Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw (born July 19, 1976) is an American actress and model. Shaw has starred in numerous motion pictures since the early 1990s, and is probably most well-known for her performances in Disney's 1993 Halloween film Hocus Pocus, the 2006 remake of Wes Craven's horror picture The Hills Have Eyes, as well as the 2008 romance film Two Lovers, in which she starred alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Childhood and early career

Shaw was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Larry Shaw and actress Susan Damante-Shaw (née Susan Jean Damante).Vinessa Shaw Biography (1976-)Vinessa Shaw Biography - Yahoo! Movies Her family's original surname was "Schwartz". Her name, Vinessa, spelled with an "i" rather than the common "a', was a variation of her grandfather's name, Vincent.IMDB Bio- Vinessa Shaw Shaw made her first formal performance in a UCLA acting camp short at age 10, and subsequently toured with children's folk singer Peter Alsop at age 11. She also signed on with the Elite Models agency in 1989 at the age of 13 before beginning her acting career,Yahoo! Movies Biography: Vinessa Shaw and did a few modeling jobs and commercial work throughout her earlier career.