Lorraine Bracco

Lorraine Bracco plays Dr. Jennifer Melfi in The Sopranos. Melfi's conversations with Tony are a foundation of the series, and Bracco gives them a careful balance of professional composure, curiosity and unease. She listens in a way that makes Tony's evasions interesting rather than letting his explanations dominate the scene.

Bracco played Karen Hill in Goodfellas, a very different position from which to observe a criminal household. Her later television credits include Angela Rizzoli in Rizzoli & Isles and Mayor Margaret Dutton in Blue Bloods. Melfi remains the performance I most associate with her: patient, measured and never simply a device for Tony to explain himself.