Vanessa Marcil (/mɑːrˈsɛl/ mar-SEL;[citation needed]) is an American actress. She is best known for her television roles as Brenda Barrett on General Hospital, Gina Kincaid on Beverly Hills, 90210, and Sam Marquez on Las Vegas.
Marcil, the youngest of four children, was born in Indio, California, to Patricia Marcil, an herbalist, and Pete Ortiz, a contractor and self-made millionaire. Marcil's father is Mexican, and her mother is an American of French and Italian ancestry. Vanessa attended Indio High School, which is located in Indio, California. Shortly after high school, she attended College of the Desert, which is a junior college located in Palm Desert, California.[citation needed]
Marcil acted in a number of theatre productions before landing the role of Brenda Barrett on the soap opera, General Hospital, in 1992. She garnered three Daytime Emmy Award nominations (in 1997, 1998, and 2003) for her portrayal, and she won in 2003 as Outstanding Supporting Actress. In February 1998, she was named Outstanding Lead Actress at the Soap Opera Digest Awards.

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