Simonetta Stefanelli (; born 30 November 1954) is an Italian entrepreneur, fashion designer and retired actress. Internationally, she is best known for her performance as Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone in the 1972 film '' The Godfather'', directed by

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

. Her other roles include appearances in ''

Moses the Lawgiver ''Moses the Lawgiver'' is a 6-hour Italian/British television miniseries filmed in 1973/74 and starring Burt Lancaster as Moses. It was an ITC/ RAI co-production filmed in Rome and on location in Israel and Morocco. Many of the writers, ca ...

'', '' Scandal in the Family'' and '' Three Brothers''. In 1992, Stefanelli made her last film appearance in the drama '' Le amiche del cuore (Close Friends)'' directed by her then husband Michele Placido.

Personal life

Stefanelli was married to the actor/director Michele Placido, with whom she appeared in a number of films, including the 1975 erotic drama ''

Peccati in famiglia '' Peccati in famiglia '' or ''Sins in the Family''/''Scandal in the Family'' is a 1975 Italian erotic drama film directed by Bruno Gaburro. The film starred Michele Placido, Simonetta Stefanelli, Jenny Tamburi and acclaimed actor Renzo Mon ...

''. They had three children together, including actress Violante Placido, and they divorced in 1994. Following their divorce, Stefanelli and her children briefly lived in London. A hoax stating that Stefanelli had died appeared on the Internet in 2006, and then again in 2008.

Career

Film and television

Before appearing in '' The Godfather'' in 1972, Stefanelli had small supporting roles in several Italian films directed by renowned Italian directors: ''La moglie giapponese'' (''The Japanese Wife'') by

Gian Luigi Polidoro Gian Luigi Polidoro (4 February 1927 – 7 September 2000) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 16 films between 1956 and 1998. His 1963 film '' Il diavolo'' won the Golden Bear at the 13th Berlin International Film F ...

, ''Non commettere atti impuri'' (''Do Not Commit Adultery'') by

Giulio Petroni Giulio Petroni (21 September 1917 – 31 January 2010) was an Italian director, writer, and screenwriter, best known for his spaghetti westerns ''Death Rides a Horse'' (1967), with Lee Van Cleef in one of his first starring roles, '' A Sky Full of ...

, ''Homo Eroticus'' by Marco Vicario, and ''In nome del popolo italiano'' (''In the Name of the Italian People'') by Dino Risi. In 1972, she appeared in the German television film ''Die Sonne angreifen'' (''To Attack the Sun'') by Peter Lilienthal. The same year, Stefanelli landed her breakout role as the innocent Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone, the beautiful but doomed first wife of Michael Corleone (

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

) in the American

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

''The Godfather'', directed by

. She was shown topless, although only 16 when the production began and 17 when the film came out. Her character was featured in the 1977 miniseries '' The Godfather: A Novel for Television''. In 1973, she posed nude in the Italian edition of '' Playboy'', but later refused a career in Hollywood, in order to avoid being typecast and required to do nudity. She explained during an interview in 1997 about the offers of Hollywood filmmakers: "They wanted nothing more than to expose my body... I refused so much work." She continued her career in Italy. In 1973, she filmed one picture in Spanish, ''El mejor alcalde, el rey'' (''The Best Mayor, the King''), directed by Rafael Gil. The following year, Stefanelli appeared in the miniseries ''

'', starring

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

, Anthony Quayle and Ingrid Thulin. She would later have roles in numerous Italian films, including ''

'' (''Scandal in the Family''), an erotic drama she starred opposite her husband Michele Placido. Eriprando Visconti, Walerian Borowczyk, Franco Castellano, Giuseppe Moccia and Mario Caiano are some of the directors she worked with. Stefanelli took a break from acting in the mid-1970s following her marriage and the birth of her daughter, Violante Placido, in 1976. She returned in the early 1980s to appear in Francesco Rosi's ''

Tre fratelli ''Three Brothers'' ( it, Tre fratelli) is a 1981 Italian film based on a work by Andrei Platonov. It was directed by Francesco Rosi and stars Philippe Noiret, Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Michele Placido and Charles Vanel. The film won the Boston Society ...

'' (''Three Brothers''). After appearing in Michele Placido's film '' Le amiche del cuore'' (''Close Friends''), Stefanelli ended her acting career in 1992, just one year before her daughter began her own acting career. After a hoax about her death surfaced online in 2007, Stefanelli stated that if a film project came along, she might take it. "But after my death, I don't know," she joked.

Entrepreneurship

Having quit her acting career in 1992, Stefanelli now owns and operates a fashion store in Rome called Simo Bloom, where she designs purses and shoes.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stefanelli, Simonetta 1954 births 20th-century Italian businesswomen Fashion designers from Rome Italian fashion designers Italian women fashion designers Italian film actresses Italian television actresses Living people Actresses from Rome 21st-century Italian businesswomen