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From a certain point onward there is no longer any turning back. That is the point that must be reached. Franz Kafka |
Deborah "Debi" Mazar (or ; born August 13, 1964) is an American actress, perhaps best known for her Jersey Girl-type roles; as sharp-tongued women in independent films; and for her recurring role as press agent Shauna Roberts on the HBO series Entourage.
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Mazar was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York, the daughter of Nancy and Harry Mazar. Her father was born in the Latvian SSR, Soviet Union, from a Jewish family, but raised in the Roman Catholic Church. She had no knowledge of this ethnic heritage until her twenties. Her mother was raised a Roman Catholic, briefly converted to Judaism, then became a Buddhist, and later joined Jehovah's Witnesses until she was disfellowshipped for taking a blood transfusion.
Mazar began her career as a hip hop b-girl in New York City. Her first television appearance was on the pilot for a hip hop television dance show, Graffiti Rock in 1984. She appeared in five of Madonna's music videos - "Papa Don't Preach", "True Blue" (both 1986), "Justify My Love" (1990), "Deeper and Deeper" (1992) and "Music" (2000). Mazar has played a number of minor-yet-colorful supporting roles in a variety of movies, including: as Sandy, Henry Hill's girl on the side in GoodFellas (1990); The Doors (1991); Bullets Over Broadway (1994); and as Spice (of Sugar and Spice, with Drew Barrymore as Sugar) in Batman Forever (1995). She gained her first real following from playing a character on Civil Wars in the early 90s. When that show was cancelled her character was brought over as a recurring role in the 1993 - 1994 season of the TV drama L.A. Law.
She played the villain Regina, a modern-day Cruella de Vil, in the popular family film Beethoven's 2nd (1993). She has appeared in independent films like Inside Monkey Zetterland and Nowhere but has also dabbled in mainstream fare such as Batman Forever and her short-lived sitcom, Temporarily Yours. (The sitcom was about a woman who, in an attempt to get a good apartment in New York City, lies about being employed with a temp agency and then shows up at the agency begging for work.) She also appeared as the genie in the Space Monkeys' video, "Sugarcane".
Mazar appeared on a Friends episode in its eighth season ("The One Where Rachel Has a Baby, Part One"). Mazar played "Doreen, the Evil Bitch," a crazed pregnant woman who shares a hospital room with Rachel. From 2000–2002 she played "Jackie" on the television drama That's Life. She also provided the voice of Maria Latore in the video games Grand Theft Auto III (2001) and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004).
Currently, she has in a supporting role on Entourage, an original comedy series on HBO. She also had a recurring role on the sitcom Living with Fran, playing Fran Drescher's character's cousin, Merrill. She also did a stint on the television series Ugly Betty, where she played Leah Stillman, a scam artist who claims to be a lawyer in a number of episodes.
Mazar was a contestant on the ninth season of Dancing With the Stars. She was partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy and finished in 12th place. She was eliminated in the 3rd week (October 6, 2009). Mazar guest stars in some episodes of the Disney Channel's original series called Jonas L.A.
Prior to her marriage, she dated actor Paul Reubens for several years beginning in 1993. Reubens has since credited Mazar with ending his depression resulting from his infamous 1991 arrest.
She married Gabriele Corcos on March 16, 2002, in a ceremony officiated by Ellen Burstyn, who is an ordained Sufi high priest. They have two daughters: Evelina Maria (born on July 12, 2002) and Giulia Isabel (born on March 17, 2006). The family divides their time between their home in Los Angeles and a 14th-century house outside of Florence, Italy, that was given to them as a wedding present by Mazar’s in-laws.
Mazar and Corcos hosted an internet show focused on Tuscan cuisine, Under The Tuscan Gun. Beginning January 19, 2011, they host the Extra Virgin cooking show on the Cooking Channel.
Debi Mazar
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