- Born
- Birth nameVanessa Madeline Angel
- Height5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
- British-born Vanessa Angel began her career at age 14 as a model, when she was discovered by world-renowned agent, Eileen Ford. She gained much life experience by traveling the world, relocating to New York and appearing on many magazine covers, including "Vogue" and "Cosmopolitan". Her transition from modeling to acting came in 1985, when she was chosen by director John Landis to play a Russian spy in Spies Like Us (1985). She honed her craft by studying with Sondra Lee and became a member of The Actor's Studio in New York in 1987, studying with Frank Corsaro. This led to roles in films including King of New York (1990), Sleep with Me (1994) and Kingpin (1996), from The Farrelly Brothers with Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray, Kissing a Fool (1998) with David Schwimmer and Jason Lee. She has been in many films in the past few years including Paramount's The Perfect Score (2004) with Scarlett Johansson and opposite Jon Voight in Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004). In addition to her film work, Angel starred in the hit series, Weird Science (1994), on the USA Network.
The unique range of characters earned her critical recognition for her comedic timing. She has played many roles on television, including the recurring role of police officer "Peggy Elliot" on NBC's Reasonable Doubts (1991) with Mark Harmon and Marlee Matlin, and a recent recurring role on Stargate SG-1 (1997). Most recently, she played herself in HBO's popular show, Entourage (2004), where she played opposite Kevin Dillon, who she had also starred opposite in Out for Blood (2004). She also recently starred in the Lifetime movie, Criminal Intent (2005), and just finished the independent film, Blind Ambition (2008), and the comedy, Endless Bummer (2009). She reconnected with The Farrelly Bros in Hall Pass (2011) and made a memorable guest appearance in Showtime's Californication (2007). She recently completed the films, Lycan (2017) and Trouble Sleeping (2018) Vanessa and her ex-husband, Rick Otto, are co-parents of their daughter India Otto.- IMDb Mini Biography By: anonymous
- SpouseRick Otto(April 6, 1996 - 2019) (divorced, 1 child)
- ChildrenIndia Otto
- ParentsElizabeth AngelPeter Angel
- She was the original choice for the title role in Xena: Warrior Princess (1995). Due to an illness, she was not able to fly to New Zealand to start work in the role of "Xena". A replacement had to be found quickly in New Zealand and so Lucy Lawless, who was already there, was cast.
- She was introduced to her future husband Rick Otto by her Weird Science (1994) co-star Lee Tergesen.
- Started a clothing line in 2009, VANE la, which sells in top boutiques in Los Angeles, including Ron Herman and Belle Gray. She designs 1970s-inspired dresses and tops in silk, vintage prints.
- Vanessa and her ex-husband Rick Otto have a daughter named India Otto (DOB: March 10, 2001) who played women's basketball for the University of Southern California.
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