Rosa Blasi

Early life

Blasi was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 19, 1972. Her parents are Italian immigrant Rocco, who was a professor at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, and Irish-Puerto Rican Joyce Blasi. She grew up in Mount Prospect, Illinois, which she described as a “ridiculous melting pot”. Blasi is a classically trained mezzo soprano. She also comes from a strong theatre background; ranging from the Piven Performance Company, as well as The Second City, to starring in numerous musicals and touring with Kenny Rogers. Blasi has two sisters, Marina and Tasha, and two brothers, Michael and Rocky.

Career

Blasi's television debut was a recurring role in the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Soon to follow was a starring role in the MTV/UPN sitcom Hitz. She soon found herself guest starring in numerous shows such as Frasier, Becker, Caroline in the City, V.I.P., Grown Ups, and Beverly Hills, 90210. She later starred in the dramatic Showtime film Noriega: God's Favorite. The film was directed by Roger Spottiswoode and co-starred Bob Hoskins.

In her breakout role, Blasi starred in the Lifetime drama series Strong Medicine from 2000 to 2006 as a doctor in a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues, and class conflict. She made an appearance in "Shootout", a 2005 episode of CSI: Miami. Audiences saw Blasi in her first role in a major film as the wife of Bill Pullman's character in The Grudge.

Blasi appeared during The Vagina Monologues at the Apollo Theater and has also been a recurring performer at the "What a Pair" benefit concert for breast cancer research and has recorded numerous radio and television voice-overs. She was a repeat guest on talk shows such as Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher (where she admitted, in an appearance alongside Rev. Jerry Falwell, "No, my boobs aren't real—they're real paid for, though! No debt collectors trying to repo my boobs!") and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. She played Ronnie Cruz in Make It or Break It. She also played Barb Thunderman in Nickelodeon's The Thundermans, as well as a recurring character in General Hospital. She wrote a comedic memoir titled Jock Itch: Misadventures of a Retired Jersey Chaser (2011) published by HarperCollins.

Personal life

Blasi married New York Giants fullback Jim Finn on February 14, 2004 in Maui, Hawaii. Blasi gave birth to her first child, daughter Kaia, on September 20, 2006. The couple divorced in 2008.

On May 3, 2014, Blasi married Todd William Harris, a mortgage broker. They married 16 months after they first connected on Match.com. She has stepdaughter Ryan from Harris's previous relationship.

In 2019, Blasi earned her master's degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles and is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a specialization in addiction and recovery.

On December 24, 2020, her father Rocco died of COVID-19. He was 87 years old.

Filmography

Film

Television series

References

• Rosa Blasi, Chicago Tribune, August 13, 2000
• Rosa Blasi, rottentomatoes.com, November 14, 2019
• 2017-02-02, THEY ARE 'STRONG' WOMEN - NY Daily News, New York Daily News
• Rosa Blasi Biography, TV Guide, August 25, 2013
• Rosa Blasi Credits, TV Guide, August 25, 2013
• Allison Takeda, Rosa Blasi Marries Todd William Harris in Surprise Ceremony: See Her Wedding Photo, usmagazine.com, May 8, 2014, November 14, 2019
• Mt. Prospect family mourns loss of patriarch to COVID-19, January 8, 2021, ABC 7 Eyewitness News
• Development Update: Week of February 11–15, The Futon Critic, February 15, 2008, October 14, 2016, "...the midseason entry "Eight Days a Week." That project has been in limbo since the WGA strike as only the original pilot has been completed thus far."

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