• Grauduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
• Speaks fluent Italian and Spanish.
• Has an AC/DC tattoo.
• Her character on "The Sopranos" (1999) was orignally written for only one episode.
• Has her mother's, father's and grandmother's names tattooed onto her body.
• Has closed her clothing store Filth Mart in Manhattan and is opening one in Los Angeles.
• Drea's father was a furniture manufacturer and her mother was a playwright. She was raised in Queens primarily by her grandmother and a Nicaraguan nanny. She now takes care of her nanny, who had a heart transplant.
• At NYU, she originally intended to study to be a director, but got attention for her acting.
• Ranked #33 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002).
• Is of Italian descent.

Popular Sopranos actress Drea de Matteo's unique blend of Italian-American sensuality and unpretentious rock & roll-girl chic has found her ascending the ranks to become one of Hollywood's hottest stars. Though Drea de Matteo's role on The Sopranos was originally intended to be little more than a one-time appearance, her undeniable screen presence soon found her returning to the role of Jersey girl-turned-Mafioso moll Adriana La Cerva in the popular HBO crime drama. Oddly enough, it was stage legend Andrew Lloyd Webber who first sparked showbiz aspirations in the Queens native. When Drea de Matteo was around ten years old, Rum Tum Tugger whisked her on-stage during a performance of Webber's enduring stage musical Cats; the jarring experience proved alternately petrifying and compelling for Drea de Matteo, and the intoxicating glow of the spotlight immediately cast its spell on the young showbiz hopeful. With a mother who worked as a screenwriter, young Drea de Matteo was no stranger to the business, and though Drea de Matteo would become something of a wild child during her teens, she never lost sight of her starstruck dreams. When it came time to pursue higher education, she set her sights on N.Y.U.'s Tisch School of the Arts. Though Drea de Matteo initially intended to become a director, her acting talents quickly caught the eyes of casting agents.

In 1996, Drea de Matteo made her feature debut in the romantic comedy The "M" Word, and though the film would go largely unseen, her next role provided just the breakthrough needed to boost her career. Though Drea de Matteo never expected her part in The Sopranos to go beyond one episode, the casting agents were quick to make her a regular player on the Emmy-winning series. Subsequent roles in such independent films as Meet Prince Charming (1999) and Sleepwalk (2000) gained little more attention than The "M" Word had, but de Matteo was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of working with Bad Lieutenant director Abel Ferrara when she appeared in the director's 2001 crime drama 'R Xmas. If Drea de Matteo's feature career had gone virtually unnoticed by mainstream filmgoers to this point, roles in such wide releases as Swordfish (2001) and Deuces Wild (2002) soon found her star rising. In 2003, Drea de Matteo was finally given the opportunity to live out her rock-star dreams by strumming the bass in director Alex Steyermark's musical drama Prey for Rock & Roll. An association with actress Jenny McCarthy (whom Drea de Matteo had previously acted alongside in 2001's The Perfect You) next led to an appearance opposite the former MTV girl and Playboy Playmate in the 2003 romantic comedy Dirty Love. In 2004, Drea de Matteo went back in front of the camera for Steyermark in the true-crime drama West Memphis Three (which was inspired by the events covered in the documentary Paradise Lost). The following year, Drea de Matteo could be seen in prominent roles in Ferrara's Go Go Tales and the action remake Assault on Precinct 13. In addition to her film and television career, Drea de Matteo also owns Filth Mart, a popular New York City rock-chic clothing boutique.