VITAL STATISTICS
Birthdate: November 28
Birthplace: St. Louis, MO
Years On Show: 2004-present
Marital Status: Not married
Children: None
Awards: Soap Opera Digest Award Nominee, Outstanding Younger Lead Actress (1998); Digest Award Nominee, Outstanding Younger Lead Actress (1997); Digest Award Nominee, Outstanding Female Newcomer (1996); Daytime Emmy Award Nominee, Supporting Actress (2006-won, 2007)

BIOGRAPHY
Gina Tognoni was raised in Syracuse, NY and in Rhode Island. She attended a Catholic high school and was intent on pursuing a degree at Emerson College when she won Miss Teen Rhode Island, her first pageant. A judge of her second pageant, the manager of actress Halle Berry, encouraged Tognoni to pursue acting. Tognoni moved to New York City, then Los Angeles. Work was light, so she secured a job at a tanning salon and took classes at a local college. During final exams, she auditioned and won the part of Kelly on ONE LIVE TO LIVE. Tognoni lived in New York for seven years, then returned to California. She moved back to Manhattan after snagging the role of Dinah.

TRIVIA
—She is an accomplished horseback rider.
—Her favorite place in the world is Italy.
—She remains close friends with her former OLTL castmate, Erin Torpey (ex-Jessica).

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Other Soap Roles
ONE LIFE TO LIVE (Kelly Cramer Buchanan; 1995-2001; 2002)
TV Roles
THIS TIME AROUND (Cara, 2003)
FASTLANE (guest star Gabriella, 2003)
Film Roles
Pride & Loyalty (Stephanie, 2002)

MEMORABLE QUOTES
"A year or two into my contract [at OLTL], I looked in the mirror and I looked like a different girl.... I had bags under my eyes. My head was spinning most of the time, and it was like my life was out of control," —Soap Opera Digest, 4/14/98

"I'm a good person, and I have a good message to spread. I may not be a 5-foot-9-inch model, and I may not have the best thighs in the business, but I have to believe in myself." —Soap Opera Weekly, 2/13/96