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Carla Gugino Profile |
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Birth Date: August 29, 1971
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Birth Place: Sarasota, Florida, USA
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Birth Name: Carla Gugino
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Height: 5'5"
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Biography |
Carla Gugino was born on August 29th, 1971, in Sarasota,
Florida. She and her mother relocated to Paradise,
California, a hippie enclave, when Carla was in grade
school, and they frequently moved within the state while she
was growing up. She also spent part of her childhood on the
East Coast with her more straight-laced father, maintained a
straight-A average, and graduated as valedictorian of her
class.
When she was 15, Gugino was discovered by a representative
of the Elite modeling agency, who sent her to New York for a
summer to live with other would-be teenage models.
Disillusioned by her experience in the Big Apple, Carla
moved back to California, but instead of returning to her
mother's home in San Diego, she moved to L.A. to live with
an aunt, a former TV game show spokesmodel. Her aunt ("The
Lovely Carol Merrill" of Let's Make A Deal fame) suggested
she pursue acting instead, prompting Gugino to enroll in
acting classes.
She soon landed guest roles on series such as Who's the
Boss?, Alf and The Wonder Years, and became a series regular
during Falcon Crest's final season (1989-1990). Gugino made
her big screen debut in Troop Beverly Hills (1989), and
quickly followed that up with Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael
(1990), starring Winona Ryder.
In 1992 she appeared in the made-for-TV movies A Private
Matter (HBO) and Murder Without Motive: The Edmund Perry
Story (NBC), with Cuba Gooding Jr.
1993 found Gugino back on the big screen with a small role
in the coming-of-age drama This Boy's Life, co-starring
Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, and her first lead
role, playing Pauly Shore's farm-bred girlfriend in Son in
Law.
More supporting roles in made-for-TV films like Showtime's
Motorcycle Gang (1994) and PBS's The Buccaneers (1995)
followed, as well as in Miami Rhapsody (1995), a theatrical
release where Gugino was featured as Sarah Jessica Parker's
younger sister.
In 1994, Carla also appeared in Bon Jovi's video for the hit
ballad "Always," alongside Felicity star Keri Russell.
In 1996, she landed the role of Michael J. Fox's live-in
girlfriend on ABC's Spin City, but despite good reviews,
only filmed 12 episodes of the sitcom before the show's
format was altered to concentrate on Fox's character's
career. That same year, Carla and Fox provided the voices
for two romantically involved canines in Homeward Bound II:
Lost in San Francisco, and she appeared in The War at Home,
Wedding Bell Blues and Michael with John Travolta.
In 1998, Gugino co-starred opposite Nicolas Cage in Brian De
Palma's thriller Snake Eyes. She also received her first
production credit as co-producer of Judas Kiss, a film in
which she co-starred alongside Emma Thompson.
Gugino's modeling career was temporarily revived when she
was selected as spokeswoman for L'Oreal's hair products in
1999, which included a national television ad campaign. She
returned to primetime television when she joined the cast of
the CBS drama Chicago Hope (1999-2000), as a neurosurgeon.
In 2001, Gugino starred in Spy Kids, a surprise hit that
reunited her with Miami Rhapsody co-star Antonio Banderas,
and The One, a martial arts epic starring Jet Li. She also
delivered her edgiest performance to date in Wayne Wang's
experimental feature, The Center of the World, portraying a
down-on-her-luck blackjack dealer turned stripper.
In 2002, Gugino reprised her role of Ingrid Cortez for Spy
Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams. The following year found her
co-starring in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and The Singing
Detective with Robert Downey Jr.
She landed her first starring TV role in the ABC drama Karen
Sisco, playing the character Jennifer Lopez originated in
the 1998 film Out of Sight. Despite good reviews, the show
was pulled off the air after a few weeks, but Carla will
surely be back to work in a heartbeat. |
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Other
Information |
Had a kidney operation when she was only 4 years old.
Niece of actress Carol Merrill.
Modeled for the prestigious Elite agency as a teenager but
was considered too short for fashion runway work.
Has a butterfly tattoo on the inside of her left ankle.
Italian-American
Was her high school's valedictorian
Boyfriend is writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez, with whom
she has worked on several productions.
She turned down the role of Vin Diesel's love interest in
the box-office hit The Pacifier (2005) to take a small but
unforgettably sexy role in Sin City (2005) because she had
enjoyed working with director Robert Rodriguez in the three
"Spy Kids" films.
Her small size, which had worked against her when she was
trying to be a model, later worked for her, as she was cast
with diminutive actors like Michael J. Fox in "Spin City"
(1996) and Antonio Banderas in the "Spy Kids" films.
Is of Italian, Irish and English descent |
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