Cathy Moriarty-Gentile

Born: November 1960
Where: The Bronx, New York, USA

Martin Scorsese counted on the fact that Moriarty-Gentile had no acting training when he cast her to play prizefighter Jake LaMotta's abused wife Vikki in Raging Bull.

Her casual, seemingly effortless performance got her tagged an up-and-comer and won her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

However, Belushi-Aykroyd vehicle Neighbours tanked and she made the mistake of dropping out of sight for eight years.

Her low-key return came with the curious thriller White of the Eye and she went on to land better parts in the likes of Soapdish, Matinee, Kindergarten Cop and Steven Spielberg's Casper.

Other movies include Dream with the Fishes, Copland, Crazy in Alabama and The Prince of Central Park.

Recent work has included Patty LoPresti with her old sparring partner Robert De Niro in Analyze That, the sequel to the 1999 box office smash.

She can also be heard as the voice of Ruby The Junkyard Dog in Disney's Lady and the Tramp II.