Vanessa Zima, born on December 17, 1986, in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, is an American actress known for her roles as a child actress in the 1990s films "The Baby-Sitters Club," "Ulee's Gold," and "Wicked." She is the sister of actresses Madeline Zima and Yvonne Zima, and her surname, "Zima," means "winter" in Polish, reflecting her maternal grandfather's heritage.

Vanessa Zima began her film career at the age of eight in "The Baby-Sitters Club" (1995), alongside Larisa Oleynik and Rachael Leigh Cook. She later appeared in a recurring role as Elizabeth Hoffman on the television legal drama "Murder One" (1995-1996) and took on the role of Penny Jackson in "Ulee's Gold" (1997).

She also starred in "Wicked" (1998), playing Julia Stiles's younger sister, and had guest-starring roles on shows like "The Visitor" (1997) and "Crisis Center" (1997).

She landed her first starring role in the independent film "Zoe" (2001) and continued to work in both television and film throughout her career. Vanessa Zima enjoys choreography and dance when she is not working, and she has a unique condition called heterochromia, where her eyes are two different colors: brown and blue.