Bracco was born in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge. She is the daughter of Eileen (née Molyneux 1926–2010) and Salvatore Bracco, Sr. She has a sister, Elizabeth Bracco, and brother, Salvatore Jr. Her mother was from England and met her father during World War II. Eileen came with Salvatore to the United States as a war bride. Bracco grew up in Westbury, on Maxwell Drive on Long Island. She graduated from Hicksville High School in 1972. Her father was of Italian descent, while her mother was born in England to French parents. Bracco is fluent in English, French and Italian.\n', '

In 1974, Bracco moved to France, where she became a fashion model for Jean-Paul Gaultier. She lived there for about a decade.\n', '

While still modeling, Bracco was approached by Marc Camoletti who offered her a major role in the film adaptation of one of his plays, Duos sur canapé (1979). Bracco did not imagine that she could be an actress and initially refused. She eventually made the film, but found the experience "boring" and her performance "terrible". Nevertheless, she played supporting roles in two other French films "for the money". After a friend of hers had suggested that she might enjoy acting if she took some training, she followed seminars with John Strasberg. Although she loved the lessons, she was still unsure of her talents. \n', '

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