---
name: "Vinessa Shaw"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/vinessa-shaw"
fi1m_id: "vinessa-shaw"
imdb_id: "nm0005416"
tmdb_id: 5025
wikidata_id: "Q266888"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "19 July 1976"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 68
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-04T22:47:48.972567+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Vinessa Shaw

## Identity

Vinessa Shaw

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/vinessa-shaw
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** vinessa-shaw
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005416
- **TMDB ID:** 5025
- **Wikidata ID:** Q266888
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinessa_Shaw, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q266888, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005416/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5025

Actor. Born 19 July 1976 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 19 July 1976, Los Angeles, California, USA
- **Active:** 1993–2013
- **Also known as:** وینسا شا, Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw
- **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as actor, over 4 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 76 (2), 2000s 47 (1), 2010s 70 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 66 to 63 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Crime 2, Mystery 2, Thriller 2, Comedy 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $321m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinessa_Shaw, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q266888, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005416/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/5025

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Eyes Wide Shut*](https://film.one/film/eyes-wide-shut.md) (81)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Side Effects*](https://film.one/film/side-effects.md) (70)
- **Pluto TV:** [*40 Days and 40 Nights*](https://film.one/film/40-days-and-40-nights.md) (47)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Vinessa Shaw

> Vinessa Shaw makes the practical worries in a thriller worth attending to. We value her grounded supporting work, though being cast as the sensible person nearby can leave an actor too little to do.

In *Side Effects* (2013), Vinessa Shaw’s Dierdre Banks is worried about money. Her husband Jonathan, played by Jude Law, has a full list of patients and a drug-company fee for putting patients on a trial. Shaw makes that domestic concern worth our attention even as Steven Soderbergh gets his thriller moving. We felt for Dierdre because her financial unease seems entirely reasonable beside a husband so sure of his own decency. We value Shaw’s ability to make an ordinary worry count when the plot has more elaborate business to conduct.

Allison in *Hocus Pocus* (1993) was the early breakthrough; Domino in Stanley Kubrick’s *Eyes Wide Shut* (1999) marked the turn towards her adult career. The horror of *The Hills Have Eyes* (2006) and the Western *3:10 to Yuma* (2007) belong to a subsequent career largely built from supporting parts. Across those shifts, she has repeatedly been cast as grounded, determined women. That suits her, but being the sensible person nearby can become a restriction if the writing stops there.

The difficulty is how much space these films leave her. *Eyes Wide Shut* earns its slow pace through the painful intimacy of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, though some exchanges outstay their welcome. In *Side Effects*, production designer Howard Cummings gives Jonathan an office of pale wood and glass, a reassuring setting for a man so comfortable with himself. Shaw’s financial anxiety complicates that comfort, but Soderbergh’s film grows more absorbed in thriller mechanics. We recommend both films with reservations, without pretending either is built around her.

*Two Lovers* (2008) offers a reason to look further. She has a leading role as Sandra Cohen alongside Joaquin Phoenix, and their chemistry makes the case for giving her more substantial parts. Her steadiness is worth having, but it need not always mean attending to somebody else’s troubles. Start with the Soderbergh film for the quality we trust in her; try *Two Lovers* for a larger part.

## Biography

Vinessa Shaw is an American actress and model. Born in Los Angeles, California, in 1976, she began her career as a child actress, making her feature debut in the 1981 slasher film *Home Sweet Home*. Her breakout role came as Allison in Disney's *Hocus Pocus* (1993).

While attending Barnard College, Shaw was cast in a supporting role in Stanley Kubrick's *Eyes Wide Shut* (1999). Subsequent film roles include *The Hills Have Eyes* (2006), *3:10 to Yuma* (2007), *Two Lovers* (2008) and Steven Soderbergh's *Side Effects* (2013), in which she played Dierdre Banks. She has also appeared in the series *Ray Donovan* (2013). Her mother is actress Susan Damante.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Side Effects* (2013), Fi1m 70, as Dierdre Banks — [page](https://film.one/film/side-effects.md)
- *40 Days and 40 Nights* (2002), Fi1m 47, as Nicole — [page](https://film.one/film/40-days-and-40-nights.md)
- *Eyes Wide Shut* (1999), Fi1m 81, as Domino — [page](https://film.one/film/eyes-wide-shut.md)
- *Fallen Angels* (1993), Fi1m 72, as Jeannie Streeter — [page](https://film.one/tv/fallen-angels-1993.md)

