Laura San Giacomo Biography 

Early career

One of Laura San Giacomo's first television appearances of merit was on Miami Vice in 1989 for the episode, "Leap Of Faith" as Tania Lewis. This also featured a guest appearance by her future husband, actor Cameron Dye, one year before their marriage. Prior to that, she was featured on the daytime soap opera All My Children as Louisa Sanchez, the Latina common-law wife of Mitch Beck (Brian Fitzpatrick) and her presence threatened to thwart his relationship with Hillary Martin (Carmen Thomas).

However, San Giacomo first drew international attention in Steven Soderbergh's film, Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), which also marked her film debut. Her work was nominated for a Golden Globe, and she also received a Los Angeles Film Critics' Association New Generation Award. The film itself was honored with the Cannes Film Festival's prestigious Grand Prize, the Palme d'Or.

San Giacomo cemented her reputation as a bankable actress from her role as Julia Roberts' character's wisecracking friend Kit De Luca in the film Pretty Woman (1990). The blockbuster movie ended up generating $178 million at the box office. Laura San Giacomo has appeared in such films as Miles from Home (1988), Quigley Down Under (1990), Vital Signs (1990), Under Suspicion (1991), Where the Day Takes You (1992), and Nina Takes a Lover (1994). She also appeared in the Stephen King TV miniseries The Stand opposite Rob Lowe, which landed them on the cover of the May 7 - 13 1994 issue of TV Guide. In 2001, San Giacomo landed the starring role in the Jenifer Estess bio-pic Jenifer, which aired on CBS in October of that year.

San Giacomo did voice work for the animated series Gargoyles (as the character of Fox), but her representation insisted that her name not appear in the end credits because they believed that it could damage her career if her name appeared in the credits of an animated series. Greg Weisman, the show's producer, stated that "Laura was nothing but wonderful, working on the show. A real pleasure."

sex, lies, and videotape - Laura San Giacomo 

Winner of the Palm d'Or and Best Actor awards at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, sex, lies, and videotape transformed the independent film industry and turned writer-director Steven Soderbergh into the envy of aspiring filmmakers everywhere. Sly, seductive, and coolly intelligent, the movie explores the sexual shenanigans and personal preoccupations of its four central characters, revolving around a selfish lawyer (Peter Gallagher) who responds to his wife by having an affair with her free-spirited sister (Laura San Giacomo). But when the lawyer's college roommate (James Spader) arrives for an unexpectedly extended visit, the neglected wife (Andie MacDowell) is surprisingly responsive to his seductive hobby of videotaping women as they describe their sexual fantasies. It's his way of compensating for impotence, but the curious wife considers this a sexual challenge, and Soderbergh turns sex, lies, and videotape into a fascinating chamber piece that puts a decidedly different spin on the consequences of infidelity. Balanced on a risky and finely tuned performance by Spader, the film delivers frisky passion and emotional intrigue, and yet much of its allure is found in the exchange of secrets and the hidden mysteries of sexual desire. --Jeff Shannon


Winner of the Palm d'Or and Best Actor awards at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, sex, lies, and videotape transformed the independent film industry and turned writer-director Steven Soderbergh into the envy of aspiring filmmakers everywhere. Sly, seductive, and coolly intelligent, the movie explores the sexual shenanigans and personal preoccupations of its four central characters, revolving around a selfish lawyer (Peter Gallagher) who responds to his wife by having an affair with her free-spirited sister (Laura San Giacomo). But when the lawyer's college roommate (James Spader) arrives for an unexpectedly extended visit, the neglected wife (Andie MacDowell) is surprisingly responsive to his seductive hobby of videotaping women as they describe their sexual fantasies. It's his way of compensating for impotence, but the curious wife considers this a sexual challenge, and Soderbergh turns sex, lies, and videotape into a fascinating chamber piece that puts a decidedly different spin on the consequences of infidelity. Balanced on a risky and finely tuned performance by Spader, the film delivers frisky passion and emotional intrigue, and yet much of its allure is found in the exchange of secrets and the hidden mysteries of sexual desire. --Jeff Shannon

sex, lies, and videotape

This movie is truly a milestone in independent film, but it also updates a familiar theme: The unique, troubled soul is accidentally brought to someone who wants to save him, despite his best efforts to remain in bondage (think of Breakfast at Tiffany's, or Harold and Maude). The story and dialogue are SO tight, the characters so rich, and the images so perfect - it's a wonderful film, though disturbing for those who are unable to be satisfied by the main character's path to redemption. If you happen to remember the description / trailer of the movie, be advised that this is not a comedy, and is not even really about sex. It's about the mental prisons we build for ourselves... -- John Truslow (Annapolis, MD United States)

This 1989 film, written and directed by Steven Soderberg, was certainly the beginning of an important career for him. This low-budget film captured a wide audience and a large box office. It's a seemingly simple film, but it makes an important statement. Basically, it demonstrates that our most erogenous zone is the mind. And it is the conversation, rather than the act itself where eroticism lies.

The story is about four modern people, all with relationship problems. Andie MacDowell is a frigid wife. Peter Gallager is her lawyer husband who cheats on her with her own sister, Laura San Giacomo. And James Spader is the husband's friend Graham, who, because of his own dysfunctional needs, can only get aroused one way - by watching videotapes of women talking about their erotic life. Otherwise, he's impotent in a real life situation.

