Cara Buono

**Cara Buono**, born March 1, 1971, is a renowned American actress, recognized for her Emmy-nominated role as Dr. Faye Miller in *Mad Men* and as Karen Wheeler in the popular horror sci-fi series *Stranger Things*, since its commencement in 2016. Moreover, she had a significant role as Kelli Moltisanti in the sixth season of *The Sopranos*. Buono was born and brought up in the Bronx, New York City, into a hardworking Italian descent family. She has two brothers and a sister. She attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and graduated early from Columbia University, completing a double major in English and political science in three years. She made her acting debut at a tender age of 12 in Harvey Fierstein's play Spookhouse. Buono continued to work on and off Broadway, starting her film career by playing alongside Ethan Hawke and Jeremy Irons in *Waterland* (1992). Besides large productions, she has dedicated much of her career to indie films such as *Chutney Popcorn* (1999), *Happy Accidents* (2000), *Next Stop Wonderland* (1998) and *Two Ninas* (1999), out of which she co-produced the latter. She has also graced the screen in notable television films like *Deep in My Heart* (1999) and iconic series like *Third Watch* (1999) and *Hulk* (2003). In her personal life, Buono resides in New York City's Greenwich Village with her husband Peter Thum, founder of Ethos Water, and their daughter.