## Complete filmography (52)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Nickels* (2026), as Lorraine Diller
- *PH-1* (2026), as Monica Hall
- *The Wilderness* (2025), as Audrey
- *Swagger* (2021), series, as Diane
- *The Blazing World* (2021), as Alice Winter
- *We Need to Do Something* (2021), as Diane
- *12 Mighty Orphans* (2021), as Juanita Russell
- *Yellowstone* (2018), series, as Dr. Everly
- *Family Blood* (2018), as Ellie
- *Sensum* (2017), as Lisa Mitchell
- *Clinical* (2017), as Dr. Jane Mathis
- *Bereave* (2015), as Penelope
- *Cold in July* (2014), as Ann Dane
- *Electric Slide* (2014), as Mimi
- *After the Fall* (2014), as Susan
- *Siren* (2013), as Leigh
- *Dark Around the Stars* (2013), as Terry
- *Ray Donovan* (2013), series, as Kate McPherson
- *Side Effects* (2013), as Dierdre Banks — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/side-effects.md)
- *Come Out and Play* (2012), as Beth
- *Vegas* (2012), series, as Laura Savino
- *Big Miracle* (2012), as Kelly Meyers
- *Puncture* (2011), as Nurse Vicky Rogers
- *Leave* (2011), as Amy
- *Birthday Suit* (2009), Actor
- *Two Lovers* (2008), as Sandra Cohen
- *Garden Party* (2008), as Sally St. Claire
- *Stag Night* (2008), as Brita
- *Badland* (2007), as Nora Rice
- *3:10 to Yuma* (2007), as Emmy Nelson
- *The Hills Have Eyes* (2006), as Lynn
- *Fathers and Sons* (2005), as Nell, Neil
- *Melinda and Melinda* (2004), as Stacey, Stacey Fox
- *House* (2004), series, as Dr. Kelly Benedict — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/house-2004.md)
- *Bereft* (2004), as Molly
- *40 Days and 40 Nights* (2002), as Nicole — Fi1m 47, [page](https://film.one/film/40-days-and-40-nights.md)
- *Corky Romano* (2001), as Agent Kate Russo
- *The Weight of Water* (2001), as Anethe Christenson
- *The '70s* (2000), as Eileen Wells
- *Wayward Son* (1999), as Cordelia
- *Eyes Wide Shut* (1999), as Domino — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/eyes-wide-shut.md)
- *L.A. Without a Map* (1999), as Barbara
- *Coyote Summer* (1996), as Callie Carpenter
- *McKenna* (1994), series, Actor
- *New York Undercover* (1994), series, Actor
- *Fallen Angels* (1993), series, as Jeannie Streeter — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/fallen-angels-1993.md)
- *Hocus Pocus* (1993), as Allison
- *Ladybugs* (1992), as Kimberly Mullen
- *The Torkelsons* (1991), series, as Meredith Reed
- *Long Road Home* (1991), as Clara Tarpin
- *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), series, as Gloria Bryce
- *Home Sweet Home* (1981), as Angel Bradley

## Gallery

- ![Vinessa Shaw](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-a09c58b9a821.jpg) Vinessa Shaw — Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Vinessa_Shaw_Photo_Op_Nightmare_Weekend_Richmond_2023.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Vinessa Shaw at Nightmare Weekend Richmond in 2023](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-6f5f858478bc.jpg) Vinessa Shaw at Nightmare Weekend Richmond in 2023 — Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Vinessa_Shaw_%2853256061046%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Vinessa Shaw at Nightmare Weekend Richmond in 2023](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-8a8fb96dbfad.jpg) Vinessa Shaw at Nightmare Weekend Richmond in 2023 — Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Vinessa_Shaw_%2853258037051%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Vinessa Shaw at Nightmare Weekend Richmond in 2023](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-c2631ff8fff4.jpg) Vinessa Shaw at Nightmare Weekend Richmond in 2023 — John Manard for Super Festivals/GalaxyCon from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Vinessa_Shaw_%2853332147433%29.jpg/1280px-Vinessa_Shaw_%2853332147433%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Vinessa Shaw](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-6c4b10634cf0.jpg) Vinessa Shaw — Image via TMDB
- ![Vinessa Shaw](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-9b01e638fa6a.jpg) Vinessa Shaw — Image via TMDB
- ![Vinessa Shaw](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-5e58a629d51e.jpg) Vinessa Shaw — Image via TMDB
- ![Vinessa Shaw at Nightmare Weekend Richmond in 2023](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-3ef0ef09588a.jpg) Vinessa Shaw at Nightmare Weekend Richmond in 2023 — John Manard for Super Festivals/GalaxyCon from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Vinessa_Shaw_%2853332154513%29.jpg/1280px-Vinessa_Shaw_%2853332154513%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Vinessa Shaw at Nightmare Weekend Richmond in 2023](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-6888ce3a45a6.jpg) Vinessa Shaw at Nightmare Weekend Richmond in 2023 — John Manard for Super Festivals/Galaxy Con from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Vinessa_Shaw_%2853332377255%29.jpg/1280px-Vinessa_Shaw_%2853332377255%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Vinessa Shaw](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-1e442eaf6a47.jpg) Vinessa Shaw — Image via TMDB
- ![Vinessa Shaw](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-249fd31e802d.jpg) Vinessa Shaw — Image via TMDB
- ![Vinessa Shaw](https://film.one/media/person/9398/gallery-4db89695fed8.jpg) Vinessa Shaw — Image via TMDB

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/vinessa-shaw