Jennifer Esposito

American actress

Jennifer Esposito

Esposito in 2020

Born|  (1973-04-11) April 11, 1973 (age 50)

New York City, New York, U.S.

Occupation| Actress
Years active| 1995–present
Spouses|

Bradley Cooper

(m. 2006; div. 2007)​

Louis Dowler

(m. 2014; div. 2016)​

Jesper Vesterstrøm

(m. 2020)​

Jennifer Esposito (born April 11, 1973)[1] is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the feature films Summer of Sam (1999), Don't Say a Word (2001), The Master of Disguise (2002), Welcome to Collinwood (2002), Crash (2004), Taxi (2004), and Mob Town (2019). She has also appeared in several television series, most notably The Looney Tunes Show, Spin City, Related, Samantha Who?, Blue Bloods, and Mistresses. From 2016 to 2017, she played Special Agent Alexandra Quinn on the CBS series NCIS. She also played CIA Deputy Director Susan Raynor in the Amazon series The Boys.

## Early life[edit]

Esposito was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City[2] and is of Italian descent.[3] She was raised on Staten Island in Bulls Head and is a graduate of Moore Catholic High School.[4]

## Career[edit]

Esposito in 2008

Esposito made her first television appearance in Law & Order in 1996. She then joined the cast of Spin City, where she appeared for two seasons. She also appeared in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. One of her more notable roles was as "Ruby" in Spike Lee's Summer of Sam in 1999, which was set against the late 1970s backdrop of the Son of Sam murders. Esposito's next films included Dracula 2000, The Master of Disguise, the 2004 comedy Taxi, and the Academy Award-winning film Crash, in which she played Don Cheadle's partner and romantic interest, Ria.

Esposito joined Jon Favreau, Stephen Dorff, Luis Guzmán, and Barry Pepper for Dinner for Five season 3, episode 7, on May 21, 2004.[5][6][7][8] Esposito has made television appearances on the series Law & Order: SVU, Rescue Me, and Mercy. She was a regular cast member on Related and Samantha Who?. Esposito joined the cast of the CBS drama Blue Bloods in 2010, playing the role of Detective Jackie Curatola, the partner of Detective Danny Reagan (played by Donnie Wahlberg). In the third season Esposito was diagnosed with celiac disease and, after collapsing on set,[9] Esposito informed CBS that her condition would limit her availability to work on the series. Rather than work around her limited schedule, Blue Bloods producers chose to write her character out of the series in 2012.[10][11][12][13][14][15]

In 2013 she launched Jennifer's Way Bakery in Manhattan's West Village,[16][17] which only serves celiac-safe food.[18][19][20][21][22] In 2014 she joined the NBC series Taxi Brooklyn.[23] On April 22, 2014, Da Capo Lifelong Books published Esposito's first book Jennifer's Way, a detailed look into her personal struggle with celiac disease before and after she was diagnosed and the things she did to survive. The book made The New York Times Best Seller List on July 6, 2014.[24][25][26] In 2015 Esposito played Calista Raines in the ABC drama series Mistresses,[27][28] and it was reported that she would be a cast member on the CBS pilot Taxi-22, whose main character would be played by John Leguizamo.[29][30] She played Dominic West's sister in the Showtime series The Affair for six episodes.[31][32]

Esposito became the brand ambassador for Eclair Naturals also in 2015,[33] a gluten\- and GMO-free vegan body and skin care line available in Rite Aid stores across the United States.[34][35] In 2016 it was announced that Esposito would join the cast of NCIS as Special Agent Alexandra "Alex" Quinn,[36][37] an experienced agent who left field work and became an instructor at the Law Enforcement Training Center.[38][39] NCIS leader, Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), will lure Quinn back into the field as part of his team where he will take advantage of her sharp wit, quick mind and immense talent as a federal agent. Upon her joining the cast of NCIS, executive producer Gary Glasberg said, "We couldn't be happier to have Jennifer Esposito joining us for season 14. She embodies everything that we hoped for in the character of Quinn and we can't wait to have her come be a part of our team".[40] In June 2017, it was announced that this would be her only season.[41] Esposito appeared on the September 10, 2016, episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now?, where she said her doctor had her hospitalized in a psych ward.[42][43] She said the hospitalization happened during the time she was an actress on the show Samantha Who? [44]

In 2019, she joined the cast of The Boys, an Amazon Prime Exclusive. In August, she was set to play a recurring role in the Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens series on Comedy Central.[45]

In February 2020, it was announced that Esposito had joined the cast of the Netflix series Inventing Anna created by Shonda Rhimes in the role of Talia Mallay.[46] However, this role was ultimately played by Marika Domińczyk.

