Linda Edna Cardellini was born in Redwood City, California, to Lorraine (Hernan) and Wayne David Cardellini, a businessman. She is of Italian (from her paternal grandfather), Irish, English, and German descent. Linda grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, California, the youngest of four children. She became interested in acting at age ten, when she performed a singing role in a school Christmas play. She continued to do school productions and community theater.
Linda attended Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. After graduating, she had to decide whether to go to New York to pursue theater or Los Angeles to pursue film and television. She chose LA. Linda was cast in her first role, on the series Bone Chillers (1996). Her breakthrough part came when she was cast in Freaks and Geeks(1999). She played academic decathlete 'Lindsay Weir' on the celebrated series, which won an Emmy Award in the Category of "Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series."
Cardellini captured the hearts of young girls, boys and teenagers worldwide for her portrayal of 'Velma' in Warner Bros.'s "Scooby-Doo." She has also co-starred in "Legally Blonde," Brian Robbins' "Good Burger," and Tom McLoughlin's "The Unsaid" with Andy Garcia as well as in the Adam Sandler-produced comedy, "Grandma's Boy".
In 2005, Cardellini starred in the ensemble film "American Gun" for IFC Films alongside Donald Sutherland, Forest Whitaker and Marcia Gay Harden. "American Gun" was the debut feature of director/co-writer Aric Avelino, which was earned a Best Picture nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2007. In the same year, Cardellini delivered a heartfelt performance as a jilted lover in Ang Lee's highly acclaimed drama, "Brokeback Mountain," which garnered major accolades from critics, including an Academy Award nomination and Golden Globe win for Best Picture and Outstanding Ensemble in a Motion Picture Drama by the Screen Actor's Guild.
It was upon working with Larry McMutry and Diana Ossana on this film, that they later cast her in CBS's Hallmark Hall of Fame mini-series "Comanche Moon," a testament to their trust in Cardellini's talent and presence on screen. Cardellini starred alongside Val Kilmer and Steve Zahn in the six-hour, epic mini-series in 2008, written by McMurtry (based on McMurtry's novel of the same name), directed by Simon Wincer and executive produced by Ossana. This western, which was the prequel to "Lonesome Dove," (the television series created in 1989 by McMurtry) aired on three consecutive evenings for two hours each night.
In 2008, Cardellini portrayed the lead role of 'Julie Ingram' in the feature film "The Lazarus Project" starring alongside 'Paul Walker'. Directed by John Glenn, this thriller tells the story of a former criminal who is drawn into an illicit endeavor and subsequently finds himself living an inexplicable new life working at a psychiatric facility.
In 2011, Cardellini co-starred in Jonathan Hensleigh's independent feature film "Kill the Irishman," alongside Christopher Walken, Ray Stevenson and Val Kilmer. The film was based on the true story of Danny Greene, a tough Irish thug working for mobsters in Cleveland during the 1970s. In February 2012, Cardellini starred as 'Kelli' in the independent film "Return," opposite Michael Shannon and John Slattery which earned Cardellini an Independent Spirit Award nomination for "Best Female Lead." "Return" was featured in the Director's Fortnight section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and was an official entry at The Deauville, London and Palm Springs International Film Festivals. "Return" follows 'Kelli' as she returns home from war and learns how to adjust to a slower, normal life.
In 2013, Cardellini was almost unrecognizable, but turned heads, for her provocative portrayal of 'Sylvia Rosen,' 'Don Draper's' married mistress, in a guest arc in the sixth season of the critically acclaimed AMC series, "Mad Men." She received her first Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Guest Actress in A Drama Series" for her portrayal.
Working in both film and television, Linda is well-known for her portrayal of 'Nurse Samantha Taggart' on NBC's highly-rated, critically acclaimed series, "ER". She will next be seen as 'Meg Rayburn' in Netflix's new untitled family drama series created by Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman and Todd Kessler. Cardellini also has a co-starring role in the indie comedy Welcome to Me (2014), opposite an all-star cast that includes Kristen Wiig, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, James Marsden and Wes Bentley. The film is directed by Shira Piven. "Welcome to Me" was produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
On the small screen, Cardellini was a guest star, playing 'Dr. Megan Tillman', in CBS' Person of Interest (2011). The crime drama show was created by Jonathan Nolan and stars Jim Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson and Michael Emerson. Cardellini also lends her voice to a diverse group of animated series including Nickelodeon's "Sanjay & Craig" wherein she plays 'Megan,' IFC's "Out There" wherein she voices 'Starla,' and Disney's "Gravity Falls," in which she is 'Wendy.' Cardellini's past voiceover work includes the role of 'Bliss,' the family daughter in the ABC animated television program, The Goode Family (2009).
