Just Shoot Me!, Pretty Woman, Saving Grace
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During the 1990s, one of those sleeper hits that you might have forgotten about on television was the sitcom “Just Shoot Me!” There were some talented actors that were involved with the long-running series, but the headliner was Laura San Giacomo. Leading up to that role, Giacomo had some memorable film performances, and in the more than 15 years since her biggest show ended, Giacomo is still landing a lot of roles in Hollywood.
Giacomo was born on November 14, 1962 in West Orange, New Jersey, and remained in the state throughout her childhood. Giacomo’s family wasn’t involved in acting, and Giacomo didn’t really take notice of the art until she got to high school. After appearing on stage for the first time, Giacomo wanted to make a living off of acting, and attended drama school at Carnegie Mellon.
Once finished, Giacomo returned east, moving to New York City where she appeared on stage professionally for the first time. She started off-Broadway and was able to capture the attention of film and television producers. This opened up the door for what has been a long screen acting career.
Giacomo’s first role came on television in 1987 when she appeared in an episode of “Spenser: For Hire”. The following year, she added another guest spot on the series “Crime Story”, while also making her film debut with a small uncredited role in “Miles from Home”. Then, in 1989, Giacamo had a breakout for her career when she starred in “Sex, Lies and Videotape” that earned her several award nominations, including a Golden Globe nomination.
This set up Giacomo for several roles to kick off the 1990s, which included “Vital Signs” and “Quigley Down Under”, but most notably as Kit De Luca in “Pretty Woman”. Giacomo wasn’t sure the film would be as big as it was, either. “Well, it always surprises me that it resonated so much with people,” she said. “I mean that’s the thing is you just never know. I feel that it’s great to make people laugh; it’s great to make people think or feel something.”
During this time, Giacomo added more guest spots on shows such as “Miami Vice” and “The Equalizer”, as well as a TV movie and a miniseries. Giacomo continued to star in films during the middle part of the decade. This included “Nina Takes a Lover”, “Stuart Saves His Family” and “Suicide Kings”. However, 1997 was when she turned most of her attention to television once again. Giacomo landed the starring role of Maya Gallo on the NBC series “Just Shoot Me!”. The show was an award-nominated success with nearly 150 episodes aired durings even seasons, wrapping up in 2003.
During the series, Giacomo had also appeared in films such as “With Friends Like These…”, “Eat Your Heart Out” and “A House on a Hill”. It would be a few years until Giacomo was a TV regular again, so she filled the time with more movies including “Havoc” and “Checking Out”, while also having a few guest appearances. Then, in 2007, Giacomo was part of the main cast of “Saving Grace” for three seasons to wrap up the decade.
In the 2010s, Giacomo has had a handful of small film roles including “Least Among Saints”, and most recently with “Honey Boy” in 2019. She’s remained quite busy on television, added guest spots on some of TV’s most popular shows and recurring characters on the shows “NCIS” and “Animal Kingdom”, both of which are keeping her active today.
Outside of her acting work, Giacomo has also been very busy as a mother and an advocate, as her son was born in 1995 with cerebral palsy during her first marriage to actor Cameron Dye. This has led Giacomo to do a lot of charity work for various organizations that focus on disabilities including cerebral palsy. “He does not walk independently, sit independently or speak,” Giacomo said of her son. “He uses a talking computer. I started becoming an advocate for him when he was three years old.”
“I believe in giving back,” she continued. “I am willing to lend that hand, I will continue to stay involved with my charities as long as they need me.” Giacomo added that “For all of my fortune, there are many with misfortune that need a hand.”
Giacomo has been able to enjoy 30 years in Hollywood now, which she wasn’t sure was going to happen. “I knew that I wanted to be an actor,” she said. “Then it became about whether acting wanted me. So, I gave it a shot. It hasn’t worked out too bad, so far.”
“I think that it’s a very interesting life and journey,” Giacomo added about what she’d earned in her long career. “We know that we’re getting into it and we’re youngn that it’s going to be a life that has a certain amount of challenges and gonna be kind of a gypsy life and there’s something kind of wonderful and adventurous about that and it’s going to be a life of self-examination and to create these bridges between yourself and these characters.”
“It’s also going to be an examination of the human spirit and the human condition in all these stories that you read about all these different people and so that is a really lovely part of being an actor. And then also to be surrounded by people who do the same thing...who are always wanting to bring the truth for people to watch so they can feel something and reflect on their own lives.”
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