Laura San Giacomo became a household name with prominent roles in the edgy indie drama Sex, Lies, and Videotape and the iconic rom-com Pretty Woman. The actress continued to have massive success on the big screen, with prominent roles in Quigley Down Under, Where the Day Takes You, and Suicide Kings, appearing alongside some of Hollywood’s most revered performers like Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Tom Selleck, and Christopher Walken.

Despite such an illustrious cinema career, Giacomo shifted her focus to the small screen after the birth of her son, opting for television roles in order to remain more present in his life. She would go on to headline the sitcom Just Shoot Me!, and later portrayed memorable characters in Saving Grace, Veronica Mars, NCIS, and Animal Kingdom.

The actress is likely to always be remembered for her performance as the sassy gal pal of Roberts’ character Vivian in Pretty Woman and for her phenomenal work in the aforementioned Steven Soderbergh revolutionary picture. With all that in mind, let’s take a peek at what Laura San Giacomo has been up to in recent years.

Who Is Laura San Giacomo?

Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Miramax Films 

Laura San Giacomo began her career participating in theater and off-Broadway shows after graduating from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, nabbing prominent roles in regional productions of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, and The Tempest, as well as the plays Crimes of the Heart and Three Sisters. She eventually began to branch out into the television world, appearing in the soap opera One Life to Live and the popular crime dramas Miami Vice and Crime Story, before subsequently landing the minor role of Sandy in the 1988 action thriller Miles from Home.

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The picture starred Richard Gere and Kevin Anderson, and despite Giacomo's appearance being uncredited it helped the actress gain exposure and allowed her to experience what a film set was like. She would later reunite with Gere a few years later in the beloved rom-com Pretty Woman, but before that, she would go on to headline Steven Soderbergh's revolutionary indie drama Sex, Lies, and Videotape.

Breakthrough Role in Sex, Lies, and Videotape

Laura San Giacomo in Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Miramax Films 

Giacomo skyrocketed to international prominence when she landed a major role in Steven Soderbergh's directorial breakthrough triumph Sex, Lies, and Videotape, which featured the additional talents of Andie MacDowell, James Spader, and Peter Gallagher. The edgy and innovative drama starred Giacomo as Cynthia Patrice Bishop, a young woman and bartender who is having an affair with her older sister Ann's husband John, and whose life is completely transformed by the arrival of John's old college pal. Cynthia and Ann open up about their deeply personal sexual desires as they are recorded by the newcomer and face their own truths and realities.

The groundbreaking indie picture took home the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was lauded for its provocative spirit and superb characters and performances. Giacomo garnered both a Golden Globe and British Academy Film Awards nomination and quickly became one of Hollywood's most buzzed-about stars, continuing to demonstrate her acting prowess in a slew of memorable films.

Continued Success on the Big Screen

Kit in Pretty Woman
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution 

After establishing herself as a major presence on the big screen, Giacomo appeared as Julia Roberts' sarcastic close friend and roommate Kit De Luca in Garry Marshall's blockbuster 1990 romantic comedy Pretty Woman, with the character having taught Roberts' Vivian the ins and outs of the prostitution trade. The Marshall classic is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of its genre and helped show off Giacomo's range as a performer despite only being a supporting role. It nonetheless became a project she would forever be associated with and one of her most recognizable.

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Giacomo then went on to star opposite Tom Selleck and Alan Rickman in the 1990 Western Quigley Down Under, as well as movies like Under Suspicion, Once Around, and Where the Day Takes You. She began to take an interest in more television projects, appearing in the star-studded 1994 miniseries Stephen King's The Stand alongside big names like Rob Lowe, Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, and Ed Harris, which received two Primetime Emmy Awards. The actress would once again pivot her career and return to an array of small-screen projects.

Shift to Television Roles

Laura San Giacomo in NCIS
CBS

Throughout the remainder of the '90s and into the 2000s, Giacomo kept quite busy and had a recurring voice role in the animated series Gargoyles before starring as spirited fashion magazine journalist Maya Gallo in the 1997 sitcom Just Shoot Me!. The series ran for seven successful seasons and was a ratings hit, earning numerous Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations throughout its television tenure. Giacomo had decided to focus on television after recently having had a newborn son, and she wanted the stability of a consistent on-set schedule instead of being away for months on end filming a movie.

After finding massive success in the television world, the actress remained a steady presence on the small screen with parts in shows like The Handler, Related, and Veronica Mars, before nabbing a recurring role as Rhetta Rodriguez in the crime drama Saving Grace. She continued taking on dynamic characters, appearing as Grace Confalone from 2016 to 2022 in NCIS and also as Morgan Wilson in Animal Kingdom.

Giacomo's most recent film credit was in Justine Bateman's 2021 directorial debut Violet, co-starring alongside Olivia Munn and Justin Theroux, and she also popped up in episodes of both Barry and The Santa Clauses. The seasoned star's next upcoming project will be in the dramedy Vacuums and the Whistling Pigs, in which she will share the screen with Will & Grace alum Eric McCormack.