Vanessa Ferlito is an American actress born on 28 December 1977, and she is mostly known for playing Detective Aiden Burn in the first season of the CBS crime drama “CSI: NY”, as well as for her recurring portrayal of Claudia Hernandez in FOX drama “24”. Ferlito is also known for her starring roles as FBI Agent Charlie DeMarco in the USA Network series “Graceland” and as Tammy Gregorio on the CBS crime drama series “NCIS: New Orleans”.
Born to an Italian-American family, Ferlito was raised by her mother and stepfather after her biological father died of a drug overdose when she was just two years old. She developed acting aspirations early in her life and entered the entertainment business in the 1990s. Vanessa’s acting career kicked off officially in 2001. Before then, she had been working as a model for a couple of years.
Over the course of her two-decade career, Vanessa has enjoyed a considerable degree of success across film and TV. She has even bagged an NAACP nomination for Outstanding Actress in a TV movie for her role in the boxing drama “Undefeated”. In this article, you are about to learn more about the life and acting career of Vanessa Ferlito, amongst other things. We begin with the following ten facts about her.
10 facts about Vanessa Ferlito
- Venessa didn’t quite know her biological father because he passed away from a h----n overdose when she was just two years old, and because of this, she was raised by her mother and stepdad.
- She has stated in an interview that her frequent appearances in crime-related TV series such as “CSI: NY”, “24” (2003-2004), and “NCIS: New Orleans” could be a subconscious method of seeking catharsis concerning the loss of her father.
- Before joining the field of acting, she had worked as a model. In fact, she used to be represented by the renowned Wilhelmina Models modelling agency in New York City.
- For her work in the 2003 boxing drama TV film, Undefeated, she earned a nomination at the NAACP Image Awards in the category of Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special.
- She has revealed that she decided to turn vegetarian after watching the 2003 documentary film titled Earthlings. The Doccie explored and discussed the daily operations of animal-dependent industries.
- Vanessa was once rumoured to be married to a man named Dane, who is supposedly 18 years younger than her. However, she has never officially confirmed the status of this relationship.
- The actress is a single mother of one. In 2007, Vanessa welcomed a son, Vince Ferlito. There are no details about the paternity of the child.
- In 2014, the actress was rumoured to be in a relationship with actor Quentin Tarantino after they were spotted outside a restaurant in Manhattan, sharing intimate hugs before driving off.
- In the year 2017, she was rumoured to have had lip augmentation and a rhinoplasty to rectify her nose. The Internet went agog, drawing comparisons with images of her from before and after college.
- According to several sources, Vanessa has a net worth of $6 million.
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Early life and education
Ferlito was born to an Italian-American family in Brooklyn, New York. Her father died of a h----n overdose when she was two years old. Her mother and stepfather own a hair salon in Brooklyn. Because she leads a very guarded and private life, there is almost nothing known about her education and background.
Some sources, however, cite that she used to be picked on by her peers in school because she was different. It is a bit hard to put context to that.
Career
Ferlito developed acting aspirations early in her life and broke into the entertainment business through a series of guest spots and recurring roles. Before becoming an actress, Ferlito was a Wilhelmina model and a New York City “club kid”. She started her acting career in 2001, with a role in the crime drama, The Sopranos. A year later, she appeared in the drama film “On Line”. In 2003, she earned an Image Award nomination for her role in the made-for-television movie “Undefeated”. It’s safe to say that the early active years of her career set her on the right trajectory. Let’s take a closer look at some of her major roles over the years.
Vanessa Ferlito Death Proof
“Death Proof” is a 2007 American slasher film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film follows Mike, a Hollywood stuntman who kills women and makes it look like a car accident. His plan works for several years until he meets a group of girls who are all set to fight back. “Death Proof” received mostly positive reviews for its stunt sequences and tribute to exploitation cinema, although its pacing was criticized.
Vanessa stared as Arlene ‘Butterfly’, a young woman visiting friends in Austin. She was part of Mike’s first victims. According to Wikipedia, the role was specifically written for Ferlito by Tarantino.
Vanessa Ferlito NCIS – Tammy Gregorio
“NCIS: New Orleans” is an American action crime drama and police procedural television series. It follows a fictional team of Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) agents stationed out of New Orleans, Louisiana and led by Supervisory Special Agent Dwayne Cassius Pride and his Assistant Supervisory Special Agent, Hannah Khoury. The team focuses on crimes that involve personnel in the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and their territory ranges from the Mississippi River to the Texas Panhandle.
