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IMDbPro

Madeline Zima

  • Actress
  • Writer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000141
Madeline Zima
A washed-up intelligence officer is given the chance for one last mission, recruiting an asset connected to the Saudi Royal Family.
Play trailer1:56
Diary of a Spy (2022)
24 Videos
99+ Photos
Madeline Zima was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to parents Dennis and Marie, and is the sister of actresses Vanessa Zima and Yvonne Zima. "Zima", a Polish surname, is her mother's maiden name; Madeline's maternal grandfather was of Polish descent, while her other ancestry is Italian, German, and Irish.

She and her sister Vanessa were discovered by Woody Allen for his movie, Alice (1990). She actually quit show business, the week when she was urged to come in for her sixth call back for The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992). She came back for one more audition and booked the role of "Emma". She booked the movie and has never stopped working since. It was both Madeline and Julianne Moore's first film and was directed by Academy Award-winning director and writer, Curtis Hanson. Madeline won critical notice for her first film role.

Madeline followed that dramatic thriller with a short film that Daryl Hannah directed. It was a Sundance favorite called The Last Supper (1995), where Madeline, as a tiny wily child, scared away her mother's abusive boyfriend by convincing him that she and her mother were cannibals. She followed that with the comedies, Mr. Nanny (1993), Our Song, a pilot with George Hamilton, and finally The Nanny (1993). By this time, the pilot of The Nanny (1993) was picked up and Madeline moved from New York to L.A., when The Nanny (1993) became a hit show.

She has starred in TV films: The Secret Path (1999). Her sister, Yvonne Zima played the seven-year-old counterpart to her characters. She played the daughter of the late John Ritter and Marg Helgenberger on Lethal Vows (1999).

After a worldwide search in all English-speaking countries, Madeline was the choice to play Lucille Ball as a teenager, in the CBS mini-series, Lucy (2003) (aka "Redhead"). She followed that up playing the wicked stepsister of Hilary Duff in A Cinderella Story (2004).

In a return to television, she agreed to play the mysterious and destructive character "Mia" on the hit Showtime series, Californication (2007).
BornSeptember 16, 1985
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornSeptember 16, 1985
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000141
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Awards
    • 2 wins & 13 nominations

Photos152

Charlize Theron, Madeline Zima, and Bonnie Dennison in Bombshell (2019)
Madeline Zima
David Duchovny, Madeline Zima, and Addison Timlin in Californication (2007)
Photo by Vanessa Zima
Madeline Zima and Ben Rosenfield in Twin Peaks (2017)
Tamara Taylor and Madeline Zima in Diary of a Spy (2022)
Fran Drescher, Ann Morgan Guilbert, and Madeline Zima in The Nanny (1993)
Lauren Lane and Madeline Zima in The Nanny (1993)
Fran Drescher, Nicholle Tom, Renée Taylor, Helen Verbit, and Madeline Zima in The Nanny (1993)
Madeline Zima in The Nanny (1993)
Fran Drescher, Nicholle Tom, Benjamin Salisbury, Charles Shaughnessy, and Madeline Zima in The Nanny (1993)
Fran Drescher, Miriam Flynn, Charles Shaughnessy, and Madeline Zima in The Nanny (1993)

Known for

David Duchovny in Californication (2007)
Californication
8.3
TV Series
  • Mia Lewis
Twin Peaks (2017)
Twin Peaks
8.5
TV Series
  • Tracey
Penn Badgley, Aidan Cheng, Ozioma Whenu, Ed Speleers, Charlotte Ritchie, Dario Coates, Lukas Gage, Eve Austin, Tilly Keeper, and Niccy Lin in You (2018)
You
7.7
TV Series
  • Rachel
Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, and Margot Robbie in Bombshell (2019)
Bombshell
6.8
  • Eddy
  • 2019

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Death in Ojai
    • Diana
    • Post-production
    • 2024
  • Grendel
    • Liz Sparks
    • Post-production
    • TV Series
  • Subservience
    • Maggie
    • Pre-production
  • Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, Michelle Gomez, April Bowlby, Diane Guerrero, and Joivan Wade in Doom Patrol (2019)
    Doom Patrol
    • Space Case
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • Fred Melamed, Reece Noi, and Tamara Taylor in Diary of a Spy (2022)
    Diary of a Spy
    • Leila
    • 2022
  • Zach Villa in Hypochondriac (2022)
    Hypochondriac
    • Blossom
    • 2022
  • Jason Antoon, Vanessa Lachey, Noah Mills, Yasmine Al-Bustami, and Alex Tarrant in NCIS: Hawai'i (2021)
    NCIS: Hawai'i
    • Abby Nelson
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder in Hacks (2021)
    Hacks
    • Jules
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • Gabriel Byrne, Debra Winger, Irrfan Khan, Amy Ryan, and Dane DeHaan in In Treatment (2008)
    In Treatment
    • Karla
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • Insight (2021)
    Insight
    • Abby
    • 2021
  • Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson in Bliss (2021)
    Bliss
    • Doris
    • 2021
  • Aaron Groben in Serfs Up (2020)
    Serfs Up
    • Maiden
    • Short
    • 2020
  • Perry Mason (2020)
    Perry Mason
    • Velma 'Red' Fuller
    • TV Series
    • 2020
  • Christina Hendricks, Retta, and Mae Whitman in Good Girls (2018)
    Good Girls
    • Lila
    • TV Series
    • 2020
  • Penn Badgley, Aidan Cheng, Ozioma Whenu, Ed Speleers, Charlotte Ritchie, Dario Coates, Lukas Gage, Eve Austin, Tilly Keeper, and Niccy Lin in You (2018)
    You
    • Rachel
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, and Margot Robbie in Bombshell (2019)
    Bombshell
    • Eddy
    • 2019
  • The End of Love (2019)
    The End of Love
    • Sophie
    • Short
    • 2019
  • VHYes (2019)
    VHYes
    • Maiden #1
    • 2019

Writer

  • Yvonne Zima and Chasen Bauer in Warm Human Magic (2018)
    Warm Human Magic
    • Writer
    • Short
    • 2018

Director

  • Yvonne Zima and Chasen Bauer in Warm Human Magic (2018)
    Warm Human Magic
    • Director
    • Short
    • 2018

Videos24

"Therapy"
Clip 1:12
"Therapy"
#Stuck
Clip 1:06
#Stuck
#Stuck
Clip 1:54
#Stuck
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle: 20th Anniversary Edition
Clip 1:57
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle: 20th Anniversary Edition
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle: 20th Anniversary Edition
Clip 0:53
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle: 20th Anniversary Edition
Trailer
Trailer 1:56
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:31
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:30
Official Trailer
U.S. Version
Trailer 1:25
U.S. Version
No. 1
Trailer 2:27
No. 1
U.S. Version
Trailer 1:58
U.S. Version
Hypochondriac
Trailer 2:05
Hypochondriac

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Instagram
  • Height
    • 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
  • Born
    • September 16, 1985
    • New Haven, Connecticut, USA
  • Parents
      Dennis Zima
  • Relatives
      Vanessa Zima(Sibling)
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial

Self-verified on IMDbPro

  • Gender / Gender identity
    • Female

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Describes herself as very shy and says her sisters usually have to talk to guys for her.
  • Quotes
    It would be nice to not have to prove myself and for people to know that I'm good and can play a role. Whatever role that is that lets people know that I can play the next role is what I want to do.
  • Nicknames
    • Mad
    • Madsters
    • Maddie

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