2005 Honoree

Annie Parisse

Actor

A television star with two major movies in the works (including this spring’s Monster-in-Law with Jennifer Lopez) could be a little, well, aloof. Annie Parisse disproves that. “This year has been huge. I’ve worked with so many incredible people and learned a lot from them. It’s a joy.”

Adaptability as an actor is a skill you learn honestly, she says, but a positive outlook keeps it real. “Ultimately, the journey is what you make of it.”

Parisse shines as attorney Alexandra Borgia on NBC’s Law & Order and credits her endurance for this latest gig. “I guess I’m versatile. [When you audition] you’re putting yourself on the line…you practice the skill of going with the flow.” That also comes from her study of theater at Fordham and in London, and maybe the fact that she doesn’t watch TV: “I must be the last person on earth without cable or TiVo.”