Drea de Matteo

Andrea Donna de Matteo (born January 19, 1972), known professionally as Drea de Matteo, is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Adriana La Cerva on the HBO television drama The Sopranos (1999–2006), for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2004. Other notable roles include Gina Tribbiani on Joey (2004–2006), Angie Bolen on Desperate Housewives (2009–2010), Wendy Case in Sons of Anarchy, and Detective Tess Nazario on Shades of Blue (2016–2018).

De Matteo was born on January 19, 1972, in Whitestone, Queens, New York City. Her mother, Donna, is a playwright and playwriting teacher who has been on faculty at HB Studio,[1] and her father, Albert, was a furniture manufacturer who was owner and CEO of Avery Boardman and Carlyle.[2][3] She is of Italian descent,[4][5] and grew up in a Catholic family.[5][6]

After graduating from the Loyola School, de Matteo earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, originally intending to become a film director. She additionally studied acting at the HB Studio.[