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Madeline Zima Bio, Feet, Height, Age, Married, Husband, Kids

Author

Emma Johnson

Updated on February 14, 2026

Madeline Zima is a best American actress recognized for her small screen roles. She is best known for her role as Grace Sheffield on the CBS sitcom The Nanny (1993-1999). She also starred in Showtime’s Californication (2007-2011) and NBC’s Heroes (2009-2010). Follow us as we explore more details about his career and personal life.

Madeline Zima Facts / Bio, Age

Madeline Zima was born September 16, 1985 in New Haven, Connecticut to Marie and Dennis and raised partly in Pennsylvania. She is of Polish descent on her mother’s side. Her last name “Zima” means winter in Polish and comes from her maternal grandfather. She is also of Italian, German and Irish descent.

Zima has two sisters Vanessa Zima and Yvonne Zima who are both actresses. Zima started her career in show business at an early age. At the age of 2, she appeared in an advertisement for fabric softener by Downy. At the age of 7, she began to practice her profession. However, his beginnings were not entirely easy.

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Zima nearly quit acting when she auditioned for a role in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) five times and didn’t get it. However, at the 6th attempt, she landed the role of Emma Bartel, opening her filmography. Her next role appeared in a short film called The Last Supper. She then landed a role on the CBS sitcom The Nanny, which would become her first break. After the series began to gain traction, Zima moved from New York to Los Angeles.

Zima remained on the show throughout its run. During her time on the show, she made time to appear on other TV shows including JAG, Touched by an an, and Lethal Vows. She also had a role in the 1997 movie “Til There Was You and Second Chances” (1998).

After The Nanny ended in 1999, Zimaa guest starred on numerous TV shows including The Nightmare Room, Gilmore Girls, 7th Heaven, Ghost Whisperer, Grays Anatomy and more. In film, she appeared in A Cinderella Story (2004), Pretty Little Devils (2008), a videoconference film.

Zima’s next starring role on the small screen was in California. She portrayed Mia Lewis for 2 seasons from 2007 to 2011. She then had a recurring role as Gretchen Berg in Heroes. Among other television films, Zima has featured notably; My Boys, Royal Pains, The Vampire Diaries, Agent X and Twin Peaks.

Zima credits her for her sisterssuccess in the film industry. “My sisters are my best friends and my strongest supporters,” she once said. “They are always there to help me with every audition, interview and everything. I hope to find a guy I love as much as them one day. They are the best things in my life and I would be completely lost without them. “

In one of her interviews, Zima revealed that she grew up with Hilary Duff and Ashley Tisdale, who were, like her, up-and-coming artists in the film industry at the time.

“I grew up with a lot of famous people now. I was friends with Hilary and Haley Duff. They are such pretty girls. I watched their career blossom, which I’m really happy about. I grew up with Ashley Tisdale; We both lived in Valencia and we were staying during the day. ”

Besides acting, Zima has other talents. She plays violin, guitar and sings and writes songs. Zima writes screenplays and hopes to one day be able to direct her own film.

Madeline Zima Married / Husband, Children

Zima is very private when it comes to her private life. Since the beginning of her career, Madeline would never have met anyone. So in 2009, when she played her first gay role in a recurring character on Heroes, many speculated that she might be gay in real life. Zima starred as a quirky bisexual roommate of Claire Bennet (played by Hayden Panettiere) who was attracted to her.

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Speaking about her hero persona’s sexuality, she said;

“I had the idea that it was a ‘chemistry reading’ with Hayden [Panettiere] and I was like ‘Hmm, chemistry! With a girl? I never had to do that. It’s weird. “

In the same interview, she said, “You never know, I might turn lesbian once in a while. Very quickly – I seriously considered it. I think women are beautiful and they are definitely good fuckers. “

When asked if she had any actual romantic ties to Hayden Panettiere, she simply replied; “If there was a girl, it would probably be her.”

In the 2011 film “Family Tree”, Zima also played a gay role. That same year, a message she posted on Twitter hinted that she had a boyfriend.

@jsk666 I’m flattered but I have a boyfriend

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