Maria Pitillo

Maria Pitillo (born January 8, 1966) is an American retired actress. She has starred in films and on television, most notably as Audrey Timmonds in Godzilla. She also had a recurring role on the television series Providence.

Early life and education Pitillo was born on January 8, 1966, in Elmira, New York, and grew up in Mahwah, New Jersey. Her parents divorced and her father moved Maria and her sisters, Lisa and Gina, to Mahwah, New Jersey. She attended Mahwah High School, where she was on the track team, before transferring to Northern Highlands Regional High School. She was prevented from attending her high school graduation ceremony after an altercation with her English teacher.

Career 1986–1992 Pitillo was living in suburban New Jersey, and working as a department store clerk when a friend invited her to audition for a TV commercial. Her first job was an advertisement for Pepto Bismol. Subsequent commercial work included an ad for Bank of Boston, York Peppermint Pattie, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Chic Jeans, among others. In the fall of 1987, Pitillo was cast as Nancy Don (Lewis) on the ABC soap opera, Ryan's Hope, which lasted until that series ended its run in 1989.

Pitillo later said that she did not consider acting as a serious career choice until after Chaplin (1992). Escape from Terror: The Teresa Stamper Story, as well as Between Love and Honor. Pitillo's career breakthrough came with the 1995 FOX sitcom Partners. Cast as Alicia Sondergard, the comedy met with critical success for herself,

After completing Dear God in the summer of 1996, Pitillo was contacted by NBC President Warren Littlefield, who had taken notice of her performance in Partners. Littlefield then signed her to a development deal with the network.

In early 1997, while trying to acquire a stake in DreamWorks Studios, NBC tried to leverage Pitillo, as well as director James Burrows, with a project titled Nearly Yours, which actress Parker Posey had dropped out of. DreamWorks and NBC could not come to an agreement, and the deal collapsed. The squabbling between NBC and DreamWorks left the network with a programming hole, and Pitillo without a television project for all of 1997. It wasn't until filming began on Something To Believe In (1997), and Godzilla (May 1997), that she returned to work. NBC continued to search for a suitable television project for Pitillo, and with input from Littlefield, developed the sitcom House Rules, which aired as a mid-season replacement in March 1998.

Godzilla (1998) Pitillo starred as Audrey Timmonds in the TriStar Pictures film Godzilla, which opened in theaters on May 20, 1998. The film was skewered by fans and critics alike, with Pitillo's performance being particularly criticized:

"At its release, the film was much criticized by Godzilla fans the world over. Kenpachiro Satsuma, the actor who portrayed Godzilla in the second series of films (1984–1995) walked out of a Tokyo screening and told reporters that, 'It's not Godzilla, it does not have the spirit."

Godzilla was nominated in several categories for Razzie awards, and Pitillo herself won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress in 1999. Pitillo is known to have commented once about her role in Godzilla:

"This movie isn't written for big performances from its actors," Pitillo says. "I don't expect a lot from it. It won't be like, 'Oh, Maria Pitillo is a great actress.' But it's an opportunity for people to see me." TriStar Pictures, which owned the rights to the franchise, called on Centropolis to begin pre-production work on a sequel, which was tentatively titled Godzilla 2. Ultimately, there was little enthusiasm to move forward, and the rights to the franchise were allowed to expire. The following year, Pitillo again worked with Burrows on People Who Fear People, which also starred Jon Cryer. Pitillo's role was recast, and the series became The Trouble With Normal in 2000. In 2003, she filmed a pilot of Follow the Leeds with Sharon Lawrence and Marsha Mason, which competed with three other pilots for slot in Lifetime Televisions Fall 2003 line up. In 2006, Pitillo appeared alongside Mitch Rouse and Kiernan Shipka in The Angriest Man in Suburbia.

Personal life Pitillo married David R. Fortney in 2002, and lives in Ross, California. She is of Italian and Irish descent.

It is most often noted that Pitillo got into acting after a chance encounter with a friend,

Filmography Film

Television