## Personal life[edit]

Esposito married actor Bradley Cooper on December 30, 2006.[47] In May 2007, after five months of marriage, they filed for divorce, which was finalized that November.[48][49][50] In 2009, Esposito became engaged to Australian tennis player Mark Philippoussis.[51] The couple separated in August 2010.[52][53] In October 2011, Esposito announced on The Late Show with David Letterman that she had celiac disease.[12][14][54][55][56] In May 2014, Esposito announced her engagement to British model Louis Dowler.[57][58] They married on November 16, 2014, in New York City.[59][60] It was reported in March 2016 that Esposito had filed for divorce from Dowler.[61][62] In 2020, Esposito married Jesper Vesterstrøm.[63]

## Filmography[edit]

### Film[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1997  | A Brother's Kiss | Lucy  |
Kiss Me, Guido | Debbie  |
A Brooklyn State of Mind | Donna Delgrosso  |
1998  | No Looking Back | Teresa  |
He Got Game | Ms. Janus  |
Charlie Hoboken | Girl in church  |
Side Streets | Jessica  |
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer | Nancy  |
1999  | Summer of Sam | Ruby  |
Just One Time | Michelle  |
The Bachelor | Daphne  |
2000  | Dracula 2000 | Solina  |
2001  | Backflash | Olive Dee "Harley" Klintucker  | Direct to video
The Proposal | Susan Reese  |
Made | Club girl  | Uncredited
Don't Say a Word | Det. Sandra Cassidy  |
Beyond the City Limits | Helena Toretti  |
2002  | Welcome to Collinwood | Carmela  |
The Master of Disguise | Jennifer Baker  |
2004  | Breakin' All the Rules | Rita Monroe  |
Crash | Ria  | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Satellite Award for Best Cast - Motion Picture
Taxi | Lt. Marta Robbins  |
2006  | Jesus, Mary and Joey | Frankie Vitello  |
2008  | Conspiracy | Joanna  |
American Crude | Carlos  |
2009  | Four Single Fathers | Suzanne  |
2011  | Mamitas | Miss Ruiz  |
2012  | Bending the Rules | Olivia Garcia  |
2014  | She's Funny That Way | Margie  |
2018  | Speed Kills | Kathy Aronoff  |
2019  | Mary | Detective Clarkson  |
Mob Town | Natalie Passatino  |
2022  | Somewhere in Queens | Pamela Carmelo  |
2023  | Fresh Kills | Francine Larusso  | Director, writer and producer

### Television[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1995  | The City | Connie Soleito  | Unknown episodes
1996  | The Sunshine Boys | Jeannie  | Television film
Law & Order | Gina Tucci  | Episode: "Good Girl"
1997  | Feds | Flo  | Episode: "Crash and Burn"
1997–1999  | Spin City | Stacey Paterno  | Main role (seasons 2 & 3); 46 episodes
1998  | New York Undercover | Gina Stone  | 3 episodes
2000  | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Sara Logan  | Episode: "Remorse"
2002  | Hack | Abby  | Episode: "Obsession"
2004–2005  | Judging Amy | Louann "Crystal" Turner  | 8 episodes
2005–2006  | Related | Ginnie Sorelli  | Main role; 18 episodes
2005  | Snow Wonder | Pilar  | Television film
2006  | Law & Order | Justine Bailey  | Episode: "In Vino Veritas"
2007  | Rescue Me | Nona  | 5 episodes
2007–2009  | Samantha Who? | Andrea Belladonna  | Main role; 35 episodes
2010  | Mercy | Jules Fattore  | 2 episodes
The Wish List | Sarah Fisher  | Television film
2010–2012, 2023  | Blue Bloods | Detective/Chief of Police Jackie Curatola  | Main role (seasons 1–3); Guest; season 13 Episode: "Forgive Us Our Trespasses" 47 episodes
2011–2012  | The Looney Tunes Show | Tina Russo (voice)  | 5 episodes
2014  | Taxi Brooklyn | Monica Pena  | Main role; 10 episodes
2015  | Mistresses | Calista Raines  | Main role (season 3); 12 episodes
2015–2017  | The Affair | Nina Solloway  | 6 episodes
2016–2017  | NCIS | NCIS Special Agent Alexandra "Alex" Quinn  | Main role (season 14); 24 episodes
2018  | Blindspot | Lynette  | 2 episodes
2019–2021  | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Sergeant Phoebe Baker  | 4 episodes
2019–2020  | The Boys | Susan Raynor  | 6 episodes
2020–present  | Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens | Brenda  | 14 episodes

