Vanessa Marcil acted in a number of theatre productions before landing the role of Brenda Barrett on the soap opera General Hospital in 1992. Vanessa Marcil garnered three Daytime Emmy Award nominations (1997, 1998 and 2003) for her portrayal, winning in 2003 as Outstanding Supporting Actress. In February 1998, Vanessa Marcil was named Outstanding Lead Actress at the Soap Opera Digest Awards.