Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an American actress best known for her performance as psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi on the HBO crime drama series The Sopranos (1999–2007) and for her breakthrough role portraying Karen Hill in the Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas (1990).

[9] While still modeling, Bracco was approached by Marc Camoletti, who offered her a major role in the film adaptation of one of his plays, Duos sur canapé (1979).

[13] She also appeared as Paul Guilfoyle's hostage in the first season of the series Crime Story, in the episode "Hide and Go Thief".

Eventually, Italian director and novelist Lina Wertmüller gave Bracco a small part in the film Camorra.

I mean, Lina accentuated my eyes with dark make-up, the way Sophia Loren used to appear in those epic roles in the '60s.

[9] Bracco received her big career break when she was offered the role of mobster wife Karen Hill in the Martin Scorsese directed crime drama Goodfellas (1990).

[16][17] Her other films include Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), Switch (1991), Medicine Man (1992), Radio Flyer (1992), Hackers (1995), The Basketball Diaries (1995), and Riding in Cars with Boys (2001).

[18] Bracco felt so strongly about her ability and desire to play the part that she arranged a meeting with Chase and talked him into letting her have a chance as Melfi.

[citation needed] Beginning in 2016, Bracco had a recurring role as Toni on the Showtime comedy series Dice.

[26] In 2017–2018, she had a five-episode recurring role as Mayor Margaret Dutton in the CBS police drama series Blue Bloods.

Shot in Sambuca di Sicilia, it chronicled her renovation of a 200-year-old house she purchased for €1 at Via Guglielmo Marconi.

[33] In 2023, Bracco starred in Waheed AlQawasmi's debut film Jacir as Meryl, an opioid addicted next-door neighbor of a Syrian refugee living in poverty in Memphis, Tennessee,[34] delivering an emotionally charged performance that was dubbed "her best performance since Goodfellas.