Madeline Zima Biography

After her birth in Connecticut, Madeline Zima's childhood took her to Pennsylvania and then to New York, where a talent agent felt she had a career in commercials and modeling. Her big break came when she was cast in the 1992 Rebecca De Mornay thriller The Hand the Rocks the Cradle. The film's success was a launching pad for young Madeline and after a role in Mr. Nanny and a guest spot on Law & Order, she was cast as the youngest of three siblings in 1993's hit TV series The Nanny. Madeline moved to L.A. for the Fran Drescher series, which would see her through six years of entertainment experience and even greater opportunities.

When The Nanny ended in 1999, Madeline switched her attention to TV movies, with roles in Lethal Vows opposite John Ritter and in 2000's The Sandy Bottom Orchestra, which had Madeline playing a classical violinist. Madeline spent the next seven years jumping between TV guest spots and feature films, showing up in everything from Gilmore Girls to A Cinderella Story with Hilary Duff. By 2007, Madeline had blossomed into a beautiful woman and she put it to good use by landing a sexy role in Californication as an admirer of David Duchovny's writer character. Audiences have warmed to her role on the series, and we're eager to see where the exciting plotlines of Madeline's hot career will take her next.