### Web[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2009  | The Broadroom | Roan  | Main role; 4 episodes
2018  | Liza on Demand | Holly  | Episode: "Pilot"

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Today in History: Today's Birthdays". Tallahassee Democrat. April 19, 2012. p. 2 Living. ProQuest 2188290775. "Latin pop singer Luis Miguel is 42. Actress Jennifer Esposito is 40. Actress Jennifer Taylor is 40." See also:
* "Today in History: Today's Birthdays". The Tennessean. April 19, 2022. p. 2A. ProQuest 2803826671. "Actor Ashley Judd is 55. Actor Jennifer Esposito is 51. Singer Madeleine Peyroux is 49"
2. ^ "SPOTLIGHT July 2023: Jennifer Esposito, Actress, Baker, Teacher, Director of FRESH KILLS". Alliance of Women Film Journalists. June 30, 2023. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023.
3. ^ Berg, S.Z. (September 25, 2012). "Jennifer Esposito Takes on a New Leading Role: Celiac Advocate". Huffington Post.
4. ^ "Women Of Staten Island". Staten Island History. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
5. ^ "Dinner For Five". YouTube. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
6. ^ Dinner For Five (July 18, 2012). "Dinner For Five S03E07 - Stephan Dorff, Jennifer Esposito, Luis Guzman, Barry Pepper". Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
7. ^ Dinner For Five (September 12, 2015). "Dinner For Five S03E07 - Stephan Dorff, Jennifer Esposito, Luis Guzman, Barry Pepper". Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
8. ^ Dinner For Five (September 20, 2015). "Dinner For Five Season 3 Episode 7 - Stephan Dorff, Jennifer Esposito, Luis Guzman, Barry Pepper". Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
9. ^ "Blue Bloods Actress Jennifer Esposito Still Angry About Suspension From Work". November 20, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
10. ^ "Jennifer Esposito: 'Blue Bloods Dismissal Makes Me Sick'". November 18, 2012. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
11. ^ Gostin, Nicki (May 21, 2014). "Jennifer Esposito: Society doesn't get me - Fox News". Fox News. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
12. ^ a b "Jennifer Esposito Opening A Bakery". contactmusic.com. October 28, 2011.
13. ^ "Blue Bloods' Jennifer Esposito is engaged, talks celiac disease". Los Angeles Times. May 2, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
14. ^ a b "Jennifer Esposito's celiac story". jennifersway.org. February 28, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
15. ^ "Did Jennifer Esposito Trash Her Ex Bradley Cooper? - Celebuzz". Celebuzz. May 12, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
16. ^ "Jennifer's Way - Learn to live again...gluten free". Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2017.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
17. ^ "JennifersWayJE". YouTube. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
18. ^ "Jennifer Esposito Opens Celiac-friendly Cafe". March 13, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
19. ^ "Jennifer Esposito Reportedly Relocating To Denmark Amid Legal Issues". May 27, 2016. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
20. ^ "Jennifer's Way Bakery: The Celiac Standard - Shipping Nationwide". Retrieved October 27, 2017.
21. ^ The Meredith Vieira Show (December 30, 2014). "Jennifer Esposito's Gluten-Free, Vegan Bakery - Jennifer's Way! - The Meredith Vieira Show". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.
22. ^ TODAY (January 24, 2017). "'NCIS' Star Jennifer Esposito's Lentil Sweet Potato Kale Stew - TODAY". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.
23. ^ Elavsky, Cindy (September 15, 2014). "Celebrity Extra". downriversundaytimes.com. King Features. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
24. ^ "Science Books - Best Sellers - July 6, 2014 - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
25. ^ "Jennifer's Way - Learn to Live Again...Gluten Free". jennifersway.org. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
26. ^ Institute for Integrative Nutrition (January 30, 2015). "Jennifer Esposito on Living with Celiac Disease - IIN Depth". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.
27. ^ Gomez, Patrick (February 10, 2015). "Jennifer Esposito Joins the Cast of Mistresses". People. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
28. ^ Li, Shirley (September 25, 2015). "Mistresses will return for a fourth season, but without Jennifer Esposito". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
29. ^ "Fall TV pilots 2015: Full list". Entertsinment Weekly. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
30. ^ Nellie Andreeva (February 18, 2015). "Chris Smith, Lenny Venito & Sahr Ngaujah Among Additions To 'Taxi-22' Pilot Cast". Deadline. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
31. ^ "'The Affair' Season 2, Episode 4: A Bad Day for Everyone". The New York Times. October 25, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
