A tall, slender character player whose olive complexion, severe eyebrows and wide, etched cheekbones make her a natural for ethnic roles, Roma Maffia had played small parts in three movies (including a prostitute in her debut, Susan Seidelman's "Smithereens" 1982) and worked on TV, but her career did not really take off until Ron Howard "discovered" her and cast her as an eager, loud-mouthed reporter in "The Paper" (1994). That same year, she displayed her grit as a steel-and-sparks lawyer defending Michael Douglas against Demi Moore's accusations of sexual harassment in Barry Levinson's "Disclosure". Since then, she has had little time to return to her stage roots, an Off-Broadway and regional theater background that saw her act in productions of "Street Venus", "Fool for Love", and "The Caucasian Chalk Circle", among others.Maffia became a TV series regular in the high-toned medical drama "Chicago Hope" (CBS), playing a harried hospital administrator whose clandestine affair with a doctor helped bring on his heart attack and left them stuck in the MRI machine. As the struggling show ordered more doctors, she left the series altogether after only six episodes to pursue some of the many opportunities coming her way. She appeared in the features "Nick of Time" (1995), as Christopher Walken's cold-blooded henchwoman, and "Kiss the Girls" (1997), and of her many TV-movies, "The Heidi Chronicles" (TNT, 1995) and "The Defenders: Payback" (Showtime, 1997) stand out as particularly noteworthy. Maffia returned to the series ranks as a regular for NBC's "Profiler" (1996-2000), portraying forensic pathologist Grace Alvarez. During and after her regular TV stint Maffia also appeared in character roles in several feature films, most notably "Double Jeopardy" (1999), "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her" (2001), "I Am Sam" (2001) and "Holes" (2002). Maffia then landed her most visible role to date when she was cast as the caustic lesbian anethesiologist on the hip, edgy f/x drama "Nip/Tuck" (2003 - ).
Profession(s):
Actor, bartender, waitress
Sometimes Credited As:
Roma Mafia
1999 Co-starred in the feature "Double Jeopardy"
1998 Wrapped "Route Nine", with Kyle MacLachlan and Peter Coyote
1997 Acted along with E G Marshall, Beau Bridges and Martha Plimpton in "The Defenders: Payback", a Showtime movie based on the 1960s courtroom drama series
1997 Portrayed Dr Ruocco in Gary Fleder's "Kiss the Girls"
1995 Played tough, right-hand woman of Christopher Walken in John Badham's "Nick of Time"
1995 Appeared in "The Heidi Chronicles", a TNT movie adaptation of the Wendy Wasserstein play
1994 Played eager, loud-mouthed reporter in "The Paper"
1994 Portrayed blunt, savvy lawyer who ably represents Michael Douglas against Demi Moore's charge of sexual harassment in "Disclosure"
1994 - 1995 TV series debut as a regular on "Chicago Hope", playing an administrative assistant; went from regular to recurring character; left show after six episodes
1988 TV miniseries debut, "Internal Affairs" (CBS)
1988 Had small role as beauty parlor patron in "Married to the Mob"
1985 First TV guest spot, "The Equalizer"
1982 Film debut, Susan Seidelman's "Smithereens"
Grew up on First Avenue and 119th Street in East Harlem
Acted Off-Broadway and in regional theater
Returned as series regular in "Profiler" (NBC), playing forensic pathologist Grace Alvarez
Had a recurring role on the NBC medical series "ER"