Jamie-Lynn Sigler was born May 15, 1981, in Long Island, to Cuban and Jewish parents (her heritage is a mix of Cuban, Jewish-American and Greek). She was enrolled in dance school at the age of three and was taking acting and singing lessons a mere four years later.

As a teenager, she landed a plum gig playing Anne Frank on Broadway, a role that at one time belonged to Hollywood actress Natalie Portman. Her eventual audition for the part of Meadow Soprano has become legendary, as the young Jamie-Lynn was unaware that the HBO project had nothing to do with singing. When she realized it was not a musical but a mob drama, she was surprised to have landed the part. She has been featured more and more on the hit show as her character has progressed.

Like Meadow, Jamie-Lynn has had to overcome her fair share of teenage trauma. In the aftermath of a failed relationship, Jamie-Lynn suffered severe mental anguish and came close to developing a major eating disorder -- something of which she spoke at length about on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

The struggle was due also to the pressure inherent with being on a major hit show as well as with the stress of juggling a college course load. The producers of The Sopranos even considered dropping Jamie-Lynn Sigler from the show, until she proved that she was in good mental and physical health.

She has since put her degree in Psychology on hold while she pursues her Hollywood dream. In the future however, Sigler would like to work toward becoming a therapist specializing in disabled children.

Despite her acting success, Jamie-Lynn never gave up her intention to record an album. She signed a contract after an episode of The Sopranos aired featuring Meadow belting out the TLC hit, "No Scrubs." Hot producers such as TK and Desmond Child were summoned to work on the album sound and Sigler was fortunate enough to contribute to the songwriting.

It was crucial for her to reflect her personal life into the songs and inject her emotions into the fabric of the album. A classically trained pianist and budding guitarist, Jamie-Lynn has set out to prove that she is not some fly-by-night pop sensation, looking for a fleeting taste of fame and fortune.

Her first album, titled Here to Heaven, was released in October 2001. MTV premiered the video for her song "Cry Baby" on Total Request Live. In her future singing endeavors, Jamie-Lynn Sigler hopes to rely on her status as a television star less and less.

Credit: askmen.com