Vanessa Marcil was born on October 15, 1968, in Indio, California, USA, to Peter Ortiz, a contractor, and Patricia Marcil Ortiz, an herbalist. She grew up in Palm Desert with her parents and her two older sisters Tina and Sherry and her older brother Sam. When Vanessa was 8, she started acting in plays and even performed her own song at a 6th grade talent show in which she won. Soon afterward, she began pursuing an acting career and starred in several theatre productions before landing the role of Brenda Barrett on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital in 1992.

She made her feature film debut in The Rock starring opposite Nicolas Cage as well as starring in a made-for-television movie To Love, Honor, and Deceive in 1996. She stayed with General Hospital until 1998 and then left to join the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 as Gina Kincaid, a former ice skater replacing Tiffani Thiessen as the show's vixen. She met actor Brian Austin Green on the show and the two had a baby together named Kassius Lijah Marcil-Green born in March of 2002.

In the fall of 2002, she made her long awaited return to General Hospital reprising her role as Brenda Barrett, garnering her a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress" in 2003. Vanessa later joined the cast of the NBC drama Las Vegas in which she stars as Sam Marquez, a casino host. Currently, she resides in Los Angeles with her son Kassius.



Her father Peter is of Mexican descent. Her mother Patricia is of French, Italian, and Portuguese descent. She is the youngest of four children. All of her family remains living in Indio, California, USA. Attended Indio High School, Indio, California. Was part of the Circle Theatre Acting Company in Indio. Has a tattoo on her lower back of a tribal symbol representing peace and love in the universe. Gave birth to son, Kassius Lijah Marcil-Green, who is also the son of actor Brian Austin Green. Kassius was named after Muhammad Ali (aka Cassius Clay), of whom Brian is a fan [March 30, 2002]. Has two dogs named Woof and Joey. Named in honor of actress Vanessa Redgrave. Was offered the role of Nell Porter on "Ally McBeal" (1997) but was forced to turn it down because she had already signed on to "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990). The role was then given to Portia de Rossi. Opened Patricia House in Los Angeles, which will aid women who can no longer care for their children. Created a hotline for these women to have their babies placed in good homes. She remarked on "Today" (1952), 5 November 2004 that she is the great granddaughter of French mime Marcel Marceau, though she never met him. Has a grandmother named Sally. Loves to ride motorcycles. Is best friends with "The Biggest Loser" (2004) trainer Jillian Michaels who is the godmother of her son Kassius.