Vanessa's is the  straight daughter of two drug-addicted, alcoholic, hippy parents. In fact her dad is the man who gave Timothy Leary his very first hit of LSD. Closer to Leary than he was to her, he'd say things like, "The three most important people in my life are 'me,' 'myself,' and 'I' -- setting the scene for some serious low self-esteem issues. But like the phoenix from the flames, Vanessa was able to rise up and turn all the wild characters from her life into comedy gold. A comic, natural story teller and accomplished actor, Vanessa has a unique repertoire of heart-felt, funny characterizations of all the people that cross her path, daily. Constantly writing new and original material, Vanessa is able to transcend a variety of audiences and always leaves them wanting more. 

Having just taped her Showtime Special, Funny Women of a Certain Age, hosted by Fran Drescher, she also is on the critically acclaimed WTF Podcast hosted by Marc Maron.  She's had a special on Comedy Central, performed for the troops in the Middle East, and opened for Bill Maher Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Jim Norton, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, amongst others.

Vanessa is currently writing a TV series, based on the true story of her father, called, THE DIVINE RASCAL.