Alessandra Carina Mastronardi (born February 18, 1986) is an
Italian actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''
To Rome with Love'' and ''
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
''The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'' is a 2022 American action comedy film directed by Tom Gormican, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kevin Etten. It stars Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself, along with a supporting cast ...
'', and the television series ''
Master of None'', for which she garnered a nomination for the
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2017.
Early life and career
Alessandra was born in
Naples, Italy, to a father from
Agnone, in the
province of Isernia and a mother from Naples, but was brought up in Rome after moving there at the age of five.
She attended a
Classical Lyceum and then the
Sapienza University of Rome where she studied
performing arts
The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...
. Previously she had attended a
psychology course at the same institution.
She made her debut as an actress in 1997, in the
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
''
Un prete tra noi'', followed by: ''
Amico mio 2'' (1998), directed by Paolo Poeti, ''Lui e lei 2'' (1999), ''Il veterinario'', by José María Sánchez, and ''Il grande Torino'' with
Remo Girone and
Michele Placido, directed by Claudio Bonivento, in which she pictures the character of ''Rosa Di Girolamo'', both filmed in 2005, and an episode of ''
Don Matteo 5'' (2006). She also had some roles in different films : ''Il manoscritto di Van Hecken'' (1999) and ''
The Beast in the Heart'' (2003); moreover some
short subject
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
s make part of her range of performances ''Cose che si dicono al buio'', by Marco Costa, and ''Due sigarette'', both filmed in (2004).
Mastronardi gained more fame, mainly in Italy, when she became a regular cast member of the 2006 Italian version of the
TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
''
Los Serrano
''Los Serrano'' is a Spanish television drama comedy which premiered on 22 April 2003 and aired on Telecinco. It tells the story of the Serrano family, who lives in Round Santa Justa No 133, located in the fictional neighborhood of Santa Justa, in ...
'', ''
I Cesaroni'', in which she plays the part of the young shy and romantic girl ''Eva Cudicini''. In 2006, she was the main character, together with Matteo Branciamore, in the
music video ''Stai bene come stai'', performed by the Italian musical group ''Le Mani''.
On January 16, 2007 she made her theatre debut in the comedy ''The Prozac Family'', directed by Marco Costa. She portrayed the character of ''Margherita'', while the role of her fiancé ''Mamo'' was played by Eros Galbiati, who became popular in Italy in 2006 thanks to the movie ''
Notte prima degli esami''.
On August 24, 2007 the movie ''Prova a volare'' by Lorenzo Cicconi Massi was released. She acted with
Riccardo Scamarcio, portraying the role of ''Gloria''.
In February 2008 she returned to TV with the second season of ''I Cesaroni'', still directed by Francesco Vicario. Then she appeared in the miniseries ''
Romanzo criminale – La serie'', by Stefano Sollima, a remake of the 2005 movie ''
Romanzo criminale
''Romanzo criminale'' (; "Criminal Novel") is an Italian-language film released in 2005, directed by Michele Placido, a criminal drama, it was highly acclaimed and won 15 awards. It is based on Giancarlo De Cataldo's 2002 novel, which is in tur ...
''.
In January, 2009, the third season of ''I Cesaroni'' began. Subsequently, Alessandra obtained an important role in
TV film ''Non smettere di sognare'', in which she played the part of a young dancer, ''Stella''.
Mastronardi played Milly, a young bride and astronomy teacher, in the 2012
Woody Allen movie, ''
To Rome with Love''.
In 2017, she appeared as the character of Francesca in Season 2 of Netflix's ''
Master of None''.
In 2019, she appeared in the role of Lucrezia Donati in the Netflix show ''
Medici: Masters of Florence''.
In 2022, she appeared in the ''
Lionsgate'' movie ''
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
''The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'' is a 2022 American action comedy film directed by Tom Gormican, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kevin Etten. It stars Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself, along with a supporting cast ...
'' with
Nicolas Cage.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mastronardi, Alessandra
1986 births
20th-century Italian actresses
21st-century Italian actresses
Actresses from Naples
Actresses from Rome
Italian child actresses
Italian film actresses
Italian television actresses
Italian stage actresses
Living people
Sapienza University of Rome alumni