Anne Marie Cancelmi (born July 31, 1975), known professionally as Annie Parisse, is an American actress. She portrayed Alexandra Borgia on the drama series ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...

''. Parisse has also starred as Julia Snyder on the soap opera ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other so ...

'', for which she was nominated for a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

Early life

Parisse was born in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the List of cities in Alaska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of ...

, the daughter of Annette, a teacher, and Louis G. Cancelmi, a senior executive with Alaska Airlines. She has Italian, Slovak and

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

ancestry. Her brother

Louis Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

is also an actor. Louis is married to Elisabeth Waterston, a daughter of ''

'' veteran Sam Waterston. Parisse grew up in Mercer Island, Washington, and attended Mercer Island High School. Parisse moved to New York City when she was 18 to attend

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

, where she majored in theater and appeared in numerous productions, including ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

'' and '' Antigone'', both of which featured her as the lead.

Career

Television and film

Parisse joined the cast of the CBS

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

'' as Julia Snyder from 1998 to 2001 and returned for a few episodes in 2002. She was later nominated for a

for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series in 2001. Early in her career, Parisse guest starred on shows such as '' Big Apple'', ''

Third Watch ''Third Watch'' is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 23, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced ...

'', and ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

''. She made a 2002 appearance on ''Law & Order'', playing an

exotic dancer A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events. Modern forms of stripping m ...

in the episode "Attorney Client", where she testified against a defendant (a defense attorney) who plotted the murder of his wife. This made her one of the ''Law & Order'' cast members who had a solo appearance prior to securing a sustaining role, along with Jerry Orbach, S. Epatha Merkerson,

Michael Imperioli Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Suppor ...

, Milena Govich, and Jeremy Sisto. In a 2002 supporting role, Parisse portrayed Jeannie Ashcroft in '' How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days''. She also had a minor role in the 2004 action movie '' National Treasure'', playing the role of Agent Dawes. For the 2005 film '' Monster-in-Law'', she held a supporting role. Parisse was a main cast member of ''Law & Order'' during seasons 15 and 16. Parisse quit her role on ''Law & Order'', making her final appearance in the May 17, 2006, season finale, in which her character is murdered. In the 2010 war drama '' The Pacific'', Parisse took on the role of Marine Sergeant Lena Riggi Basilone, wife of John Basilone, the revered United States Marine Gunnery Sergeant. She had a recurring role on CBS' '' Person of Interest'' as Kara Stanton, the former partner of

Jim Caviezel James Patrick Caviezel Jr. ( ; born September 26, 1968) is an American actor. He played Jesus in ''The Passion of the Christ'' (2004), Tim Ballard in Sound of Freedom (film), ''Sound of Freedom'' (2023), and starred as John Reese (Person of Inte ...

's character John Reese. In August 2012, Parisse was cast in a regular role on the Fox series ''

The Following ''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. The The Following (season 1), first s ...

'', premiering on January 21, 2013, as an FBI specialist. In 2016, Parisse appeared in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

series ''

Vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

'' as Andrea Zito, and in 2017, starred in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series '' Friends from College'' as Samantha "Sam" Delmonico. In 2018, she appeared in '' Paterno'' opposite

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, duri ...

Stage

Starting on March 8, 2007, Parisse starred in a revival of Craig Lucas's '' Prelude to a Kiss'', with Alan Tudyk and John Mahoney. In 2008, Parisse reprised her work in an

Off Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

performance as the title role of '' Becky Shaw''. In the summer of 2011, Parisse appeared in the New York Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park productions of ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

'' and '' All's Well that Ends Well''.

Personal life

Parisse is married to actor Paul Sparks. They have a son, Emmett (born 2009), and a daughter, Lydia (born 2014). They reside in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, New York.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

*2001: Nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series for ''

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parisse, Annie 1975 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Anchorage, Alaska Actresses from Seattle Actresses from Washington (state) American film actresses American Shakespearean actresses American soap opera actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Fordham University alumni Living people People from Mercer Island, Washington Mercer Island High School alumni