I found this film slow and talky but it was also intriguing. It goes deeper than the surface and I was fascinated by its creativity. And it uses the medium of videotape to do it all. This, of course was filmed before the Internet, cell phones and even DVDs. And so there is a certain datedness to it. But yet it deals with some universal truths. And a willingness to explore the lies. I enjoyed it but it's more for film buffs than a general audience. Recommended. -- Linda Linguvic (New York City)

Release Date: 10/07/1998

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Laura San Giacomo Movies 

Nina Takes a Lover

Under Suspicion

sex, lies, and videotape

Apocalypse

For Their Own Good

Laura San Giacomo Movies on DVD 

The lovers in this romantic comedy, directed by Garry Marshall, are a long-legged, golden-hearted Hollywood Boulevard hooker (Julia Roberts) and a cold, suave corporate raider (Richard Gere). He buys her tasteful (expensive) clothes and shows her how to act "classy"; she opens-in order-his wallet, his fly, and his heart. The only real distinction of this long and rather uneventful diversion is the radical contrast between the stars' performing styles. Roberts is all ebullience and scattershot charm. The kind word for Gere's style is minimal. He's opaque, stubbornly remote; he seems to have faxed his performance in. At its worst, the movie is just unimaginative; at its best, it's pleasant and competent. It's business-as-usual entertainment. Also with Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo, Ralph Bellamy, and Hector Elizondo. The screenplay is by J. F. Lawton. -Terrence Rafferty

This 15th Anniversary celebration of PRETTY WOMAN is even more irresistible than ever with all-new, never-before-seen special features you'll love at first sight. Academy Award(R) Winner Julia Roberts (Best Actress, ERIN BROCKOVICH, 2000) is a spirited, streetwise diamond in the rough when she meets a no-nonsense billionaire played by Golden Globe winner Richard Gere (Best Actor In A Motion Picture -- Musical Or Comedy, CHICAGO, 2002). It's a chance encounter that turns a weeklong business arrangement into a timeless rags-to-riches romance. This Special Edition will seduce you with all the comedy, charm, and passion you remember about this classic -- plus more!

Pretty Woman (15th Anniversary Special Edition)

Pretty Woman begins with corporate raider Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) impulsively picking up a streetwalking prostitute named Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts). He ends up hiring her for the week as an escort so that he can have a date for certain business dinners that are very important to him. While she is intelligent, she is also unaccustomed to living the life of luxury and there is a fair amount of humor that flows from her "fish out of water" status. It's a fairly silly setup for the movie and if you want to pick it apart, it's no great challenge to do so. It does, however, provide a very entertaining backdrop for a Cinderella love story.

This was not the first part in Julia Roberts' career, but it is certainly the one that made her a star. She is funny, sexy, and has a great warmth and vulnerability that makes it easy to believe that any man could fall in love with her, even a hotshot corporate raider. Gere does his usual solid acting job. Hector Elizondo steals the show as the stuffy hotel manager who helps Vivian learn etiquette and softens considerably in the process. Actually, the cast is very strong from top to bottom with small roles by Jason Alexander and Ralph Bellamy going a long way to making this film worth watching over and over.

Pretty Woman is certainly never going to win any awards for the most intellectually stimulating film of all time, but that's okay. It's funny when it wants to be and touching when it tries. And despite the silly story, there are some underlying themes that all of us can relate to and that feel very real. This one belongs in any DVD library. -- Joseph Boone (Irvine, CA United States)

Release Date: 08/30/2005

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Romance Movies 

001- The Notebook

Based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, this drama chronicles an enduring love that withstands both war and disease. It begins in a nursing home, where a man (James Garner) arrives every day armed with a notebook from which he reads stories about a couple, Noah and Allie (played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams), to an unresponsive woman (Gena Rowlands). Who are the characters in the book, and why does the stranger insist on reading about them aloud?

002- The Lake House

Speed co-stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves reteam for romance in director Alejandro Agresti's remake of the Korean film Siworae, exploring a mysterious mailbox that somehow bridges time. After moving away from her peaceful lakeside home, a lonely physician (Bullock) begins writing letters to the frustrated architect (Reeves) who now occupies the building, only to discover that they're living two years apart.

003- Hitch

Smooth and sexy Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith) is the master of seduction in this charming romantic comedy. His specialty? Helping clueless clients make a great first impression so they not only get to the second date, but make someone fall for them. When a gossip reporter (Eva Mendes) starts nosing around his business, however, Hitch finds himself out of moves as he forgets all his lessons and has to figure out a whole new strategy to love.

004- Just Like Heaven

Shortly after David Abbott (Mark Ruffalo) moves into his new San Francisco digs, he has an unwelcome visitor on his hands: winsome Elizabeth Martinson (Reese Witherspoon), who asserts that the apartment is hers -- and promptly vanishes. When she starts appearing and disappearing at will, David thinks she's a ghost, while Elizabeth is convinced she's alive. Their quest for the truth ultimately leads to love in this spectral romantic comedy.

005- Catch and Release

Susannah Grant (who wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Erin Brockovich) takes her first stab at feature film directing with this emotional drama that follows the rebirth of a young woman (Jennifer Garner) after her fiancé's tragic death. On her painful journey toward healing, she uncovers hidden secrets that make her feel as if she's mourning a stranger. Juliette Lewis and Kevin Smith (the quiet half of the Jay and Silent Bob duo) co-star.

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