Andrea Donna de Matteo, called Drea (pronounced "dray"), was born on January 19, 1972 in Queens, New York, into an affluent family, the youngest of three children and the only girl. De Matteo's father is a furniture manufacturer and her mother, Donna, is a playwright and teaches playwriting at HB Studio in New York. De Matteo spent her early childhood in Queens, and the family then moved to the Upper East Side in Manhattan, into Aretha Franklin's former townhouse.De Matteo decided to pursue a directing care - www.imdb.com

Although she can boast having appeared in a string of independent films throughout her short career, it's her role as Adriana La Cerva, the much better half of Christopher on The Sopranos, that made her an actress to watch out for. - www.askmen.com

Drea (pronounced "Dray") de Matteo was hired to do a one-time guest spot as a waitress on the HBO series, The Sopranos in 1999. The producers liked her acting intensity and called her back, offering her the part of Christopher's girlfriend and writing the part in permanently. She was such a hit that she performed in the role for five years. In 2004, she was tapped to play Gina Tribbiani, Joey's sister in the Friends spin-off, Joey, starring Matt LeBlanc.de Matteo was born on January 19, 1973, in Queens, NY. - www.answers.com