32. ^ BUILD Series (January 24, 2017). "Jennifer Esposito Talks About Her Love For "The Affair" And Landing Her Role". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.
33. ^ "Jennifer's Story". eclairnaturals.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
34. ^ "Eclair Naturals - Find A Retailer". Eclair Naturals. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
35. ^ "Jennifer Esposito Scours Beauty Product Labels For Gluten Ingredients". March 14, 2013. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
36. ^ CBSWatchMag (September 20, 2016). "Jennifer Esposito Chats NCIS with Watch!". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.
37. ^ BUILD Series (January 24, 2017). "Jennifer Esposito Discusses Her Roles On "NCIS" And "The Affair"". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.
38. ^ "'NCIS' adds Jennifer Esposito, promotes Duane Henry". ew.com. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
39. ^ "Jennifer Esposito Joins NCIS As Special Agent Alexandra "Alex" Quinn - CBS.com". cbs.com. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
40. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (July 11, 2016). "Jennifer Esposito Joins 'NCIS' as Series Regular". Retrieved October 27, 2017.
41. ^ Gelman, Vlada (June 9, 2017). "NCIS: Jennifer Esposito to Exit". Archived from the original on June 10, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
42. ^ OWN (September 10, 2016). "Actress Jennifer Esposito on Battling Celiac Disease in a Psych Ward - Where Are They Now - OWN". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.
43. ^ "WATCH: Jennifer Esposito on How a Terrifying Medical Ordeal Escalated from Losing Her Eyelashes to Landing in Psychiatric Care". People. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
44. ^ Sieczkowski, Cavan (September 9, 2016). "Jennifer Esposito's Psych Ward Experience Is Truly Scary". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
45. ^ Petski, Denise (August 14, 2019). "'Awkwafina': Jennifer Esposito To Recur On Comedy Central Series". Deadline Hollywood.
46. ^ "Jennifer Esposito Joins Shonda Rhimes' Netflix Series 'Inventing Anna'". Deadline Hollywood. February 5, 2020.
47. ^ Jordan, Julie. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Esposito Marry, People, January 4, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
48. ^ "Jennifer Esposito Addresses Speculation Over Branding Ex-Husband Bradley Cooper A "Master Manipulator"". Contactmusic.com. May 13, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
49. ^ Fromm, Emily. Jennifer Esposito, Bradley Cooper Split, People, May 2, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
50. ^ Reardanz, Karen (August 28, 2007). "Daily Dish : Esposito/Cooper Marriage Dissolved". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
51. ^ "Mark Philippoussis engaged to Jennifer Esposito". The Sunday Telegraph. October 11, 2009. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
52. ^ "Did Mark Philippoussis and Jennifer Esposito call off their engagement?". Popsugar.com.au. August 31, 2010. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
53. ^ Joyce Eng. "Jennifer Esposito Engaged to Mark Philippoussis". TVGuide.com.
54. ^ "'Blue Bloods'' Jennifer Esposito is engaged, talks celiac disease". Los Angeles Times. May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
55. ^ Katie Couric (May 2, 2014). "Jennifer Esposito's Battle With Celiac Disease". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.
56. ^ "Jennifer Esposito's Celiac Story". Retrieved October 27, 2017.
57. ^ "'Blue Bloods'' Jennifer Esposito is engaged, talks celiac disease". Los Angeles Times. May 2, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
58. ^ "Bradley Cooper dissed as 'master manipulator' by ex-wife Jennifer Esposito?". msn.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
59. ^ The Meredith Vieira Show (December 30, 2014). "Jennifer Esposito On Her Wedding Day Dilemma! - The Meredith Vieira Show". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2017 - via YouTube.
60. ^ "Jennifer Esposito Is Married! Actress Weds Love Louis Dowler". Us Weekly. November 18, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
61. ^ "Jennifer Esposito reportedly skips town amid $43 million lawsuit". Fox News. May 27, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016. "She is also in the middle of divorcing her second husband and investor Dowler. She was previously married to American actor Bradley Cooper, and she was engaged two more times before she married Dowler in 2014."
62. ^ "Jennifer Esposito Won't Be Back For Season 4 of 'The Affair'". In Style Woman. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
63. ^ "Wedding Pics! Jennifer Esposito Marries Jesper Vesterstrøm". Extra. Retrieved December 9, 2020.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jennifer Esposito.

* Jennifer Esposito at IMDb

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*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced