Vinessa Shaw

Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw, born July 19, 1976, is an American film actress and model. She began working as a child actress, making her feature film debut in 1981. Shaw achieved her breakout role in the 1993 Disney Halloween comedy-fantasy film Hocus Pocus. Over her career, she has transitioned from child roles into adult film and television performances spanning horror, drama, comedy, and thriller genres.

Shaw was born in Los Angeles, California, to Larry Shaw, a psychologist and former adjunct professor, and Susan Damante, an actress. She is of mixed Russian-Jewish, Italian, Irish, German, English, Mexican, Swedish, and Dutch heritage. Shaw was raised in her parents' Nichiren Buddhist faith. At age 10, she gave her first formal performance in a UCLA acting camp short, and at age 11, she toured with folk singer Peter Alsop. In 1989, at age 13, she signed with the Elite Models agency before pursuing acting more extensively.

After her debut in the independent slasher film Home Sweet Home (1981), Shaw made her television debut in the 1991 television movie Long Road Home. In 1992, she held a supporting role in the comedy film Ladybugs. She gained wider recognition playing a local teenager in Hocus Pocus (1993) alongside Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Thora Birch. Though the film was not an initial box-office success, it built a major fanbase in later years.

In 1998, Shaw starred in the comedy-drama L.A. Without a Map and enrolled at Barnard College. While studying there, she was approached by director Stanley Kubrick to play a supporting role in Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Kubrick encouraged her to stay in acting, leading her to leave college and focus on her career. Following this, she appeared in the period drama The Weight of Water (2000), the comedy Corky Romano (2001), the romantic comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), and Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda (2004).

Shaw continued building her film career with roles in Alexandre Aja's 2006 horror remake The Hills Have Eyes and James Mangold's 2007 Western 3:10 to Yuma. She appeared in independent films such as Garden Party, Stag Night, and the romantic drama Two Lovers (2008). Her work in the 2010s included Steven Soderbergh's psychological thriller Side Effects (2013), the crime drama Cold in July (2014), the biopic Electric Slide (2014), and a multi-episode role in the Showtime series Ray Donovan (2014).

In her later projects, Shaw starred in the Netflix horror films Clinical (2017) and Family Blood (2018). In 2021, she appeared in the biographical sports drama 12 Mighty Orphans and the psychological horror film We Need to Do Something. Shaw returned to television with guest roles in the series Swagger in 2023, followed by appearances in Cruel Intentions and Yellowstone in 2024.