Emmy Award winning actress, Vanessa Marcil began studying the craft of acting at age 5 at the children's circle acting theatre. Vanessa started her TV career playing Brenda Barrett on “General Hospital.” She decided to leave the show in 1998 and returned in 2002 months after having her son Kassius. It was a 6 month visit with the show’s ratings skyrocketing to number one.
Fueled by the high ratings during her first return NBC, President Jeff Zucker, sought a prime time series with a role for Marcil in mind. She landed the role of Sam Marquez on the NBC drama “Las Vegas” in 2003, acting as a casino host opposite James Caan for six seasons. Other primetime appearances include guest star and recurring roles on: “Hawaii 5-O;” “Spin City;” ABC/Steven Spielberg’s series “High Incident;” “Without a Trace;” “Lipstick Jungle;” “NYPD blue” and many more. Marcil has appeared on Oprah numerous times and was inspired to start work with Aids Orphans in South Africa because of Oprah.
Marcil displays her thespian versatility in feature films as well. She made her film debut in Hollywood Pictures’ blockbuster “The Rock” as Nicholas Cage’s love interest. She also starred in independent films “The Space Between Us” with Jeremy Sisto and “Nice Guys Sleep Alone” with Sean O’Bryan. Marcil’s lead role in the movie “One Hot Summer” helped garner the movie a nomination for an Imagen Award for Outstanding Primetime TV movie.
A native of Indio, California, Marcil's passion for the theatre began at age five and by her early teens she was working in theatre. Her dedication and determination resulted in significant work in productions such as Neil Simon’s Fooland the classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She received critical acclaim for her performance in Southern Rapture, directed by Academy Award-winner Peter Fonda and co-starring country singer/actor Dwight Yoakum and Golden Globe Winner Sally Kirkland. The play took center stage at the prestigious Met Theatre in Los Angeles.
Vanessa has worked closely with domestic Violence Shelter "Sojourn" for over a decade. Her first love is education, child psychology and racing motorcycles. In the summer of 2014 and 2015, Vanessa participated as a celebrity spokesperson in the charity event, KIEHL’S LIFERIDE FOR amFAR and rode her motorcycle through cities around the country.
As of Fall 2014, Vanessa starred opposite James Denton in the very highly viewed romantic comedy, Stranded in Paradise, which aired on the Hallmark Channel.
