Laura San Giacomo
An actress who brought a raw, sardonic edge to the 90s, making vulnerability and sharp wit feel inseparable.
Born 1962 (age 64)·American actress (born 1961/1962)·Birthday: November 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
Laura San Giacomo arrived with a jolt in Steven Soderbergh's 1989 indie landmark 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape,' her performance as the restless, truth-telling Cynthia earning her an Independent Spirit Award and instantly defining her as an actress unafraid of messy complexity. Hollywood quickly cast her as the street-smart Kit in 'Pretty Woman,' a role that showcased her comic timing and grounded the film's fairy tale. Throughout the 1990s, she balanced film work with a defining television turn as the acerbic but heartfelt magazine writer Maya Gallo on 'Just Shoot Me!,' a role that lasted seven seasons and cemented her place in pop culture. She later shifted gears into dramatic television, earning critical praise as the compassionate, no-nonsense police aide Rhetta Rodriguez on 'Saving Grace.' San Giacomo's career is a study in intelligent versatility, moving between indie film credibility, blockbuster support, and sitcom stardom without ever losing her distinctive, unvarnished charm.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Laura was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Laura Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Laura's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her breakthrough role in 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape.'
- Portrayed the scene-stealing role of Kit De Luca in the global hit film 'Pretty Woman.'
- Starred for seven seasons as Maya Gallo on the NBC sitcom 'Just Shoot Me!'
- Earned critical acclaim for her role as Rhetta Rodriguez on the TNT drama 'Saving Grace.'
- Received two Golden Globe Award nominations for her television work.
Did You Know?
She is a trained dancer and originally pursued a career in ballet before turning to acting.
She provided the voice for the character Carmelita in the animated film 'The Spectacular Spider-Man.'
Her father was a furniture designer and her mother was a painter.
She is an alumna of Carnegie Mellon University's School of Drama.
“I'm drawn to characters who are a little bit broken and real.”
