General Hospital

Vanessa Marcil Facts: A General Hospital Cast Primer

Published by

Shado Saeyang

5 years ago

Vanessa Marcil is best known to soap fans for playing Brenda Barrett on General Hospital, but the actress has appeared on many shows over the years, including primetime hits Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, 90210, Hawaii Five-O, NYPD Blue, and many others.

While Marcil has been pursuing acting since she was a child growing up in California, she’s also made sure to find time to follow her other passions. From her clothing line to winning an Emmy, here are five fast facts about the former GH actress.

Who Is Vanessa Marcil?

Marcil was born on October 15 in Indio, California. She attended Indio High School and was a part of the Circle Theater Acting Company while growing up. She then went to College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California, which is where she studied law.

Written Just For Her
Marcil joined the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 in November 1998 as Gina Kincaid. The role of Gina was written specifically for Marcil by creator Aaron Spelling. Marcil was on the show for one-and-a-half seasons. Also written for her was the 1994 Prince song, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.

Away From General Hospital
Along with being an actress, Marcil is also a clothing designer and activist. She created a children’s clothing line called “Kass” (named after her son), and a portion of all proceeds go to help build schools in Africa. She also opened Patricia House in Los Angeles, which helps women who can no longer care for their children.

Daytime Emmy Award Winner

Marcil has been nominated for three Daytime Emmy Awards for work as Brenda on GH over the years and won when she was nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category in 2003.

Getting Personal With Vanessa Marcil
Marcil was previously married to actor Corey Feldman from 1989 to 1993. She then started dating her Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Brian Austin Green and the pair were engaged from 2001 to 2003.

They have a 17-year-old son together named Kassius. She then married actor Carmine Giovinazzo in 2010, but they divorced in March 2013. General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.