Biography of Drea de Matteo
Drea de Matteo is an American actress and playwright of Italian descent who gained fame for her role as Adriana La Cerva in the renowned TV series "The Sopranos". She is also known for her roles as Gina Tribbiani in the comedy "Joey", Wendy Case in the thriller "Sons of Anarchy", and Angie Bolen in the dramedy "Desperate Housewives". In 2024, the actress made headlines on social media after joining OnlyFans to address financial struggles—a move that proved successful.
Childhood, Adolescence, Family
Drea de Matteo, born in the winter of 1972, was born to Donna and Albert de Matteo, a well-to-do family in Queens, New York. Her mother was a renowned playwright and a playwriting instructor at HB Studio in New York, while her father, a businessman, owned a furniture manufacturing company.As the youngest of three children and only daughter, she was raised with tremendous love and care. With her parents frequently busy with work, she was primarily cared for by her grandmother and a Nicaraguan nanny—whom Drea would later care for after the woman's surgery.
De Matteo spent her early childhood in Queens before the family moved to Manhattan's Upper East Side, into a townhouse previously owned by soul legend Aretha Franklin.
After finishing at the Ignatius Loyola school, Drea decided to pursue a degree in film directing at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. This choice stemmed from a childhood moment when she was pulled onstage during a performance of "Cats" and became mesmerized by the stage lights—an experience she never forgot.
Her mother's entertainment industry connections likely influenced this path too—their home frequently welcomed directors who came to see Donna's dramatic works. But once at the School of the Arts, acting classes captured her imagination, leading her to pursue an acting career.
After graduation, de Matteo faced the classic actor's dilemma: how to pay the bills while pursuing her dream. She began making money through a vintage clothing store that attracted rock musicians. She soon considered expanding the business, but destiny called when she auditioned for a TV series that would become iconic and revolutionize television forever.
The Sopranos
After debuting in a minor role as Laurie Tuko in "Swift Justice," Drea auditioned for the crime drama "The Sopranos" by the late 90s.Initially, the young Italian-American character Adriana La Cerva was meant to appear in just one episode, but de Matteo left an indelible impression on the producers. Her role expanded to become the steady girlfriend and later fiancée of gangster Christopher Moltisanti, portrayed by Michael Imperioli – and she was absolutely perfect. Her character quickly started stealing scenes from the main cast.
La Cerva starts as a waitress in a restaurant and, after meeting Christopher, takes charge of a nightclub, turning it into a popular spot. The actress brought sultry beauty paired with an irresistible sense of humor. Adriana is enterprising, smart, quite materialistic, kind, and sensitive.
Her trusting nature leads her straight into an undercover FBI agent's trap, and she's reluctantly flipped into a government informant. When she confesses her betrayal to her beloved, she pays with her life – devastating fans who'd fallen in love with Adriana.
For this role, Drea was awarded an Emmy and nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Golden Globes as Best Supporting Actress in a series, miniseries, or television film.
Fans still constantly ask Drea to say "Christopher" in that thick New York accent that gave her the most trouble during filming:
As a memento from "The Sopranos," Matteo kept the outfit her character died in: jeans and a pink fur coat. "And of course, I just had to keep that spandex jumpsuit with the tiger print!" the actress recalled with a smile.I thought my accent sounded too forced, and I hated it. I went to David Chase and said, 'I can't keep talking about Christopher like that, can I call him Chrissy instead?'
Further Career
During her five-year run on "The Sopranos," Drea de Matteo also landed several notable film roles.She took the lead in Abel Ferrara's dramatic thriller "R Xmas," shared the screen with John Travolta and Hugh Jackman in the crime action flick "Swordfish" (playing Melissa), and brought one of the main characters to life in the musical drama "Prey for Rock & Roll" (Tracy).
She landed the central role of Gina Tribbiani in the "Friends" spin-off series "Joey," where Matt LeBlanc reprised his character as an actor chasing Hollywood dreams.
Later, Drea admitted that taking the role wasn't her smartest move, but she was emotionally drained after wrapping "The Sopranos": "In 'Joey,' I basically played Adriana again, just a caricatured version. Viewers loved Adriana because she felt real."