Linda has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre from Loyola Marymount University, and completed a summer study program at the National Theatre in London. She resides in Los Angeles. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Kad and M
Trivia
In 1994, she won a fireplace on The New Price Is Right (1972).
Loves art, especially that of Margaret Keane.
Enjoyed taking martial arts classes.
She attended Loyola Marymount University. Other students attending at the same time were Colin Hanks, Sarah Norton and Busy Philipps.
Daughter of Lorraine and Wayne Cardellini.
Her paternal grandfather was of Italian descent. Her other ancestry includes Irish, German, and English.
Named #93 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).
Though she was born in Redwood City, California, her family has lived in San Francisco for 5 generations.
Her last name means "goldfinches" in Italian.
Expecting her first child in early 2012.
Gave birth to her first child at age 36, a daughter Lilah-Rose Rodriguez on February 29, 2012. Child's father is her boyfriend, Steve Rodriguez.
Returned to work 3 months after giving birth to her daughter Lilah-Rose in order to begin recording Gravity Falls (2012).
Delivered her daughter Lilah-Rose via emergency Caesarean section after the umbilical cord became wrapped around the baby's neck.
Personal Quotes
Before I could talk, I would try to sing.
I had a really scary pregnancy and a very difficult delivery. My daughter and I are lucky to be alive.
I just got back from Switzerland, which I've never been to. I went to Switzerland and Amsterdam.
After I finished 'E.R.', I wanted to concentrate on re-examining what kind of actress I am and taking time for real-life things.
Being raised Catholic myself, I think people who are Catholic tend to carry a lot of guilt. It's almost a joke.
I love to work on a set whether it's mostly men or mostly women, but there's something about being in a community of women that changes the energy.
I think everyone feels lost at times during their high school years.
I think in real life most of us don't know how to communicate our deepest feelings very well.
I think I'm going to spend some time learning how to be a first-time mom, and then I'll go back to work.
The one thing about being on 'ER' that has changed is that I'm more easily recognizable.
Yes, I'm very close to my family. And being that close to your family, I think you also struggle with how to become your own person.
People who have no idea it's me when they first see me playing something, and later they realize, 'That's her from whatever it is,' it's a great compliment that they can forget.
I always thought I was a little shy, especially compared to my brother and my sister, but I guess I was always the kid doing performances in the front room.
One thing I like about trying to write is that I can possibly write myself a role. Otherwise, you're at the mercy of whatever roles are out there that people are willing to give to you.
There are not that many jobs as an actor where you don't get to know what your character will be doing from episode to episode.
I have sort of the career where, if you are a fan, you've been following me for a while, and you really like something that I've done, so meeting those people is always a really gracious experience.
I like diversity; I want one character to be very different from the next. I love to live with a character for a long time if I can, but I like one character to be different from the next.
One of my favorite things to do is not to speak on screen. In theater it's different because there's a lot of emphasis on language - it's a different medium. But that is one of the most wonderful things about film. A person's face can say so much more than their voice can.
I remember when I took the role on E.R., I thought, 'I haven't really been able to play a working class woman. I've played girls, I've played funny, but I haven't played a working class woman. That sounds like something I'd like to do.'
I was extremely close with my parents. Breaking away from that is a double-edged sword: It's something you need to do, but it's hard to cut the apron strings.
When I was a kid, 'Scooby Doo' was, hands down, my favorite cartoon. Even when I was older, when I was in college studying and I needed to tune out for a while, I'd watch 'Scooby Doo.'
You know, the hard thing about audiences not liking what a character does is that they sometimes take it out on the actor personally. That's something that you know when you become an actor or actress, but it's always hard to deal with when it actually happens.
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