Christina Ricci

Christina Ricci ( REE-chee; born February 12, 1980) is an American actress. Known for playing unusual characters with a dark edge, Ricci predominantly works in independent productions, but has also appeared in numerous box office hits: to date, her films have grossed in excess of US$1.4 billion. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award and a Satellite Award, in addition to nominations for Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild awards.Ricci made her film debut at the age of nine in Mermaids (1990), which was followed by a breakout role as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (1991) and its sequel, Addams Family Values (1993). Subsequent appearances in Casper and Now and Then (both 1995) brought her fame as a "teen icon". At 17, she moved into adult-oriented roles with The Ice Storm (1997), which led to parts in films such as Buffalo '66 and Pecker (both 1998). She garnered acclaim for her performances in The Opposite of Sex (1998), Sleepy Hollow (1999), and Monster (2003). Ricci's other credits include Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Prozac Nation (2001), Pumpkin (2002), Anything Else (2003), Cursed (2005), Penelope (2006), Black Snake Moan (2006), Speed Racer (2008), and The Matrix Resurrections (2021).On television, Ricci appeared as Liza Bump in the final season of Ally McBeal (2002), and received acclaim for her guest role on Grey's Anatomy in 2006. She also starred as Maggie Ryan on the ABC series Pan Am (2011–12), and produced and starred in the series' The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015) and Z: The Beginning of Everything (2017). She currently stars as Misty on the critically acclaimed Showtime series Yellowjackets (2021–present). As well as voicing characters in several animated films, Ricci provided voices for the video games The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon and Speed Racer: The Videogame (both 2008). In 2010, Ricci made her Broadway debut in Time Stands Still. She is the national spokesperson for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). She is married and has two children.

She has struggled with both anxiety and anorexia.Ricci is listed in several art publications as one of artist Mark Ryden's muses. Her image has appeared in several of his oil paintings and sketches.Ricci has eight tattoos on her body: a lion on her right shoulder blade (a reference to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a favorite novel of hers as a child); an Edward Gorey figure on the inside of her right wrist; a pair of praying hands on her left hip (this tattoo was originally a bat); the name "Jack" on her right thigh for a deceased pet; a sparrow on her right breast; and a mermaid on her left ankle. She also had the words "Move or Bleed" on the left side of her rib cage, as well as a bouquet of sweet peas on her lower back.

Ricci was born in Santa Monica, California, the youngest of four children of Sarah (née Murdoch) and Ralph Ricci. Her mother worked as a Ford Agency model during the 1960s, and later became a real estate agent. Her father had a varied career, including jobs as a gym teacher, lawyer, drug counsellor, and primal scream therapist. Regarding her surname, Ricci has stated, "The Italian blood has been bred out of me. There's an Italian four or five generations back who married an Irish woman and they had all sons. So they married more Irish women, there were more sons, and more Irish women. Now I'm basically Scots-Irish".Ricci's family moved to Montclair, New Jersey, where she grew up attending Edgemont Elementary School, Glenfield Middle School, Montclair High School, and Morristown–Beard School. She later attended Professional Children's School in New York City.Her siblings are Rafael (born 1971), Dante (born 1974), and Pia (born 1976). Ricci's parents separated when she was a preteen. She has been vocal about her childhood in interviews, particularly her parents' divorce and turbulent relationship with her father.