After graduating, she moved to New York. San Giacomo then went on to appear in several theater productions, including the
Garry Marshall–
Lowell Ganz production of
Wrong Turn at Lungfish in Los Angeles, the Princeton/McCarter Theatre production of
Three Sisters, and off-Broadway in
Beirut. She starred in
Italian American Reconciliation, regional productions of
Shakespeare's The Tempest,
As You Like It and
Romeo and Juliet as well as
Crimes of the Heart. In a review of the
Walnut Street Theatre 1986 presentation of
As You Like It, San Giacomo received a special mention: "although doll-like Laura San Giacomo had only a minor role as a wilful shepherdess, she sank her fangs into it and received the only show-interrupting applause of the evening."
Early career San Giacomo's first television appearances were four episodes on three television series during 1987. Two notable appearances were in
Crime Story in 1988 for the episode "Protected Witness" (season 2/episode 13) as Theresa Farantino and in
Miami Vice in 1989 for the episode "Leap of Faith" (season 5, episode 21) as Tania Lewis. The
Miami Vice episode also featured a guest appearance by her future husband, actor
Cameron Dye, one year before their marriage. Previously, she was featured on the daytime soap opera
All My Children as Louisa Sanchez, the Latina common-law wife of Mitch Beck (Brian Fitzpatrick) whose presence threatened to thwart his relationship with Hillary Martin (Carmen Thomas). San Giacomo first drew international attention in
Steven Soderbergh's
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), which was her film debut as a credited actor (in the 1988 movie
Miles from Home, her role as Sandy was not credited). San Giacomo also has appeared in
Quigley Down Under (1990),
Vital Signs (1990),
Under Suspicion (1991),
Once Around (1991),
Where the Day Takes You (1992),
Nina Takes a Lover (1994), and
Suicide Kings (1997). She also appeared as
Nadine Cross in the
Stephen King miniseries
The Stand with
Rob Lowe, which landed them on the cover of the May 7–13, 1994 issue of
TV Guide. She continued doing films, and as 1999 ended, she appeared in the film
Eat Your Heart Out. In 2001, San Giacomo landed the starring role in the
Jenifer Estess bio-pic
Jenifer. San Giacomo did voice work for the animated series
Gargoyles (as the character of Fox). However, she went uncredited for the role because her agent believed it would damage her reputation to have worked on an animated series.
Just Shoot Me! Needing to work, but not wanting to be away from her newborn son for months at a time, San Giacomo shifted to television in the role of hot-tempered, sassy journalist
Maya Gallo in
Just Shoot Me! (1997–2003). Her character was partially based on an unproduced idea that executive producer
Steven Levitan once had in mind for actress
Janeane Garofalo when he was a writer for
The Larry Sanders Show. San Giacomo was cast in the starring role because the series was meant to center on her character; however, the show soon adopted an ensemble style. Despite the shift in focus, San Giacomo remained an integral part of the show, and she received top billing. She and the four other main cast members appeared in all 148 episodes of the series, which lasted until 2003. San Giacomo's work during season 2 (1997–1998) earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination in 1998 for
Best Actress in a Television Comedy or Musical.
Continued work After NBC cancelled
Just Shoot Me! in 2003, San Giacomo appeared sporadically on television and in films. She made guest appearances on several television series, including the short-lived crime drama
The Handler in 2003 and
Unscripted in 2005. She was the narrator for the series
Snapped: Killer Couples. San Giacomo also appeared in the 2005 films
Checking Out and
Havoc as well as the 2006 film
Conquistadora. San Giacomo was to have made her return to television on
The WB's new drama
Related in 2005, but the character was recast due to creative differences.
Kiele Sanchez took her place as Anne Sorelli on the show. San Giacomo made her first public appearance in nearly a year on 19 October 2005 at the 15th Annual Environmental Media Awards. She made two more public appearances at the Crystal and Lucy Awards on 6 June 2006 and at the 3rd Annual
Alfred Mann Foundation Innovation and Inspiration Gala on 9 September 2006. In 2006, San Giacomo returned to network television with three guest appearances on the third season of
Veronica Mars. She reunited with
Enrico Colantoni from
Just Shoot Me!, playing Harmony Chase. Both Colantoni and San Giacomo enjoyed their reunion so much that they lobbied for their characters to appear together in more episodes. In September 2006, San Giacomo secured her first starring role on a television program after
Just Shoot Me! when she reunited with fellow Carnegie-Mellon alum
Holly Hunter in the series
Saving Grace. San Giacomo played Grace's best friend Rhetta Rodriguez. In June 2010, San Giacomo guest-starred in the episode titled "Death Becomes Her" on the series
In Plain Sight. She played a woman from an organized crime family with a terminal illness. In December 2011, San Giacomo appeared on the episode titled "Beards" on
Hot in Cleveland as Caroline, Melanie's estranged sister. == Personal life ==