American actress Roma Maffia was born on May 31, 1958 in Manhattan, New York City. She is of West Indian, English and German descent, and began her acting career on stage. She starred in numerous Off-Broadway and off-Off-Broadway productions until she was asked by casting director Jane Jenkins to audition for a role in the feature film The Paper. The Ron Howard-directed movie enabled her to break into the business, and she has been seen on numerous productions ever since.
When The Paper opened in Los Angeles, Roma Maffia took her first trip to Hollywood and later met producer David E. Kelley. He cast her on the television series Chicago Hope, playing Adam Arkin's secretary, Angela. While filming her first season of the show, she was chosen for a big role in the Barry Levinson film Disclosure, starring Michael Douglas. She later earned rave reviews for her performance, and she found herself working on another film role. She worked with Christopher Walken and Johnny Depp in John Badham’s Nick of Time, and with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Eraser. She later acted with Ashley Judd in Double Jeopardy, which was released in 1999. She didn’t leave her career in television behind, as she became known to audiences for playing Grace Alvarez on the NBC series Profiler. Maffia later gained guest spots and recurring roles on shows like ER, The West Wing, The Sopranos, Wings, Ally McBeal and Judging Amy. After appearing briefly on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, she was cast in the family comedy Holes, starring Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, and Shia LaBeouf. In 2003, she became part of the FX Network series Nip/Tuck, playing the anesthesiologist Liz Cruz. She has also been seen on series like Law & Order, Ghost Whisperer, and had a recurring spot on Boston Legal. Her other film credits include I Am Sam with Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer, Kiss the Girls with Morgan Freeman, Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her with Glenn Close and Holly Hunter, and Robert Celestino's feature film Yonkers Joe. Maffia has also been actively involved with the non-profit organization, Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) which dedicates itself to advancing democracy and equality in South Africa.