavin
1995 Charlie's Ghost Story Marta
1996 Unforgettable Martha Briggs
1996 Larger than Life Terry Bonura
1997 Kicked in the Head Megan
1997 Men in Black Laurel Weaver Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Sci-Fi
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1998 Body Count Natalie
1999 Dogma Bethany Sloane
2000 Ordinary Decent Criminal Christine Lynch
2000 What Planet Are You From? Helen Gordon
2000 Where the Money Is Carol
2002 Liberty Stands Still Liberty Wallace
2009 Once More with Feeling Lydia

References

  1. ↑ "Linda Fiorentino". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  2. ↑ TV Guide , "Linda Fiorentino". Accessed May 1, 2015.
  3. ↑ The New York Times, "Linda Fiorentino". Accessed May 1, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Linda Fiorentino Biography (1960?-)". FilmReference.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017. Clorinda Fiorentino; born March 9, 1960 (some sources cite 1958), in Philadelphia, PA
  5. ↑ "Applications for Marriage Licenses, Salvatore Fiorentino and Clorinda Bianculli". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 23, 1955. p. 7 – via newspapers.com. (Subscription required (help)).
  6. ↑ "Obituary, Salvatore J. Fiorentino". obits.nj.com. Turnersville, NJ: Egizi Funeral Home. June 10, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Donahue, Deirdre (May 27, 1985). "Leggy Linda Fiorentino says Gotcha! to Some of the Silver Screen's Cutest Virgin Hunks". People. Time Inc. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2015. Growing up in South Philly and later Turnersville, N.J. gave Linda a street-kid sensibility.
  8. ↑ Washington Township High School (1976). Musket '76: The Yearbook of Washington Township High School. Sewell, NJ: Washington Township Public School District. p. 62 – via Ancestry.com. (Subscription required (help)).
  9. ↑ "Fiorentino takes 'Split'". Variety. December 3, 1996. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  10. ↑ Schneider, Michael; Adalian, Josef (March 28, 2001). "'Law' chases Fiorentino, literally". Variety. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Fiorentino Held Film Hostage, Suit Says". ABC News. April 26, 2001. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  12. ↑ Shprintz, Janet (April 25, 2001). "Firing at Fiorentino". Variety. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  13. ↑ Hayes, Dade (June 5, 2001). "Fiorentino bares 'Time' suit". Variety. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  14. ↑ McNary, Dave (July 16, 2007). "Fiorentino revives Russian poet". Variety. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  15. ↑ Gaul, Lou (April 23, 2000). "Actress tries to remain unforgettable". The Beaver County Times. Beaver, Pennsylvania: Calkins Newspapers. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  16. ↑ Wilber, Del Quentin (May 15, 2009). "Ex-FBI Agent Mark Rossini Sentenced for Using Bureau Computers in Pellicano Case". Washington Post. Washington, DC.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "Ex-FBI Agent Mark Rossini Sentenced for Using Bureau Computers in Pellicano Case".
  18. ↑ Stein, Jeff (January 14, 2015). "The Inside Information That Could Have Stopped 9/11". Newsweek. New York, NY.
  19. ↑ Siegemund-Broka, Austin (July 18, 2014). "Anthony Pellicano Back in Court, Agrees to Deposition in Michael Ovitz Case". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, CA.
  20. ↑ Patten, Dominic (July 31, 2017). "Anthony Pellicano Re-Sentenced, Ex-P.I. Stays Behind Bars Until 2019". Deadline Hollywood. Los Angeles, CA.
  • Official website
  • Linda Fiorentino on IMDb
  • Linda Fiorentino (television). Charlie Rose (PBS). April 14, 2000. Retrieved September 1, 2017. Includes link to text transcript.
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