Drea de Matteo played one of the main female roles in the dramatic action movie "Assault on Precinct 13" (2005) with Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne in the lead roles. Cops and prisoners, stranded at a police station during a storm, must team up to fight off attacking criminals.
The actress also appeared as Audrey Andrews in the film "Broken English," Dana in "The Good Life." She scored the major role of mysterious newcomer Angie Bolen in season 6 of "Desperate Housewives," but left the show by choice—she didn't want to extend her contract so she could spend more time with her child.
One of her most compelling roles was Wendy Case in the gritty thriller series "Sons of Anarchy," which followed an outlaw motorcycle club's criminal exploits. On the set, Drea became friends with Courtney Love.
She also appeared in the series "Paradise City," exploring the dark side of rock star life.
As Barbara Morgan, the actress appeared in the dramedy "A Million Little Things," and in the series "Shades of Blue" with Jennifer Lopez, Drea played the role of police sergeant Tess Nazario.
Drea collaborated with Kevin Bacon on the set of the thriller "One Way," and starred with Ryan Phillippe in the film "Collide."
Drea de Matteo's Personal Life
Now in her fifties, the actress has never officially tied the knot. In her younger days, she dated Michael Sportes—they even started a business together, and stayed close friends after it ended.In 2001, it was revealed that the actress was in a relationship with country music artist Shooter Jennings. After their daughter Alabama Gypsy Rose was born, the couple got engaged, but they never made it down the aisle. In 2011, Drea welcomed son Waylon Albert, but the couple called it quits for good two years later.
The children stayed with their mother, but Drea and Jennings reached an agreement on joint custody.
In 2015, it was reported that de Matteo was engaged again, this time to Michael Devin, the former bass guitarist of the band Whitesnake. The media and her fans are still waiting for wedding news, and Drea keeps mum about her personal life—though in 2023 she did mention someone named Robbie, with whom she was planning to launch a podcast on a popular adult site.
Drea de Matteo Now
In 2024, popular YouTuber Tim Pool sparked controversy when he insulted the actress by calling her a sex worker. De Matteo fired back, claiming he's part of "America's global hypocrisy."Just a year earlier, Drea was facing serious financial troubles and turned to OnlyFans, posting risqué photos to make ends meet. Her first post earned her enough money to pay off her mortgage debt.
Drea says her financial troubles started when she refused to get the Covid-19 vaccine. That decision cost her acting work, and by the time she joined OnlyFans, she was down to just ten dollars in her bank account.
Drea herself shared:
This wasn't the first time de Matteo nearly lost her home. She'd already lost the apartment where she'd lived for 22 years when a gas explosion and fire destroyed three East Village buildings, displacing dozens of tenants. The tragedy occurred on March 26, 2015.OnlyFans completely saved my life. I can't believe I'm saying this. The bank foreclosed on my property, and my house got flooded, so I was trying to sell it as fast as possible — before the bank could take it. At the same time, I lost my mom, and my other mother, who has dementia, ran out of money for her caretaker. I didn't know what to do... These photos caused a buzz on social media, my story went viral, people were freaking out. Although the original idea was my podcast with my boyfriend about explicit topics, in the end, we did a photoshoot. In five minutes, I was able to repay the debt to Compass Real Estate, which held the sale of my house.
De Matteo says the OnlyFans money didn't just help her pay off debts — it also let her launch a streetwear line called ULTRAFREE. Her teenage son inspired the brand. The brand's concept, according to Drea, is about "making freedom cool again, freedom from anything that makes you feel caged, be it mental illness, physical illness, or ideology."
Interesting Facts
- Though Drea de Matteo calls herself shy, she's always been a wild party-goer covered in tattoos (including her mother's, father's, and grandmother's names) who drops f-bombs like confetti and chooses jeans over haute couture every time.
- Drea calls actor Vince Vaughn her brother, while John Barrowman is a close friend.
- In 2024, Drea de Matteo announced she's working on a new book that will address the alleged drug struggles of her colleague James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano from "The Sopranos"). The actress had a strong reaction to the memoirs of location manager Mark Kamine "On Locations: Lessons Learned from My Life on the Set of 'The Sopranos' and in the Film Industry." "This guy is just extorting people," de Matteo says about Kamine's book. She added that the rumors about Gandolfini's drug addiction "are not true."