Giovanna Mezzogiorno
About
Biography
Biography
Celebrated Italian actress Giovanna Mezzogiorno has been exposed to the world of acting all her life. Her parents, Vittorio Mezzogiorno and Cecillia Sacchi, both successful actors, would take her on set when she was a child. At first, she wanted to become a ballerina. She studied ballet for 13 years, but after her father's death when she was 19, her ambitions changed. She relocated from Rome to Paris and studied theater with legendary theater director Peter Brook, who had also taught her father. Her talent became apparent in her very first role, as the tragic character Ofelia in the play "Qui est la," which was based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Her performance won her the Coppola-Prati award, a jury prize for theater, in 1996. The following year, she was appearing in her first film role, in director and star Sergio Rubini's comedy "The Bride's Journey." In 2004, she appeared again in a Rubini-directed film, "Love Returns." Her starring role as Sabina, a woman who is haunted by nightmares after the death of her father, in 2005's Cristina Comenici-directed drama "Don't Tell," earned her the Copp Volpi award, considered to be one of the most prestigious international awards for an actress. Previous winners have included Bette Davis, Shirley MacLaine, and Catherine Deneuve. In 2009, Mezzogiorno paid tribute to her famous father by narrating and producing a documentary about his life.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1995
Made her stage debut with the role of Ofelia in "Qui est là," based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet"
1997
Made film debut in "Il viaggio della sposa / The Bride's Journey" written by and starring Sergio Rubini
1998
Acted in Michele Placido's "Del perduto amor"
2001
Appeared with Gerard Depardieu and John Malkovich in the TV miniseries, "Les Misérables" (aired in France and the U.S.)
2001
Starred in Gabriele Muccino¿s "L'ultimo bacio / The Last Kiss" alongside Stefano Accorsi
2002
Starred in the movie "Il più crudele dei giorni," as Italian journalist Ilaria Alpi who had been killed in Somalia in mysterious circumstances; earned a Silver Ribbon for the role
2003
Starred in Ferzan Ozpetek's "La finestra di fronte / Facing Windows"
2005
Starred in the Oscar nominated "La Bestia nel Cuore / The Beast in the Heart" by director Cristina Comencini
2007
Starred alongside Spanish actor Javier Bardem and American actor Benjamin Bratt, in Mike Newell's film adaptation of "Love in the Time of Cholera" based on the novel by Gabriel García Márquez
