Vera Farmiga is an American actress. She made her Broadway debut in 1996. Throughout the late 1990s, she continued appearing in both stage, television and film roles, including a part in the 1998 film, Return to Paradise. Farmiga appeared in several high-profile films in the early 2000s, including Autumn in New York and 15 Minutes. Her lead performance in the 2005 independent film, Down to the Bone, received a "Best Actress" award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.