Cara Buono
Biography
Cara Buono is a female actor born on March 1, 1971 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. She was raised in a blue‑collar family and decided early to pursue acting. At age 11 she answered a casting call for Harvey Fierstein’s “Spookhouse” and secured the role without assistance from family or other adults. She continued to obtain television and New York stage roles during her teens and early twenties. Buono earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for portraying a young victim of sexual abuse in the CBS Schoolbreak Special “Abby, My Love” (1991). She later appeared in minor film roles such as Stephen Gyllenhaal’s “Waterland” (1992). Her TMDB profile lists 74 acting credits.
Career overview
Born in The Bronx, New York, Cara Buono was raised in a blue‑collar family and decided early that acting would be her career. At the age of eleven she responded to a casting call for Harvey Fierstein’s “Spookhouse” and secured the part without any assistance from family or other adults, marking her first professional engagement.
During her teenage years and early twenties Buono continued to obtain roles on television and on the New York stage. Her early screen work earned her a Daytime Emmy nomination for portraying a young victim of sexual abuse in the CBS production “Abby, My Love” (1991), a story that aired as part of the CBS Schoolbreak Special series. Following that recognition she moved into feature film, taking a minor role in Stephen Gyllenhaal’s “Waterland” (1992), which starred Jeremy Irons. These early experiences laid the foundation for Buono’s ongoing career in acting.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- The Debut (2026) as Cassie
- One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 (2026) as Self - Karen Wheeler
- Jane (2026) as Linda Carson
- Queen of the Ring (2025) as Bertha Burke
- V13 (2025) as Ida
- Things Like This (2025) as Margie Kitlin
- Always, Already (2024) as Cara
- In Fidelity (2024) as Holly Ayker
- The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story (2023) as Debra
- She Came from the Woods (2023) as Heather McCalister
- She Came from the Woods (2023) Producer
- The Girl from Plainville (2022) as Gail Carter
- Talking Sopranos (2020) as Self
- God Friended Me (2018) as Karen
- The Romanoffs (2018) as Debbie Newman
- The Bad Seed (2018) as Angela
- Monsters and Men (2018) as Stacey
- The Blacklist: Redemption (2017) as Anna Copeland
- All Saints (2017) as Aimee Spurlock
- Stranger Things (2016) as Karen Wheeler
- Bull (2016) as Amaya Andrews
- Half the Perfect World (2016) as Sonia
- Supergirl (2015) as Gamemnae / Gemma Cooper
- Paper Towns (2015) as Mrs. Jacobsen
- Emily & Tim (2015) as Emily (Segment 3)
- The Mysteries of Laura (2014) as Julia Davis
- A Good Marriage (2014) as Betty Pike
- Drew Peterson: Untouchable (2014) as Kathleen Savio
- The Discoverers (2014) as Nell
- Elementary (2012) as Sarah Cushing
- Modern Love (2012) as Nicky
- Person of Interest (2011) as Martine Rousseau
- Hawaii Five-0 (2010) as Agent Allison Marsh
- Let Me In (2010) as Owen's Mother
- Betrayed (2010) as Amy Waite
- Castle (2009) as Siobhan O'Doul
- The Good Wife (2009) as Charlene Peterson
- Cthulhu (2008) as Dannie
- The Unquiet (2008) as Julie Bishop
- Mad Men (2007) as Faye Miller
- Brothers and Sisters (2006) as Rose
- Beer League (2006) as Linda
- From Other Worlds (2004) as Joanne
- Six Months to Live (2004) as Alice
- NCIS (2003) as Commander Sarah Resnick
- Hulk (2003) as Edith Banner
- Miss Match (2003) as Michelle Schiff
- The Dead Zone (2002) as Sheriff Anna Turner
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) as Charlotte Caspari
- Chutney Popcorn (2001) as Janis
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) as Tracy Logan
- Happy Accidents (2000) as Bette
- Takedown (2000) as Christina Painter
- Attention Shoppers (2000) as Claire Suavez
- Two Ninas (2000) as Nina Cohen
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) as Rachel Zelinsky
- The Sopranos (1999) as Kelli Moltisanti
- The Sopranos (1999) as Kelli Lombardo
- Third Watch (1999) as Grace Foster
- Family Law (1999) as Carly Hanson
- Deep in My Heart (1999) as Young Gerry Cummins
- In a Class of His Own (1999) as Sherry Donato
- Man of the Century (1999) as Virginia Clemens
- Next Stop Wonderland (1998) as Julie
- River Red (1998) as Rachel
- Baggage (1997) Director
- Baggage (1997) Writer
- Baggage (1997) Producer
- Killer: A Journal of Murder (1996) as Esther Lesser
- The Single Guy (1995) as Christie
- Kicking and Screaming (1995) as Kate
- The Cowboy Way (1994) as Teresa Salazar
- The Perfect Woman (1993)
- In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco (1993)
- Victim of Love: The Shannon Mohr Story (1993) as Tracey Lien
- Gladiator (1992) as Dawn
- Waterland (1992) as Judy Dobson
- Law & Order (1990) as Shelly Taggert
- Law & Order (1990) as Alice Simonelli
- Law & Order (1990) as Ms. Shannon
- Law & Order (1990) as Lisa Dumont