Cara Buono is an American actress, writer, director, and producer known for her work on the television series Mad Men, The Sopranos, Artie Lange’s, Beer League, and Stranger Things. Cara Buono was born on March 1, 1971, in The Bronx, New York City, New York. Cara Buono graduated from Columbia University in just three years, with a double major in English and political science. Cara Buono earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for her portrayal of a young victim of sexual abuse in the CBS Schoolbreak Special Abby, My Love (1991). Cara Buono began her film career with the movie Waterland in 1992 where she starred opposite Ethan Hawke and Jeremy Irons. Cara added the behind-the-camera credits of writer and director to her resume with her work on the short, Baggage (1997), with Liev Schreiber and Minnie Driver.

She also served as co-producer and star of the comedy, Two Ninas (1999). Cara Buono is married to businessman and philanthropist Peter Thum. Thum sold his company, Ethos Water, to Starbucks in 2005. Since then, he has launched several non-profits that focus on providing water to school children in Kenya and destroying assault weapons in Africa. Cara Buono is currently starring in the Netflix production The Romanoffs.