Veronica De Laurentiis (born 1950) is an Italian-American author and actress. She is the daughter of

Silvana Mangano Silvana Mangano (; 21 April 1930 – 16 December 1989) was an Italian film actress. She was one of a generation of thespians who arose from the neorealist movement, and went on to become a major female star, regarded as a sex symbol for the 195 ...

and

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...

, and sister of film producer

Raffaella De Laurentiis Raffaella De Laurentiis (born 28 June 1952) is an Italian film producer. Films that she has produced include ''Conan the Barbarian'', '' Conan the Destroyer'', ''Dune'', '' Prancer'', '' Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story'', all films in the ''Dragonhear ...

. At eighteen, she was cast in the film '' Waterloo'', starring

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

and

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

. The film was produced by her father. She then retired from acting following the birth of her first child,

Giada De Laurentiis Giada Pamela De Laurentiis (; born August 22, 1970) is an Italian-American chef, writer, and television personality. She was the host of Food Network's ''Giada at Home''. She also appears regularly as a contributor and guest co-host on NBC's ...

, in 1970. Shortly after her third child was born, she and her then-husband, Alex De Benedetti, left Italy for the United States. She has lived briefly in Florida and New York and for many years in Los Angeles. Four years after the birth of her fourth child, she divorced. In order to support herself and her four children, she opened a fashion design studio where for 12 years she successfully designed women's clothing under her own label. After remarrying, she closed her business and enrolled in a two-year intensive acting course. She is now a working actress and a best-selling author. Her memoir ''Rivoglio La Mia Vita'' (Claim My Life) was on the Italian bestseller list within a week. Veronica now tours Italy speaking openly about rape, abuse and the importance of breaking the silence as a tool for healing and change. Her second book ''Riprenditi La Tua Vita — Le otto chiavi di Veronica'' (Take Back Your Life — Veronica's eight keys), was published in Italy May 2009. She is the founder of the ''Associazione Veronica De Laurentiis,'' a foundation to stop domestic violence. In March 2008, she was chosen to play the role of the “mater dolorosa” in the Italian show “D’Ambra Grigia E Canfora” directed b
Raffaele Curi
and produced by Fondazione Alda Fendi. In August of the same year, she starred in the movie

Pandemia ''Pandemia'' is a 2006 post-apocalyptic teen novel written by American author Johnathan Rand (a pseudonym of Christopher Knight). The novel depicts a scenario in which bird flu mutates and becomes a global epidemic because of modern transpo ...

directed by Lucio Fiorentino which was released in 2012. She is also developing two television shows in Italy, a documentary and a one-woman show. With her second husband, producer Ivan Kavalsky, she has homes in Los Angeles and Rome.

Family

In addition to her first child, Giada, her other three children with Alex De Benedetti are Dino De Laurentiis (also a producer, like his grandfather), who died of melanoma in 2003, actor Igor De Laurentiis, and film makeup artist Eloisa De Laurentiis. She has appeared on occasion on Giada's cooking shows.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:De Laurentiis, Veronica Actresses from Rome Living people Italian emigrants to the United States People of Campanian descent 1950 births Veronica