Edie Falco

An outstanding cast member on one of the most highly acclaimed television series of all time, "The Sopranos" (HBO, 1999-2007), Edie Falco earned multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards for creating the iconic Carmela Soprano, a suburban New Jersey mother and conflicted wife of an organized crime boss. Prior to her powerhouse portrayal of the Mafia don's manicured wife, Falco had appeared regularly on the gritty prison series "Oz" (HBO, 1997-99) and police dramas including "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990-2010) and "Homicide: Life on the Street" (NBC, 1993-99), where she displayed a naturalistic acting style that was world-weary and independent, yet vulnerable. Hardly an overnight sensation, the actress had spent over a dozen years as a player in the independent films of Hal Hartley and Nick Gomez and appeared on countless New York stages. Unlike her lower profile co-stars from "The Sopranos," Falco stayed in the spotlight, taking on the lead role of "Nurse Jackie" (Showtime, 2009-15), a dark comedy centered on a brilliant, but drug-addicted emergency room nurse that once again put her back into awards contention and allowed Falco to demonstrate her considerable acting prowess.