Cardellini was born in Redwood City, California, the daughter of Lorraine (née Hernan), a homemaker, and Wayne David Cardellini, a businessman.[1] She is the youngest of four children.[1] Cardellini is of Italian (from her paternal grandfather), Irish (her mother), German, English, and Scottish descent,[2][3] and was raised Catholic.[4] She made her first public appearance at age 10, when she sang in a school play. Subsequently, she acted in several school productions and started attending drama lessons.[5] She graduated from nearby Mountain View's Catholic St. Francis High School in 1993,[6] then moved to Los Angeles to seek roles in television and film.[5] Cardellini was a contestant in a 1994 episode of The Price Is Right, winning a fireplace.[7]