Edith "Edie" Falco (/ˈiːdi ˈfælkoʊ/; born July 5, 1963) is an American television, film, and stage actress, known for her roles as Diane Whittlesey in the HBO series Oz (1997–2000), as Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos (1999–2007), and as the titular character of the Showtime series Nurse Jackie (2009–2015).

Biography

In 2003, Falco was diagnosed with breast cancer. She chose not to make the news public until the following year.
Falco has had struggles with alcohol and decided to become sober sometime in the early 1990's after "one particular night of debauchery." She said in an interview that it was hard to be around the hard-partying cast of The Sopranos; "This cast in particular, they really love to hang out and party. They make it look like fun. And it was fun for me! They spend a lot more time without me than with me, by my own choice. I'm always invited, and I'm always there for two minutes and I leave, because I can't live in that world anymore. It's too dangerous." She is an advocate of Alcoholics Anonymous' 12-step program.

Falco adopted a son, Anderson, in 2005 and a daughter, Macy, in 2008.

In 2012, Falco was the subject of an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? which focused on her matrilineal descent from the daughter of a Cornish master mariner, from Penzance, who was born at sea and died in 1840.

In 2013, Falco teamed up with PETA in a public-service message urging parents to keep their children away from the circus.