Vanessa Marcil Biography

Vanessa Marcil (born Vanessa Ortiz on October 15, 1969 in Indio, California) is an American actress of Portuguese heritage. She is probably best known for her role as Brenda Barrett on the soap opera General Hospital, a role she started playing in 1992. She garnered three Daytime Emmy Award nominations (1997, 1998 and 2003) for her portrayal, winning in 2003 as "Outstanding Supporting Actress." In February 1998, she was named "Outstanding Lead Actress" at the Soap Opera Digest Awards.

After six years on General Hospital, she left the show in 1998 to star in the made-for-television movie To Love, Honor and Deceive, and had a recurring guest role on the police drama High Incident produced by Steven Spielberg. Marcil joined the cast of Beverly Hills 90210 in November 1998 as Gina Kincaid and remained with the show for one-and-a-half seasons.

Marcil made her feature film debut in the 1996 film The Rock, in which she starred opposite Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery and Ed Harris. In 1999, she starred in two independent films: Nice Guys Sleep Alone with Sean O'Bryan and This Space Between Us with Jeremy Sisto.

Marcil was awarded the 2001 "Sojourn Service Award" and has supported Sojourn Services for Battered Women and their children by hosting charity events and making appearances on Wheel of Fortune, playing for funds for the organization. Through her fundraising efforts, she hopes to increase awareness of domestic violence and inspire battered woman to take control of their lives.

Marcil was rumored to be married to actor Corey Feldman in 1989. She was engaged to General Hospital co-star Tyler Christopher, but the two never married. She was engaged to a former castmate from Beverly Hills 90210, Brian Austin Green, and the couple had a son, Kassius, born in 2002, however, the couple never married and separated in early 2003. She lives with her son, in Los Angeles, California, as a single working mother. Marcil currently stars in the television series Las Vegas.