Vanessa Zima was born in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, to parents Dennis and Marie, and is the sister of actresses
Madeline Zima and
Yvonne Zima. "Zima", a Polish surname, is her mother's maiden name; Vanessa's maternal grandfather was of Polish descent, while her other ancestry is Italian, German, and Irish.
Zima moved to LA and began her film career at the age of eight in
The Baby-Sitters Club (1995), with
Larisa Oleynik and
Rachael Leigh Cook. She later appeared in a recurrent role as
Daniel Benzali's daughter on
Murder One (1995), and shortly afterwards took on the role of "Penny Jackson" in
Ulee's Gold (1997), from her older sister, Madeline, who had other commitments.
This led to her role in
Wicked (1998), playing
Julia Stiles' younger sister, and guest-starring roles on
The Visitor (1997),
Crisis Center (1997) and
Family Law (1999). Vanessa then landed her first starring role in the independent film
Zoe (2001).
When not working, Vanessa enjoys choreography and dance.