Madeline Zima is an American actress best known for her small-screen roles. She is best known for her role as Grace Sheffield in the CBS sitcom The Nanny (1993-1999). She has also appeared in Showtime’s Californication (2007-2011) and NBC’s Heroes (2009-2010). Follow us as we learn more details about her career and personal life.
Madeline Zima Wiki/Bio, Age
Madeline Zima was born on September 16, 1985, in New Haven, Connecticut, as the daughter of Marie and Dennis and grew up partly in Pennsylvania. She is of Polish descent on her mother’s side. Her family name “Zima” means winter in Polish and comes from her maternal grandfather. She is also of Italian, German, and Irish descent.
Zima has two sisters, Vanessa Zima and Yvonne Zima, who are both actresses. Zima started her career in show business very early. At the age of 2, she appeared in a commercial for a fabric softener from Downy. At the age of 7, she started to dedicate herself professionally to acting. However, her early days were not quite smooth.
Zima almost quit acting when she auditioned five times for a role in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) and didn’t get it. On her 6th attempt, however, she succeeded in the role of Emma Bartel, with which she opened her filmography. Her next role was in a short film called The Last Supper. Then she got a role in the CBS sitcom The Nanny, which was to become her first break. After the series had gained ground, Zima moved from New York to Los Angeles.
ALSO READ: Dan Bilzerian Wiki, Dad, Net Worth, House, Height, Girlfriend, Wife
Zima remained on the show for the duration of the series. During her time on the show, she took time to play on other TV shows such as JAG, Touched by an Angel, and Lethal Vows. She also played a role in the 1997 movie “Til There Was You and Second Chances” (1998).
After the nanny was drummed up in 1999, Zima appeared as a guest on numerous television shows including The Nightmare Room, Gilmore Girls, 7th Heaven, Ghost Whisperer, Grey’s Anatomy, and more. In the film, she appeared in A Cinderella Story (2004), Pretty Little Devils (2008), a direct-to-video film.
Zima’s next leading role on the small screen was in Californication. She played Mia Lewis for 2 seasons from 2007 to 2011, after which she had a recurring role as Gretchen Berg in Heroes. Other TV movies Zima has starred in include My Boys, Royal Pains, The Vampire Diaries, Agent X, and Twin Peaks.
Zima attributed her success in the film industry to her fellow actresses. “My sisters are my best friends and my most loyal supporters,” she once said. “They are always there to help me with auditions, interviews, and everything. Hopefully one day I’ll find a man I love as much as they do. They are the best things in my life and without them I would be completely lost.
In one of her interviews, Zima revealed that she grew up with people like Hilary Duff and Ashley Tisdale, who, like them, were emerging acts in the film industry at the time.
“I grew up with a lot of people who are famous today. I was friends with Hilary and Haley Duff. They are such lovely girls. I’ve seen their careers blossom, which I’m very happy about. I grew up with Ashley Tisdale; we both lived in Valencia so we used to hang out together”.
Zima has other talents besides acting. She plays violin and guitar, sings and writes songs. Zima writes scripts and hopes to direct her own film one day.
Madeline Zima Married/Husband, Kids
Zima is very private when it comes to her private life. Since the beginning of her career, Madeline has never heard a rumor that she is with anyone. When she played her first gay role in a recurring character in Heroes in 2009, many speculated that she might be gay in real life. Zima played the quirky bisexual roommate of Claire Bennet (played by Hayden Panettiere), to whom she feels attracted.
She talked about the sexuality of her heroic figure, she said;
“I had a hunch because it was called a ‘chemistry reading’ with Hayden [Panettiere] and I thought, ‘Hmm, chemistry! With a girl? I never had to do that. That’s weird.”
In the same interview, she said; “You never know, I might become a lesbian sometime. Very soon — I seriously considered it. I think women are beautiful and they’re definitely good kissers.”
When asked if she had any real-life romantic connection with Hayden Panettiere, she simply replied; “If there would be any girl, it would probably be her.”
ALSO READ: Louisa Gummer Bio, Wiki, Boyfriend, Daughter, Parents, Siblings
In the 2011 film “Family Tree,” Zima also played a gay role. That same year, a post she made on Twitter hinted that she had a boyfriend.
Till Zima decides to be more specific on what goes on in her romantic life, we’ll all be left to mere speculations.