Madeline Rose Zima (born September 16, 1985) is an American actress. She is mostly known for her six years as Grace Sheffield on the TV Series The Nanny or more recently as Mia Cross on the Showtime dramedy Californication.

Early life

Zima was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Marie and Dennis Zima. She has two sisters, Vanessa and Yvonne, both of whom are also actresses. Her surname means "winter" in Polish and comes from her paternal grandfather who was from Poland.

Zima began her career at the age of 24 months when she was chosen as a toddler to appear in a television commercial for Downy fabric softener."'Hand' Keeps 5-Year-Old's Career Rocking". January 20, 1992. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She played the role of Grace Sheffield on the television show The Nanny for six years. Zima has become known for her work in films such as The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and having most recently appeared in the Hilary Duff film A Cinderella Story and soon to be released movies Dimples, Looking for Sunday, Once in a Very Blue Moon and Legacy.