Roma Maffia (born May 31, 1958) is an American actress, best known for playing Grace Alvarez on Profiler (1996-2000) and Liz Cruz on Nip/Tuck (2003–2010).

Life and career

Roma Maffia grew up in Brooklyn, New York and is of mixed English, German and West Indian descent. Her Italian surname reportedly comes from her stepfather.

Maffia is a 1973 graduate of St. Michael Academy. She began her official acting career in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions. In 1994, she played Carmen in director Ron Howard's film The Paper. Soon after, she landed a role on the television series Chicago Hope. Maffia's television career continued as she played Grace Alvarez, the forensic pathologist for the Violent Crimes Task Force for four seasons on Profiler. She has had guest-starring and recurring roles on shows such as ER, The West Wing, and Law & Order.

Her most widely seen performances may be playing Seattle attorney Catherine Alvarez in the 1994 film Disclosure, starring Michael Douglas and Demi Moore. She followed this with a series of performances as Vanessa Galiano in the TV series Law & Order and as Judge Victoria Peyton on Boston Legal.

From 2003 until 2010, Maffia appeared as Liz Cruz on the FX Network series Nip/Tuck, the anesthesiologist colleague of two dysfunctional plastic surgeons. Maffia and Julian McMahon also worked together on the TV show Profiler. She had a supporting role on Pretty Little Liars from seasons 4 to 7. Her character, Linda Tanner, is a savvy, no-nonsense state investigator working on unsolved murder cases in the fictional town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania.

In 2012, Roma appeared in several episodes of Grey's Anatomy. She appeared in Season 4 of In the Dark as Paula Romano, a drug dealer who deals a drug called "Bolt" both in and out of prison.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1982SmithereensProstitute
1983Stuck on You!Attila's Sister
1988Married to the MobAngie's First Customer
1990Internal AffairsDiane
1991American Blue NoteMarie
1994The PaperCarmen
1994DisclosureCatherine Alvarez
1995Nick of TimeMs. Jones
1996EraserClaire Isaacs
1997Kiss the GirlsDr. Ruocco
1999Double JeopardyMargaret
2000Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at HerDebbieSegment: "Love Waits For Kathy"
2001The New WomenVirginia VanUpp
2001I Am SamFirst Family Court Judgeuncredited
2002Treading WaterThe Agent
2003HolesAtty. Carla Morengo
2007Totally Baked: A Pot-U-MentaryDr. Willa Peterson
2007Ghost ImageIDetective Amos
2008Yonkers JoeSantini
2009The Blue Tooth VirginDr. Christopher
2009KingshighwayRosa
2013The CallMaddy
2022Measure of RevengeMonaPost-production

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985The EqualizerSindeeEpisode: "Desperately"
1986The EqualizerSindeeEpisode: "Dead Drop"
1993The X-FilesUncreditedEpisode: "Born Again"
1993The Young Indiana Jones ChroniclesNew York CabbieEpisode: "Young Indiana Jones and the Scandal of 1920"
1994–1995Chicago HopeAngela Giandamenicio6 episodes"Pilot" "Over the Rainbow" "Food Chains" "With the Greatest of Ease" "You Gotta Have Heart" "Great White Hope"
1995Her Deadly RivalOfficer CaldwellTV film
1995The Heidi ChroniclesTV film
1995CourthouseMs. Marino3 episodes"Order on the Court" "One Strike and You're Out" "Injustice for All"
1996WingsClaire BarnettEpisode: "Porno for Pyros"
1996Her Costly AffairSally CanterNBC TV film
1996MistrialLaurie MeisingerTV film
1996–2000ProfilerGrace Alvarez82 episodes
1997The Defenders: PaybackJulie BishopTV film
1998The Daily ShowHerselfEpisode dated 06-23-98
1998Welcome to ParadoxBarbara CloakEpisode: "Research Alpha"
1998Route 9Agent Ellen MarksTV film
2000The David Cassidy StoryRuth AaronsTV film
2001The West WingOfficer Rhonda SachsEpisode: "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail"
2001Gideon's CrossingValerie ThomlinsonEpisode: "Freak Shows"
2001The DivisionSandraEpisode: "Intervention"
2001Ally McBealWerner's AttorneyEpisode: "Fear of Flirting"
2001ERMs. Prager3 episodes"Partly Cloudy, Chance of Rain" "Quo Vadis?" "I'll be Home for Christmas"
2002Judging AmyAmanda YorkEpisode: "Tidal Wave"
2002TainaGladysEpisode: "The Fear Factors"
2002For the PeopleSophiaEpisode: "Lonely Hearts"
2002Endgame: Ethics and Values in AmericaJuliaTV film
2002The SopranosProfessor Longo-MurphyEpisode: "Christopher"
2002CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationAdelle CrossEpisode: "Fight Night"
2003BoomtownSally JacobsonEpisode: "Inadmissible"
2003–2006Law & OrderVanessa Galliano3 episodes"Ill-Conceived" "The Dead Wives Club" "Cost of Capital"
2003–2010Nip/TuckDr. Elizabeth "Liz" Troy CruzSeries Regular
2004Century CityJanice CahnEpisode: "To Know Her"
2005Strong MedicineRafael's motherEpisode: "Dying Inside"
2006Ghost WhispererDr. Hillary SloanEpisode: "The Ghost Within"
2007–2008Boston LegalJudge Victoria Peyton9 episodes
2009DexterMarriage TherapistEpisode: "If I Had a Hammer"
2009Criminal MindsDet. Reese EvansEpisode: "Conflicted"
2009EastwickMme. AleksandraEpisode: "Madams and Madames"
2011Off the MapMatildaEpisode: "Everything's as It Should Be"
2012Grey's AnatomyRoberta Thompson4 episodes
2013–2017Pretty Little LiarsLinda Tanner17 episodes
2013 & 2025NCISNCIS Special Agent Vera StricklandEpisodes: "Under the Radar" & "Now & Then"
2016Queen SugarEstelle Peterson2 episodes
2018BullHazel DiazEpisode: "Witness for the Prosecution"
2020High MaintenanceChick2 episodes
2020BillionsMary Ann Gramm2 episodes
2022In the DarkPaula Romano5 episodes
2022-2025The EqualizerDr Willa Roszak5 Episodes

External links