Barbara De Rossi (born 9 August 1960) is an Italian actress who has combined a career in international cinema with longstanding popularity in Italian television.

Biography

Barbara De Rossi was born in 1960 in Rome to an Italian wine importer and his German wife. She spent many of her early years in

Rimini Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...

. At the age of 15, De Rossi was spotted by director

Alberto Lattuada Alberto Lattuada (; 13 November 1914 – 3 July 2005) was an Italian film director. Career Lattuada was born in Vaprio d'Adda, the son of composer Felice Lattuada. He was initially interested in literature, becoming, while still a student, a mem ...

in a beauty contest. Her film debut was in Lattuada's ''

Stay As You Are ''Stay as You Are'' ( it, Così come sei), also known as ''Stay the Way You Are'', is a 1978 erotic drama film, directed by Alberto Lattuada, starring Nastassja Kinski, Marcello Mastroianni, Barbara De Rossi, and Ania Pieroni. An Italian–Spani ...

'' (1978), alongside

Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni (28 September 1924 – 19 December 1996) was an Italian film actor, regarded as one of his country's most iconic male performers of the 20th century. He played leading roles for many of Italy's top di ...

and Nastasia Kinski. She went on to play

Virna Lisi Verna or Virna may refer to: People * Verna Aardema (1911–2000), American author of children's books * Verna Bloom (1939–2019), American actress * Virna De Angeli (born 1976), Italian former sprinter * Virna Dias (born 1971), Brazilian reti ...

's screen daughter in ''

La Cicala ''The Cricket'' (Italian: ''La Cicala'') is a 1980 Italian erotic drama film directed by Alberto Lattuada. For this film Virna Lisi was awarded David di Donatello for best actress, while Fred Bongusto won the Nastro d'Argento for best score. ...

'' (The Cricket) in 1980, again directed by Lattuada. In 1983, she played

Bradamante Bradamante (occasionally spelled Bradamant) is a fictional knight heroine in two epic poems of the Renaissance: ''Orlando Innamorato'' by Matteo Maria Boiardo and ''Orlando Furioso'' by Ludovico Ariosto. Since the poems exerted a wide influence o ...

, the famous female warrior, in ''

Hearts and Armour ''Hearts and Armour'' ( it, I Paladini: Storia d'armi e d'amori) is a 1983 Italian adventure film directed by Giacomo Battiato. It is loosely based on the stories of the Paladins especially the epic poem '' Orlando Furioso'' by Ludovico Ariosto ...

'' directed by

Giacomo Battiato Giacomo Battiato is an Italian film director and writer. One guide to Italian cinema says he:''The History of the Italian Cinema'' (Princeton University Press, 2009), p. ?? Born in Verona and married to Anna Zaneva since 1999, he began his car ...

. By the mid-1980s, she was gaining English-speaking roles such as the beautiful Greek slave girl Eunice in the TV miniseries '' Quo Vadis?'' and

Claretta Petacci Clara Petacci, known as Claretta Petacci (; 28 February 1912 – 28 April 1945), was a mistress of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. She was killed during Mussolini's execution by Italian partisans. Early life Daughter of Giuseppina Persich ...

, Mussolini's mistress in the docudrama ''

Mussolini and I ''Mussolini and I'' (alternately titled ''Mussolini: The Decline and Fall of Il Duce'') is a 1985 made-for-television docudrama film directed by Alberto Negrin. It chronicles the strained relationship between Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mu ...

'' alongside the actors

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

(Count Galeazzo Ciano) and

Bob Hoskins Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor. His work included lead roles in films and television series such as '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Long Good Friday'' (1980), ''Mona Lisa'' (1986), ''Who ...

(Mussolini). In 1990 she played Nys, a Montmartre prostitute, in

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...

's French-language film '' Quiet Days in Clichy'', a dramatisation of

Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...

's semiautobiographical novel based on his time in Paris. She has worked in film, theatre, and television since her debut, such as starring alongside Ray Lovelock in

Raiuno Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and genera ...

's TV film ''Marco e Giulia – Inviati Speciali'' (Mark and Julia, Special Envoys). In 1994, De Rossi shared the

David di Donatello for Best Actress The David di Donatello Award for Best Actress ( it, David di Donatello per la migliore attrice protagonista) is a film award presented annually by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano (ACI, ''Academy of Italian Cinema'') to recognize the outstanding ...

award with

Asia Argento Asia Argento (; born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento, she has had roles in several of her father's features and achieved mainstream success with a ...

and

Chiara Caselli Chiara Caselli (born 22 December 1967) is an Italian actress. In 1994, Caselli won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress award as well as the David di Donatello for Best Actress award. Caselli has appeared in American films including ''My Own P ...

for her part in the comic film ''

Sentimental Maniacs ''Sentimental Maniacs'' ( it, Maniaci sentimentali) is a 1994 Italian romantic comedy film. It marked the directorial debut of the actress and voice actress Simona Izzo, who won the David di Donatello for Best New Director. For her performance Moni ...

''. De Rossi has served as a judge on the junior talent show ''

Ti lascio una canzone ''Ti lascio una canzone'' (English: ''Leavin' you a song'') was an Italian music talent show for aspiring singers aged 7 to 15, all of whom were required to cover the most beloved songs in the history of Italian pop music. The songs covered in th ...

'' broadcast on

Rai Uno Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and general ...

since 2008.

Personal life

In 1988, De Rossi married Andrea Busiri Vici, scion of a famous architectural dynasty. They were divorced in 1990. De Rossi's second husband is the dancer Branislav Tesanovic with whom she has a daughter.

Public life

De Rossi is honorary president of "I Diritti Civili nel 2000", a civil-rights organization representing the interests of women and children.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:De Rossi, Barbara Italian film actresses Italian television actresses Italian stage actresses 1960 births Living people Actresses from Rome Italian people of German descent