# Vanessa Marano

Vanessa Nicole Marano (born October 31, 1992) is an American actress and producer. She has starred in television movies and had recurring roles in such series as Without a Trace, Gilmore Girls, Ghost Whisperer, Scoundrels, Grey's Anatomy and The Young and the Restless. From 2011 to 2017, she starred as Bay Kennish on the Freeform television series Switched at Birth.

## Early life

Marano was born in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Ellen, is the owner of the Agoura Children's Theatre. Her younger sister, Laura Marano, is also an actress. Marano speaks Italian, and her father is of Italian descent.

## Career

Marano began acting professionally at the age of seven. According to an interview with her sister, her mother did not want either of her children to have careers in show business, and took the girls to an agent that she believed was most likely to turn kids down, only to find that Vanessa was accepted. Her sister Laura, who was on the scene with her, also impressed the agency. Since then, she has worked for productions at the Stage Door Theater. Marano's first major roles on television have been as Jack Malone's older daughter in Without a Trace (she and real life sister Laura play sisters), Valerie's stepdaughter in The Comeback and as April Nardini in Gilmore Girls. She also played Layne Abeley in The Clique based on the books by Lisi Harrison and Samantha Combs in Dear Lemon Lima. Marano starred in an episode of Ghost Whisperer alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt. Marano played Eden on The Young and the Restless and Hope on Scoundrels. From 2011 to 2017, she starred as Bay Kennish on the ABC Family TV show Switched at Birth. In 2013, she starred in Restless Virgins, which was inspired by a true story. 2019 saw her star alongside her sister Laura in Saving Zoë.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | Easy | Little Jamie | Uncredited |
| 2008 | The Clique | Layne Abeley | Direct-to-video film |
| 2009 | Dear Lemon Lima | Samantha Combs | |
| 2013 | The Secret Lives of Dorks | Samantha | |
| 2014 | Senior Project | Samantha "Sam" Willow | |
| 2018 | Daphne & Velma | Carol | |
| 2019 | Saving Zoë | Zoë | Also producer |
| 2020 | This Is the Year | Molly | |
| 2020 | How to Deter a Robber | Madison Williams | |
| 2021 | This Game's Called Murder | Jennifer Wallendorf | |
| 2022 | The Royal Treatment | N/A | Producer |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002–2009 | Without a Trace | Hanna Malone | Recurring role, 12 episodes |
| 2004 | Grounded for Life | Lexie | Episode: "Tombstone Blues" |
| 2004 | The Brooke Ellison Story | Young Brooke Ellison | TV movie |
| 2005 | Six Feet Under | Tate Pasquese | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | The Comeback | Franchesca | Recurring role, 12 episodes |
| 2005 | Malcolm in the Middle | Gina | Episode: "Malcolm Defends Reese" |
| 2005–2007 | Gilmore Girls | April Nardini | Recurring role, 13 episodes |
| 2006 | Boys Life | Sheila | TV movie |
| 2007 | Hell on Earth | Shelly | TV movie |
| 2008 | Man of Your Dreams | Maia | TV movie |
| 2008 | Miss Guided | Kelly | Episode: "Homecoming" |
| 2008 | The Closer | Theresa Monroe | Episode: "Problem Child" |
| 2008 | Ghost Whisperer | Alise Jones | Episode: "Ghost in the Machine" |
| 2008–2010 | The Young and the Restless | Eden Baldwin | Regular role |
| 2009 | Trust Me | Haley McGuire | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 2009–2011 | Dexter | Rebecca Mitchell | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| 2010 | Untitled Michael Jacobs Pilot | Bailey Davidson | Unsold television pilot |
| 2010 | Past Life | Susan Charne | Episode: "Dead Man Talking" |
| 2010 | Medium | Jennifer Whitten | Episodes: "There Will Be Blood.. Type A", "There Will Be Blood... Type B" |
| 2010 | Scoundrels | Hope West | Main role |
| 2010 | Parenthood | Holly | Episode: "Date Night" |
| 2010 | Marry Me | Imogen Hicks | TV miniseries |
| 2011 | Private Practice | Casey | Episode: "The Hardest Part" |
| 2011 | Love Bites | Becky Lerner | Episode: "Too Much Information" |
| 2011 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Samantha Cafferty | Episode: "CSI Down" |
| 2011–2017 | Switched at Birth | Bay Kennish | Main role |
| 2012 | Grey's Anatomy | Holly Wheeler | Episode: "The Girl with No Name" |
| 2012 | Boys Are Stupid, Girls Are Mean | Herself | Narrator |
| 2013 | Restless Virgins | Emily | TV movie |
| 2013 | Perception | Riley | Episode: "Toxic" |
| 2014 | NCIS: New Orleans | Natalie Lane | Episode: "The Recruits" |
| 2016 | Outcast | Sherry | Episode: "The Road Before Us" |
| 2016 | Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life | April Nardini | Episode: "Summer" |
| 2017 | Silicon Valley | Stanford University student | Episodes: "Intellectual Property", "Teambuilding Exercise" |
| 2018 | Station 19 | Molly | Episodes: "Not Your Hero", "No Recovery" |
| 2018–2019 | Dead Girls Detective Agency | Nancy Graves | Web series; main role |
| 2018–2022 | Bad Boy | Herself | Web series; recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 2021 | 9-1-1 | Sydney | Episodes: "Future Tense", "Suspicion" |
| 2022 | One Delicious Christmas | Abby Richmond | TV Movie |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Work | Result | Ref |
| 2011 | Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer TV Star – Female | Switched at Birth | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress: Drama | Switched at Birth | Nominated | |