Jennifer Esposito

Born: April 1972
Where: Brooklyn, New York, USA

The former Club MTV dancer made her breakthrough as the tough-talking secretary-with-attitude in TV's Spin City with Michael J Fox.

Feature work has ranged from the drama of Spike Lee's Son of Sam, to the thriller Don't Say A Word with Michael Douglas.

The actress, who isn't afraid to project what one of Spin City's executive producers called "New York attitude", trained at the Actors Studio while waiting tables.

On the big screen, she landed minor roles in No Looking Back, He Got Game and the horror spoof I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.

Her breakthrough film performance came in Spike Lee's Summer of Sam opposite Mira Sorvino and John Leguizamo.

Subsequent appearances included Dracula 2000 and an uncredited role in the comedy Made before the high-profile part of a cop opposite Douglas in Don't Say A Word.

Any success she may have achieved in Welcome to Collinwood with George Clooney and William H Macy was undone by the Dana Carvey's woeful Master of Disguise.

In 2004, she starred in Breakin' All The Rules and alongside Queen Latifah in the lacklustre Luc Besson remake Taxi.