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“I'm not so sure I'm attracted to dangerous women as people are attracted to me playing those parts. But maybe I'm a thrill-seeker of sorts. I grew up in a large family, so there was a lot of competition to be the best, the prettiest and the smartest. So, that's probably where I learned everything I needed to do what I do in the movies.” Linda Fiorentino landed her first professional acting role when she was cast in Vision Quest in 1985, but she became a household name for her portrayal of femme fatale Bridget in director John Dahl’s The Last Seduction. Films like Men in Black and Jade further cemented Fiorentino’s leading lady status.

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While Linda Fiorentino hasn’t appeared on-screen for more than a decade, her acting prowess made an indelible impression with critics and the public alike. They also earned numerous accolades, including the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress and the London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actress of the Year. Here’s a closer look at this sultry screen siren’s life and career. 

From Philadelphia to Film Noir

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Linda Fiorentino was born on March 9, 1960 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to parents Salvatore and Clorinda Fiorentino. She was the third of eight children in her Catholic Italian-American family. The Fiorentinos later moved to Washington Township, New Jersey. After graduating from Washington Township High School, Fiorentino attended Rosemont College in suburban Philadelphia. It was at Rosemont that Fiorentino began performing in plays. Still being an actress wasn’t in Fiorentino’s initial plans. “My degree is in political science. I was heading to law school and my political philosophy teacher talked me out of it and told me to become an actress,” she reveals. 

Fiorentino’s first big break came in 1985 with the coming-of-age drama VisionQuest, in which she starred alongside Matthew Modine. This led to roles in Gotcha! co-starring Anthony Edwards; After Hours; The Neon Empire; Shout; Beyond the Law; and several others. She achieved true celebrity status with The Last Seduction nearly a decade after Vision Quest. 

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The Last Seduction was an acclaimed erotic thriller, and Fiorentino earned rave reviews for her unforgettable performance. Years later, film critics were still heralding Fiorentino’s performance in the flick. Wrote The Guardian’s Anna Smith in 2014, “As soon as I clapped eyes on nonchalant, sharp-talking Bridget (Linda Fiorentino) in 1994’s noir thriller The Last Seduction, I was filled with the vicarious excitement that the movies’ best fantasy figures inspire ...Like many a male fantasy hero -- James Bond among them -- she was sexually confident, sharp-suited and had her own signature drink.” 

Fiorentino also won Best Actress honors for her performance in The Last Seduction, including from the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards, the Empire Awards, the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the London Critics Circle Film Awards, the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, and the Society of Texas Film Critics Awards. She also received several nominations in the same category, including from BAFTA, the National Society of Film Critics, the Boston Society of Film Critics, and the National Society of Film Critics.

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Many people also believed Fiorentino should have won an Oscar for The Last Seduction, but the film was ineligible for consideration because it aired on HBO prior to its theatrical release.

A Career That Sizzled Then Fizzled

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After The Last Seduction, Fiorentino starred in the 1995 American erotic thriller Jade, which co-starred David Caruso.  The movie bombed at the box office and was panned by critics.  This was just a temporary setback for Fiorentino as she went on land the leading role in the blockbuster 1997 movie Men In Black alongside Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. While she was slated to appear in the sequel, there were rumors that Jones agreed to do the movie only if Fiorentino wasn’t invited back.

This was a recurring theme in Fiorentino’s career, and rumors about the actress being “difficult” to work with were widespread. After casting her in his 1999 religious comedy Dogma, Kevin Smith was vocal about his dislike of Fiorentino, going so far as to say he’d wished he’d gone with another actress. It's important to note that these rumors were largely unsubstantiated. Proposes Roger Ebert of allegations about Fiorentino, “Her husky voice and dominating, manipulative characters inspired comparisons to tough dames of the ‘40s like Barbara Stanwyck, and might have contributed to the mentality that Fiorentino was similar to the women she played.” 

Fiorentino went on to do a few more films in the 2000s, but the tabloids continued to report on her tempestuous personality -- even as people like Ebert insisted that she was actually “likable and warm.” While the actress never directly spoke to the rumors, she did have this to say in the way of explanation, “At the time I was reacting to a lot of things that were going on in my life in terms of, well, suddenly being recognized for a change.” 

The last film appearance made by Fiorentino was in 2009. And while it’s unclear whether she’s officially retired from the business or simply waiting for the right project to come along, her performance in The Last Seduction will go down in the books as one of the most seductive of all time. 

In the meantime, Fiorentino maintains a positive attitude...and a sense of humor. When asked how she keeps her feet on the ground in light of her fame she says, “I have really big feet, so that helps. I don't live in LA, I live in New York, and that's a major thing that keeps me stable.” She also surrounds herself with supportive people. “The people closest to me are not Hollywood types, they're friends and family. My sisters are my best friends; I've been really lucky to have them,” says Fiorentino.