Even before her debut as Randi Morgan on ABC's daytime soap opera, "All My Children," Denise Vasi had already established herself as one of the entertainment industry's top women to watch. The budding actress, who is currently the face of Olay's Spring 2009 on-camera advertising campaign, has graced the pages of international and domestic glossies (including ELLE, Marie Claire, GQ Italy and the cover of French magazine Clam) as a sought-out model. Now, with her first long-term role in a television series and several feature films on the horizon, she is making a fast and determined leap into Hollywood.
"The opportunity to join 'All My Children' came to her at a very young age. As Randi Morgan, the actress plays a "hooker with a heart of gold" who is encouraged by Dr. Frankie Hubbard (Cornelius Smith, Jr.) to ditch her tumultuous past and lead a more fulfilling life. It's a complicated role, but one that the New York native has embraced, working directly with the show's producers to develop her character arch and watching Jane Fonda in Klute for inspiration.
Denise Vasi attributes her diligent work ethic to her mother, who raised the actress and her two younger brothers in Brooklyn, New York. After Denise was approached to model numerous times, a family friend eventually sent her snapshots to agencies, and the young girl of Puerto Rican, Dominican and Greek heritage was signed to Ford Models at the age of 12. From there, she went on to balance her modeling career with school, studying finance and management at Long Island University while booking modeling gigs and taking classes to pursue her long-term dream.
Today, she is represented by Next Models and has been featured in numerous on-camera and print campaigns for leading cosmetics and hair care brands (Olay, Spring 2007 and 2009; Bobbi Brown, Spring 2008; Target; Nexxus; Urban Decay; Cosmpolitan's "Beauty Capital of the World" NYC banner campaign) as well as fashion labels (Fiorucci, Spring 2009; Dollhouse; American Eagle; Old Navy).
In addition to "All My Children," Denise's acting credits include the upcoming Disney feature film release When in Rome, in which she plays opposite Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite, Blades of Glory), "Law and Order: Criminal Intent," the feature independent films Doorman and The Good Guy (starring Alexis Bledel), and music videos for Grammy-winning recording artist Common and R&B singer Mario.Though there's surely more to come, Denise prefers to take each day at a time. She loves walking her Weimaraner "Blu," blogging for her "All My Children" fans, and exercising in unconventional ways.