De Matteo, of Italian descent, was born in Whitestone, Queens, New York. Her mother, Donna, is a playwright and playwriting teacher, and her father, Albert, is a furniture manufacturer who was owner and CEO of Avery Boardman and Carlyle. She grew up in a Roman Catholic family.\n', '

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 appeared in several films including Swordfish, Deuces Wild, The Perfect You, Prey for Rock & Roll and the 2005 remake of John Carpenter\'s 1976 action film Assault on Precinct 13. She had the starring role in Abel Ferrara\'s R Xmas for which she received some very positive reviews.\n', '

In 2004, de Matteo won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress (Drama) for her role as Adriana on The Sopranos (season 5) and was nominated for a Golden Globe the same year, for the same role. She was ranked #42 and #56 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2001 and 2002, respectively.\n', '

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