Ferlito featured as Tammy Gregorio, a Washington FBI Special Agent who first appears as an investigator on a task force assigned to investigate Pride and his team. After she was dismissed from the FBI, Gregorio officially joins NCIS and is now on Pride’s team, with her former boss – Deputy Director Isler – lobbying for her approval.
CSI: NY
“CSI: NY” (Crime Scene Investigation: New York) is an American police procedural television series. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers identified as “Crime Scene Investigators” as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths, as well as other crimes.
Ferlito’s character Aiden Burn is a Brooklyn native and a Detective Third Grade assigned to Taylor’s team. In the first season, she is the newest member of the CSI team but is just as capable as any of them. She is fired from the crime lab after considering planting evidence on a rape suspect. Aiden goes on to apply for a private investigator’s license and continues to investigate this suspect. She is fatally beaten and set on fire as a result, leaving the entire team devastated. During her murder, she was able to leave behind enough evidence to convict her killer.
24
“24” is an American action drama television series that follows counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer. Each season covers 24 consecutive hours in Bauer’s life using the real-time method of narration. Multiple interrelated plots are featured in each episode, which often includes Bauer’s contacts in difficult crises.
Ferlito’s character, Claudia Hernandez, was the girlfriend of drug kingpin Hector Salazar. Her father, Oriol, was one of Hector’s labourers and her younger brother, Sergio, spent much time with Hector. Claudia had an affair with Jack Bauer while he worked undercover with the Salazar brothers. She disliked the way Hector treated her and her family, and Jack promised her he would get them away from the Salazars. Ferlito featured as a recurring cast member, appearing in a total of 11 episodes.
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Graceland
“Graceland” is an American drama television series that follows a group of undercover agents from various United States law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, the FBI, and ICE, living together in a confiscated Southern California beach house known as Graceland.
Vanessa plays Catherine ‘Charlie’ DeMarco, a strong-willed FBI agent assigned to live and work in Graceland. Charlie is an undercover FBI agent who is a chameleon on the job. She easily turns herself into anything from a believable junkie to a classy businesswoman. Whatever her guise, she’s brimming with attitude and determined to take the bad guys down. Ferlito appeared in 38 episodes altogether.
Personal life
Vanessa is a very private person. As earlier indicated, not much of her background is known to the public, and in the same vein, only a little is known about her personal life. As far as relationships go, the most that has been heard is a rumour about her and director Quentin Tarantino, which circulated in 2014.
Vince Ferlito
Ferlito is a single mother of one. She welcomed a son, Vince Ferlito, in 2007, and to date, there are no details about the paternity of the child. It was, in fact, one great surprise in 2007 when she invited people to a surprise baby bump reveal. On several occasions and interviews, she distances herself from discussions relating to a husband or the father of her son. However, she talks candidly about the kind of mother she is for his son both during childhood and as a young teenager.
Speaking of her son in an interview, she has this to say: “I’m obsessed with my son. I take parenting to the fullest. I breastfed until he was 2. I’d pump all through the night and have a driver send it to him when I was working.”
Plastic surgery
Vanessa is undoubtedly a beautiful woman, so it is surprising that there were rumours about her being insecure about her lips and nose. It didn’t end there; in 2017, more speculations circulated about Vanessa having a rhinoplasty and lip augmentation. The actress, however, replied to the rumours and said it actually brought her more fame.
There were collages of her photos from college and after the purported surgery across the internet. Fans have even gone further to share their opinions on her “new look”, with split opinions on the quality of the surgery. Till Ferlito confirms the rumours herself, it is safe to take them with a pinch of salt.
Vanessa Ferlito’s net worth
Ferlito has been in the acting industry for over two decades and has starred in many successful works. Amongst them is “SpiderMan 2”, which grossed a whopping $789 million worldwide. Not to mention other commercially successful projects she has featured in. In all, she is estimated to be worth $6 million.
Conclusion
43-year-old Vanessa Ferlito has done well for herself in her chosen career, and she is far from done. Though she has spent more time in TV productions than feature films, she has equally made a mark in the latter. There is no saying what the future holds for her, but we hope it is bright and beautiful.
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